The Acceptability of What Appears to Have Been an Unauthorized Act

As the people of Israel were suffering a plague as a consequence of David’s sin, David prayed for God’s mercy (1 Sam. 24:10-17). David was then instructed to erect an alter to God, “And David built there an altar to the LORD, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. So the LORD heeded the prayers for the land, and the plague was withdrawn from Israel” (v. 25, NKJV).

Since priests of the tribe of Levi were the only ones authorized to officiate at the sacrificial altar (Heb. 7:13-14), and David was of the tribe of Judah, why was his offering acceptable?

Qualifying the Law

All Israelites were commanded to offer sacrifices to God, including burnt offerings and peace offerings (Lev. 1:2; 7:38). As the command was obeyed, the assistance and mediation of a Levitical priest does not mean the Israelite (irrespective of tribe) did not himself obey the command.

“Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them, ‘When any one of you brings an offering to the LORD …. If his offering is a burnt sacrifice of the herd, let him offer …. He shall kill the bull before the LORD …’” (Lev. 1:2-4). Levitical priests assisted in the process (vv. 5-13; 6:8-13), with essentially the same procedure for peace offerings (3:1-16), albeit with additional regulations for the one observing the sacrificial law (7:11-18). “Speak to the children of Israel, saying, ‘He who offers the sacrifice of his peace offering to the LORD shall bring his offering to the LORD from the sacrifice of his peace offering. His own hands shall bring the offerings made by fire to the LORD …. And the priest shall burn …’” (7:29-31). 

That David “offered burnt offerings and peace offerings” does not mean he did anything other than what the law stipulated. Nevertheless, this was in obedience to a direct command of God, which God accepted.

An Apparent Inconsistency

Earlier, under the leadership of King Saul, the Israelites were terrified as they faced the overwhelming force of the Philistines (1 Sam. 13:1-8). ^“So Saul said, ‘Bring a burnt offering and peace offerings here to me.’ And he offered the burnt offering. Now it happened, as soon as he had finished presenting the burnt offering, that Samuel came… And Samuel said to Saul, ‘You have done foolishly. You have not kept the commandment of the Lord your God, which He commanded you …’” (1 Sam. 13:9-14).

Neither Saul nor David was a Levitical priest, so why was Saul’s offering rejected by God, while David’s was accepted? The bottom line is, Saul’s actions were clearly self-motivated and presumptuous. David’s actions were guided by and in accordance with the revealed will of God.

Conclusion

The Bible’s message is consistent. Apparent discrepancies are resolvable as long as the entire context of scripture is taken into account. The lesson here is that seeking the Lord’s will is paramount as we do what the word of God teaches and refrain from what the word of God does not authorize. 

--Kevin L. Moore

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Image credit: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Foster_Bible_Pictures_0073-1_Offering_Up_a_Burnt_Sacrifice_to_God.jpg