Psalm 54:6-7 "I will freely sacrifice unto thee: I will praise thy name, O LORD; for it is good. (7) For he hath delivered me out of all trouble: and mine eye hath seen his desire upon mine enemies."
"I will freely sacrifice unto thee." Life is filled with sacrifices of
all types. We sacrifice 40 hours a week of our time in order to receive a
paycheck. Parents constantly make sacrifices for their children. Spouses
sacrifice for one another. In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve sacrificed
their home in such a glorious place for one bite of "evil".
Yes, you see they had everything good. The only thing Satan could offer them
was "evil". When they took one bite of the fruit of that tree
of knowledge of good and evil, they sacrificed their home in the Garden and
their close fellowship with the Lord. They were plunged into a state of
being dead in trespasses and sin because of their desire for that one thing
that they did not possess. But they were blinded by the immediate beauty of
that tree and could not see the "evil" that would inhabit their being
after that. They said unto that tree, "I will freely sacrifice unto
thee." But they lost that freedom of choice when they were cast out of the
Garden of Eden and a flaming sword placed at the entrance. They could not go
back in.
This action by Adam and Eve did not catch God off guard. He had a plan in place
even before He began the process of creating this universe. A covenant
(promise) had been made between Father, Son, and Holy Spirit for the redemption
of His people. There was no sacrifice that man could offer that would
redeem his soul from that state of being dead in trespasses and sins. We saw
that a few Psalms ago. "They that trust in their wealth, and boast
themselves in the multitude of their riches; (7) None of them can
by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him." (Psalm
49:6-7) We are told in the book of Isaiah that our very best in
comparison to the perfection demanded by God is no more than filthy rags.
"But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as
filthy rags." (Isaiah 64:6) The only sacrifice that was sufficient
for the redemption of our souls is the blood of Jesus Christ, the very Son of
God. See 1 Peter 1:18-20.
So why was David sacrificing to God if it was not in order to obtain
redemption? David's sacrifices and our sacrifices are made to God because
He has already redeemed us. Our sacrifices are the expressions of praise,
gratitude, and honor unto the Lord. David had said in verse 4, "Behold,
God is mine helper." He knew that throughout his life, the Lord God had
been with him and had delivered him from many struggles and trials. God is my
helper; therefore, I will freely sacrifice unto Him. "I will praise
thy name, O LORD; for it is good. For he hath delivered me out of all
trouble."
Has God ever helped you in any situation? Have you ever felt His presence in a
time when your world seems upside down? If so, we all need to fervently offer
our sacrifices of praise and thanksgiving unto the Lord. "By him
therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the
fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name. (16) But to do good
and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well
pleased." (Hebrews 13:15-16)