24:24 I will not offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God that cost me nothing. While God’s grace and forgiveness are free, David understands that proper worship of God is never to be cheap or careless (cf. Mal. 1:6–14; 2 Cor. 8:1–5). The consistent testimony of Scripture is that God deserves our best, the “firstfruits” (Num. 18:12; Deut. 18:3–5; 26:10; Neh. 12:44; Prov. 3:9).

fifty shekels of silver. 1 Chr. 21:25 records a much larger sum of six hundred shekels of gold, possibly referring to a larger transaction of which the fifty shekels was a part.