What is the meaning of 1 Chronicles 21:25? So • The little word “So” ties the verse to everything that just happened. – Earlier in the chapter David ordered a census, an act of pride that displeased the LORD (1 Chronicles 21:1–7). – Judgment came in the form of a devastating plague (21:14). – When the angel of the LORD paused at the threshing floor of Ornan, God commanded David through the prophet Gad to build an altar there (21:18). – The word “So” signals David’s immediate response of obedience; what follows is the practical step he took to halt the plague, echoing the principle that repentance produces action (James 2:17; Acts 26:20). David paid • David did not try to receive the place for free. Instead, he chose to pay, reflecting his conviction that worship must cost the worshiper something. – “I will not offer to the LORD that which costs me nothing” (2 Samuel 24:24) records the same heart attitude in the parallel account. – His willingness underscores the truth that genuine repentance is matched by sacrificial generosity (Psalm 51:17; Luke 19:8). – By paying, David models stewardship, responsibility, and integrity for every believer. Ornan • Ornan (called Araunah in 2 Samuel 24) was a Jebusite who had remained in Jerusalem after Israel conquered the city (Joshua 15:63). – Though a foreigner, he recognizes David’s authority and offers the place freely (1 Chronicles 21:23). – His cooperation reminds us that God can use unexpected people to further His purposes (Ruth 2:10–12; Acts 10:34–35). – The meeting of Israel’s king and a former Canaanite inhabitant at this threshing floor foreshadows the future house of prayer “for all nations” (Isaiah 56:7). Six hundred shekels of gold • The price is substantial—roughly fifteen pounds of gold—demonstrating how highly David valued this moment of atonement. – 2 Samuel 24:24 mentions “fifty shekels of silver”; that verse refers to the immediate materials (oxen, yokes). 1 Chronicles records the larger amount for the entire property. Both figures are true, covering different portions of the transaction. – The cost signals the magnitude of sin’s consequences and the worth of reconciliation with God (1 Peter 1:18–19). – By paying in gold, the royal metal, David anticipates the lavish resources later poured into the temple (1 Chronicles 29:2–5). For the site • The “site” is Ornan’s threshing floor—a flat, elevated area ideal for both winnowing grain and, divinely, for erecting God’s house. – 2 Chronicles 3:1 identifies this very spot as the location where Solomon built the temple. – The ground had earlier been associated with sacrifice on Mount Moriah, where Abraham offered Isaac (Genesis 22:2), linking the place with themes of substitution and mercy. – By securing the property, David not only ends the plague but also lays the literal foundation for Israel’s central place of worship, where countless offerings will point forward to the ultimate sacrifice of Christ (Hebrews 10:10). summary 1 Chronicles 21:25 shows David’s repentant obedience in concrete form: he personally purchases Ornan’s threshing floor for a significant price, ensuring that his offering to God will be genuine and costly. The verse highlights principles of true worship—ownership, sacrifice, and foresight—and marks the moment God transforms a place of judgment into the future site of His glorious temple. |
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