What is the significance of David building an altar in 1 Chronicles 21:22? Canonical Text “David said to Ornan, ‘Grant me the site of the threshing floor, so that I may build an altar to the LORD on it. Sell it to me for the full price, so that the plague on the people may be halted.’” (1 Chronicles 21:22) Immediate Literary Context: The Census, the Plague, the Angel 1 Chronicles 21 narrates David’s unauthorized census, Yahweh’s displeasure, and the ensuing plague that costs seventy thousand Israelites their lives (vv. 1–14). An angel with a drawn sword stands “by the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite” (v. 15), halting just short of Jerusalem. David, seeing the angel, is commanded by the prophet Gad to “erect an altar to the LORD” on that very spot (v. 18). David obeys; the plague ceases (v. 27). Thus, the altar functions as the pivot between judgment and mercy. Historical and Geographic Setting: Mount Moriah 2 Chronicles 3:1 explicitly identifies Solomon’s Temple site as “Mount Moriah, where the LORD had appeared to David…in the place David had prepared on the threshing floor of Ornan.” Genesis 22:2 records Abraham offering Isaac on “the land of Moriah.” Jewish, Christian, and Near-Eastern traditions align these texts, placing Ornan’s threshing floor on the later Temple Mount. Modern archaeological surveys (e.g., Eilat Mazar’s City of David excavations) have exposed Jebusite-era walls contiguous with the southeastern ridge, corroborating a threshing floor just north of the ancient city. The bedrock “Foundation Stone” beneath the present-day Dome of the Rock fits ancient Near-Eastern threshing-floor dimensions and topography, supporting the biblical claim. Legal-Theological Basis for Building an Altar Deuteronomy 12:5–14 commands worship “at the place the LORD will choose.” Leviticus 17:11 explains that “the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you…to make atonement.” Because the angel of judgment stood on Ornan’s threshing floor, Yahweh’s “chosen place” for atonement in this crisis was there. David’s altar therefore satisfies the Mosaic prescription: a divinely designated locale, blood sacrifice, and priestly mediation (cf. 1 Chronicles 21:28–30). Costly Worship: “I Will Not Offer…That Which Costs Me Nothing” When Ornan offers the site gratis, David insists on “the full price” (v. 24). This establishes a principle: true worship entails personal cost. The “fifty shekels of silver” (2 Samuel 24:24) and “six hundred shekels of gold by weight” (1 Chronicles 21:25) likely refer to different commodities (silver for the altar, gold for the entire site), totaling roughly 15 pounds of precious metal—an extravagant sum. The motif reappears in New-Covenant teaching: believers are “bought with a price” (1 Corinthians 6:20). Atonement Accomplished: Sacrifice Halts the Plague David offers “burnt offerings and peace offerings” (v. 26). Burnt offerings signify total devotion; peace offerings celebrate restored fellowship. Fire from heaven consumes the sacrifice (v. 26), reminiscent of Leviticus 9:24 and 1 Kings 18:38, authenticating divine acceptance. Immediately, “the LORD spoke to the angel, and he put his sword back into its sheath” (v. 27). The blood of substitution averts wrath, prefiguring the once-for-all sacrifice of Christ (Hebrews 10:12). Typological and Christological Significance 1. Location: Just as Abraham’s ram (Genesis 22) substitutes for Isaac on Moriah, so David’s animals substitute for Israel, and ultimately Christ, the “Lamb of God” (John 1:29), dies within sight of Moriah. 2. Mediator-King: David functions as priest-king, anticipating Messiah’s dual office (Psalm 110:1–4; Hebrews 7). 3. Angelic Sword Sheathed: Echoes Genesis 3:24, where a sword bars Eden. Sacrifice opens renewed access to God, culminating in the torn veil of the Temple (Matthew 27:51). Foreshadowing the First Temple By purchasing the site legally, David creates an uncontested title deed for Solomon’s Temple, a strategic necessity given Canaanite claims. The Chronicler emphasizes continuity: altar → temple → perpetual worship (1 Chronicles 22–29). All subsequent sacrifices in Israel trace back to David’s act, embedding the memory of atonement in national liturgy (Psalm 30 title: “A Psalm for the Dedication of the House,” traditionally linked to this event). Archaeological Corroborations • Tel Dan Stele (9th century BC) references the “House of David,” affirming a Davidic dynasty consistent with 1 Chronicles. • Ketef Hinnom Silver Scrolls (late 7th century BC) quote the Aaronic Blessing (Numbers 6:24–26), attesting to pre-exilic priestly liturgy centered in Jerusalem, the city now being prepared by David. • Bullae bearing names of post-exilic priests found near the Temple Mount (e.g., “Gemaryahu ben Shaphan”) show administrative continuity from David’s altar to later temple service. Philosophical and Apologetic Observations A purely naturalistic account cannot explain the sudden cessation of a plague coincident with a specific ritual act. The narrative fits the pattern of observable, verifiable, goal-directed action—hallmarks of intelligent agency. The location, timing, and outcome present converging lines of evidence that an omniscient Being intervenes in history, consistent with the resurrection-events minimal-facts framework. Practical Application for Contemporary Believers 1. Worship must be intentional and sacrificial, not perfunctory. 2. Sin’s consequences require atonement; only God’s provision suffices. 3. Corporate sin demands corporate humility and leadership-initiated repentance. 4. Sacred space matters: believers are now “living temples” (1 Corinthians 3:16), carrying the memory of Moriah wherever they go. Summary David’s construction of an altar in 1 Chronicles 21:22 marks the intersection of divine judgment and mercy, establishes the Temple site, demonstrates the necessity and cost of atonement, and foreshadows the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus the Messiah. The narrative is historically grounded, textually secure, archaeologically supported, and theologically central to understanding redemption. |
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