Why does Araunah offer his threshing floor to King David without cost? Why Araunah’s Offer Matters “Araunah said, ‘Why has my lord the king come to his servant?’ ‘To buy your threshing floor,’ David replied, ‘so that I may build an altar to the LORD, that the plague upon the people may be halted.’” Layers Behind Araunah’s Generosity • Awe of God’s immediate judgment • 1 Chronicles 21:20 records that Araunah (Ornan) actually saw the angel of the LORD standing with drawn sword; terror pressed him to cooperate fully. • Honor for divinely appointed authority • Giving land, animals, and tools at no charge was a customary way to acknowledge the king’s sovereignty (cf. 1 Samuel 10:27). • Urgency to spare the nation • The plague was already taking lives (2 Samuel 24:15); Araunah’s quick, open-handed response sought swift mercy. • Recognition that everything already belonged to God • Psalm 24:1; his offer simply returned to the LORD what was His. Supporting Texts • 2 Samuel 24:22-23: “My lord the king may take and offer whatever pleases him… Araunah gives all these to the king.” • 1 Chronicles 21:22-23: same scene, same free-of-charge offer. • 2 Chronicles 3:1: God later appoints this very site for the Temple—showing His providential use of Araunah’s gift. David’s Refusal to Accept Free Sacrifice • 2 Samuel 24:24: “I will not offer to the LORD my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.” • Principle echoed in: • Genesis 23:9—Abraham insists on paying for the cave of Machpelah. • Malachi 1:7-8—God rejects cheap, blemished offerings. • Luke 21:3-4—true giving involves personal cost. Key Takeaways • Araunah’s offer sprang from fear of God, respect for king, and compassion for people. • God values willing generosity, yet true worship must still be costly to the worshiper. • The threshing floor’s destiny as Temple ground reminds us that voluntary, sacrificial giving becomes part of God’s enduring work. |
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