Why was David unable to go before the altar in 1 Chronicles 21:30? Setting the Stage • After David’s ill-advised census (1 Chronicles 21:1-6), the LORD sent a devastating plague on Israel (vv. 7-14). • The executing agent was “the angel of the LORD” with “a drawn sword…stretched out over Jerusalem” (v. 16). • Though God relented (v. 15), the angel remained visible until God commanded him to sheathe his sword (v. 27). • Meanwhile, the tabernacle and the original bronze altar still stood at Gibeon, several miles northwest of Jerusalem (v. 29). The Specific Reason David Stayed Away 1 Chronicles 21:30: “But David could not go before it to inquire of God, because he was afraid of the sword of the angel of the LORD.” • David’s fear was not mere anxiety; he had just witnessed seventy thousand Israelites die (v. 14). • The sword was literal and lethal; David had seen it suspended over the city (v. 16). • Approaching Gibeon meant passing under that lingering threat, and David dared not move until the LORD fully stayed the angel’s hand. Digging Deeper: Why the Fear Was Real • The holiness of God had been affronted by David’s prideful census (cf. Exodus 30:12). • Under the Mosaic system, approaching the altar without divine permission risked death (Leviticus 10:1-3). • Until atonement was provided on Ornan’s (Araunah’s) threshing floor and the angel’s sword was returned to its sheath, David sensed he lacked the right to step onto holy ground at Gibeon. From Gibeon to Jerusalem: God Redirects Worship • God answered David “on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite” (v. 28), a site that would become the temple mount (2 Chronicles 3:1). • David immediately “sacrificed there” (v. 28), signaling a divinely approved shift from the high place at Gibeon to Jerusalem itself. Key Takeaways for Today • God’s holiness is not symbolic; it is lethal to unrepentant sin (Hebrews 10:31). • Genuine fear of the LORD is appropriate when we recognize our guilt (Psalm 130:3-4). • God’s mercy invites us to a new, God-appointed altar—ultimately fulfilled in Christ, who bore the sword of judgment on our behalf (Isaiah 53:5; Colossians 1:20). |
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