David offers his personal treasury towards the building of the house of the Lord and asks others if they would do the same. He asks, “Who then will offer willingly, consecrating himself today to the Lord?” He equates giving willingly with consecrating themselves to the Lord.

To consecrate is to make holy, to set apart. They consecrated themselves by keeping from things that would make them unclean and cleaning themselves, washing their clothes. They consecrate themselves by being clean before the Lord. How would giving willingly be an act of consecration? What’s the cleansing and setting apart?

They are being asked if they would give money, specifically gold, silver, and precious stones. These were things of wealth and status. These were bargaining tools for trade.

I also find it striking that these same things they were giving to God were used by future generations to build idols to try and buy themselves favor, good health, and prosperity.

David doesn’t make any such claims here in his request. They are giving to God because He is holy and set apart, because of the greatness of His name. They didn’t do it for themselves. They did it for their God.

Verse nine says, “Then the people rejoiced because they had given willingly, for with a whole heart they had offered freely to the LORD. David the king also rejoiced greatly.” The only way to offer to God freely is to do it willingly with your whole heart. Do you feel free in your worship? If not, there’s a piece of your heart missing from it.

If they were still clinging to that gold, wanting something else from it, then they wouldn’t have been able to rejoice freely. They were consecrated to the Lord, set apart for Him, because they had an undivided heart. They gave with their whole hearts willingly. And it was freeing.

We need to come to God with an undivided heart. We’re told to love the Lord our God with all our hearts, all our minds, all our souls, all our strength. It’s the greatest commandment. Are we breaking it?

If there are any tugs and pulls on your heart apart from God’s love compelling you, you need God to release those things. Give them up. Let go so your heart can be undivided in its love and attention.

You won’t be free in your worship or in your life until you have an undivided heart, until you can willingly give up your treasures and rejoice in giving them over to the Lord. He is worthy of it all.