What is the significance of sacrifice in 1 Chronicles 21:28? Canonical Text “At that time, when David saw that the LORD had answered him at the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite, he offered sacrifices there.” (1 Chronicles 21:28) Parallel confirmation: “David built an altar to the LORD there and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. So the LORD was moved by prayer for the land…” (2 Samuel 24:25). Immediate Narrative Setting The verse concludes the plague episode that followed David’s census. Judgment had fallen; mercy was granted when David obeyed the prophet Gad’s command to erect an altar on Ornan’s threshing floor. Sacrifice becomes the pivot from wrath to restoration. Cultural and Legal Background of Sacrifice 1. Mosaic precedent: Burnt and peace offerings (Leviticus 1; 3) convey atonement and fellowship. 2. Location: A threshing floor—elevated, exposed bedrock—ideal for ritual purity (cf. Numbers 19:17). 3. Costliness: David declares, “I will not offer to the LORD that which costs me nothing” (1 Chron 21:24). Sacrifice means genuine loss translating into covenant loyalty. Theological Significance Atonement: Blood answers divine justice (Leviticus 17:11). Intercession: David, the anointed king, mediates for the nation (2 Samuel 24:17). Obedience over presumption: David’s census represented autonomy; sacrifice re-asserts theocracy. Foreshadowing of ultimate substitution: typological arrow to Messiah (Isaiah 53:10; Hebrews 10:10). Redemptive-Historical Placement Ornan’s threshing floor = Mount Moriah (2 Chron 3:1), the site where Abraham offered Isaac (Genesis 22) and where Solomon’s temple would stand. Thus the sacrifices of David bridge patriarchal promise and temple liturgy, illustrating providential continuity. Archaeological Corroboration • The exposed limestone outcrop under the present Dome of the Rock matches ancient threshing-floor qualities; early Jewish and Christian sources (Josephus, Eusebius) identify it as the temple site. • The Tel Dan Stele (9th c. BC) authenticates “House of David,” supporting the Chronicler’s historiography. • First-Temple period bullae bearing the divine Name (YHWH) affirm ritual centrality in Jerusalem. These finds fit a conservative 10th-century Solomonic construction timeframe consistent with Ussher-style chronology. Sacrifice as Divine Response Mechanism The verse highlights reciprocal relational dynamics: • Human petition → divine answer → human sacrifice → divine favor on the land. Behaviorally, such tangible acts reinforce cognitive humility and community cohesion, findings echoed in contemporary clinical studies on ritual and anxiety reduction. Christological Fulfillment Hebrews 9:24-26 interprets all temple sacrifices as anticipatory shadows. Jesus Christ, crucified and resurrected (1 Corinthians 15:3-8; minimal-facts data set), fulfills the sacrificial system by offering Himself “once for all.” The exact topographical continuity—Calvary within the same ridge system—underscores typology. Practical and Devotional Application New-covenant believers respond with “living sacrifices” (Romans 12:1) rooted in Christ’s finished work. Like David, worship today includes repentance, costly obedience, and gratitude for answered prayer. Summary In 1 Chronicles 21:28 sacrifice signifies: • the turning point from judgment to mercy, • a demonstration of costly obedience, • the establishment of the future temple site, • a typological beacon to the crucified and risen Christ, and • an enduring model for worship that magnifies the glory of God. |
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