The Price of Nails

Daily Reading:  2 Chronicles 2-3

The weight of gold for the nails was fifty shekels. (2 Chronicles 3.9a)

Devotional Thought: "I've got the nails we'll need,"  I told my friend, Matt.  We were putting together a material list for a small project in his basement.  Generous, right?  Not exactly!  The cost of nails for the job was less than $2.00.  Plus, I had them laying around getting in the way!

That got me to thinking, "How much does it cost for the nails in an average house?"   Around $500 was the estimate I read.  When I read, "The weight of the gold for the nails was fifty shekels," I wondered, "How much did they spend forthose nails?"  I was surprised!  In today's dollars, they spent over $25,000.00 just for the trim nails used in that 900 square foot space!  That's not cheap!  It seems that they could have saved a little money there, doesn't it?

When it comes to the worship of God, cost savings is not the goal.  King David set the standard when he bought the land for the temple.  He had said, "I will not offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God that cost me nothing" (2 Samuel 24.24).  It is, therefore, not surprising that David's son Solomon would not scrimp on the nails for the temple!

Can you think of some other nails that were costly?  Three nails in particular?  They were used on a hillside outside Jerusalem, and God didn't scrimp on them.  When the Son of God was crucified for the sins of the world, three nails pierced his hands and  feet.  We cannot begin to imagine the price of those nails!

The old hymn says, "Jesus paid it all.  All to him I owe!"  Since he paid so much for those nails, should I not be willing to give him my all?

Prayer: Thank you, Jesus, that you did not scrimp on the cost of my salvation, but shed your life's blood to save me.  Lord, I give you my all in worship and in surrender.  How I love you, Lord!

Psalm of the Day: Psalm 60:1-5

1 O God, you have rejected us, broken our defenses; you have been angry; oh, restore us.

2 You have made the land to quake; you have torn it open; repair its breaches, for it totters.

3 You have made your people see hard things; you have given us wine to drink that made us stagger.

4 You have set up a banner for those who fear you, that they may flee to it from the bow. Selah

5 That your beloved ones may be delivered, give salvation by your right hand and answer us!