Why did David build an altar in 2 Samuel 24:25? Context of 2 Samuel 24 2 Samuel 24 records David’s decision to number Israel, an act that “angered” the LORD (v. 1). After the census God sent a plague; seventy thousand men died (v. 15). When the angel of judgment reached Jerusalem, “the LORD relented of the disaster” (v. 16), instructing the prophet Gad to tell David to build an altar on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite (vv. 18–19). The Immediate Cause: Judgment Halted David built the altar because God Himself prescribed it as the divinely appointed means to stop the plague. “So David went up, as the LORD had commanded through Gad” (v. 19). Obedience to that specific revelation was non-negotiable; the altar was the condition on which mercy would replace wrath. Location: The Threshing Floor on Mount Moriah Araunah’s threshing floor lay on the summit of Mount Moriah, the very site where Abraham had been told to offer Isaac (Genesis 22:2). 1 Chronicles 21–22 identifies it as the future Temple area: “Then David said, ‘This is the house of the LORD God, and this is the altar of burnt offering for Israel’ ” (1 Chron 22:1). Thus David’s altar fixed the sacred geography for Solomon’s Temple and for the Second Temple that stood in Jesus’ day—archaeologically verified by the bedrock platform beneath today’s Temple Mount. Purpose 1: Atonement Through Substitutionary Sacrifice “David built an altar to the LORD there and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. So the LORD answered the prayers for the land, and the plague on Israel was halted” (2 Samuel 24:25). Burnt offerings signified total consecration; peace offerings symbolized restored fellowship. Together they picture substitution—an innocent victim dies so the guilty may live—foreshadowing Christ’s once-for-all sacrifice (Hebrews 10:10). Purpose 2: Costly Obedience and the Principle of Worth Araunah offered the site and animals free of charge, but David refused: “I will not offer to the LORD my God that which costs me nothing” (v. 24). True worship demands personal sacrifice, not mere convenience. This principle anticipates Paul’s call to present our bodies as “living sacrifices” (Romans 12:1). Purpose 3: Establishing an Authorized Place of Worship By divine command the altar became the nucleus of national worship. Centralizing sacrifice protected Israel from syncretism and idolatry (Deuteronomy 12:5–14). The later Temple served the same theological purpose: one God, one altar, one way of approach. Purpose 4: Covenant Renewal and National Restoration Building the altar constituted public repentance. David, Israel’s representative head, acknowledged sin, sought forgiveness, and interceded for the people—reaffirming the Mosaic covenant principles of confession and cleansing (Leviticus 26:40–42). Purpose 5: Typological Pointer to Christ’s Resurrection Victory The plague ends at a place later associated with the sacrificial system that Christ would fulfill by dying and rising again within sight of Mount Moriah. The halted sword (2 Samuel 24:16) anticipates the empty tomb: judgment satisfied, life restored. Archaeological and Geographic Corroboration • The threshing floor’s traditional site sits beneath the 35-acre Haram es-Sharif, whose exposed bedrock still shows chisel marks consistent with ancient threshing floors. • Iron Age pottery and wall remains on the eastern ridge align with the era of David and Solomon, verifying the city’s expansion toward Moriah. • The large stepped-stone structure and the Millo (2 Samuel 5:9) excavated by Eilat Mazar date securely to the 10th century BC, matching the United Monarchy chronology. Application for the Believer 1. Sin has corporate consequences; leaders bear heightened responsibility. 2. God provides specific, sufficient means of atonement, ultimately fulfilled in Christ. 3. Worship that pleases God is obedient, costly, and centered on His self-revelation rather than human ingenuity. 4. Divine mercy triumphs over judgment, encouraging repentant return. Conclusion David built the altar because God commanded him to provide an atoning, costly, substitutionary sacrifice at the exact spot He chose for the future Temple, thereby halting judgment, restoring covenant fellowship, and prefiguring the ultimate sacrifice and resurrection of Jesus Christ. |
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