Ornan said to David, "My lord the king may take whatever seems good. Look, I will give the oxen for the burnt offerings, the threshing sledges for the wood, and the wheat for the grain offering--I will give it all." Ornan said to David, “Take it!Ornan, called Araunah in 2 Samuel 24, was a Jebusite living in Jerusalem after David’s conquest of the city. His readiness to yield the threshing floor arose during the plague brought upon Israel because of David’s census. Ornan recognized David’s royal authority and willingly cooperated in the sacrifice God had commanded to stop the judgment. 2Sa 24:22 Araunah said to David, “May my lord the king… May my lord the king do whatever seems good to him. Ornan addressed David with the honor due to Israel’s king and placed his property at David’s disposal. His submission also served God’s purpose, for the altar erected there would become central to Israel’s worship. The site was later identified as Mount Moriah, where Solomon built the temple (2 Chronicles 3:1). 2Sa 15:26 But if He should say, ‘I do not delight in you,’… Look, I will give the oxen for the burnt offerings, Ornan offered animals valuable for agricultural labor so that David could present the burnt offering required for atonement. The whole burnt offering represented complete consecration to God and pointed forward to the perfect, once-for-all sacrifice of Christ. Lev 1:3-5 If his offering is a burnt offering from the herd,… the threshing sledges for the wood, Ornan was prepared to surrender even the implements of his daily work to fuel the altar. The urgency of God’s judgment did not lessen the costliness of worship; it revealed the need for wholehearted obedience. Gen 22:6-8 Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering… and the wheat for the grain offering— The wheat supplied the grain offering, an act of thanksgiving and devotion offered alongside the sacrifice. God’s provision of daily bread was thereby returned to Him in grateful worship. Lev 2:1-3 “When anyone brings a grain offering to the LORD,… I will give it all.” Ornan withheld nothing that was needed for the offering. David nevertheless refused to offer what cost him nothing, purchasing the site and its provisions so that the sacrifice would express personal repentance and devotion (1 Chronicles 21:24–25). 1Ch 29:14 But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able…… Persons / Places / Events 1. DavidThe King of Israel who seeks to build an altar to the LORD to stop a plague on Israel. 2. Ornan (Araunah) A Jebusite who owns the threshing floor where David wishes to build the altar. 3. Threshing Floor The location where David intends to offer sacrifices to God, which later becomes the site of Solomon's Temple. 4. Plague A divine punishment on Israel due to David's census, which David seeks to end through sacrifice. 5. Burnt Offerings and Grain Offerings Sacrificial offerings to God, symbolizing atonement and dedication. Teaching Points Generosity and Willingness to GiveOrnan's willingness to give everything needed for the sacrifice without cost reflects a heart of generosity and submission to God's purposes. The Cost of Worship David insists on paying for the threshing floor, teaching us that true worship often involves personal sacrifice and cost. Obedience and Repentance David's actions demonstrate the importance of obedience to God and repentance in the face of sin. God's Sovereignty and Mercy The cessation of the plague upon David's sacrifice illustrates God's control over events and His mercy in response to genuine repentance. The Significance of Place The threshing floor of Ornan becomes the site of the future temple, showing how God can transform ordinary places into sites of divine significance. Bible Study Questions 1. How does Ornan's response to David's request challenge us in our own willingness to give to God and others?2. What does David's insistence on paying for the threshing floor teach us about the nature of true worship and sacrifice? 3. In what ways can we apply the principle of costly worship in our daily lives? 4. How does the account of David and the plague illustrate the relationship between sin, repentance, and God's mercy? 5. How can we identify and honor the "threshing floors" in our lives—places or moments where God is calling us to deeper obedience and worship? Connections to Other Scriptures 2 Samuel 24This parallel account provides additional context to the events in 1 Chronicles 21, including David's repentance and the purchase of the threshing floor. Genesis 22 The concept of sacrificial offerings is echoed in Abraham's willingness to sacrifice Isaac, highlighting themes of obedience and faith. Hebrews 13:15-16 These verses discuss offering sacrifices of praise and doing good, connecting the physical sacrifices of the Old Testament to spiritual sacrifices in the New Testament.
People Araunah, Benjamin, Dan, David, Gad, Gibeon, Israelites, Joab, Levi, OrnanPlaces Beersheba, Dan, Gath, Gibeon, JerusalemTopics Behold, Burned, Burnt, Burnt-offering, Burnt-offerings, Cereal, David, Fire-wood, Grain, Grain-cleaning, Instruments, Meal, Meal-offering, Meat, Meat-offering, Oblation, Offering, Offerings, Ornan, Oxen, Pleases, Present, Seems, Sight, Sledges, Threshing, Threshing-instruments, Threshing-sledges, Whatever, Wheat, WoodDictionary of Bible Themes 1 Chronicles 21:23Library "For what the Law could not Do, in that it was Weak through the Flesh, God Sending his Own Son in the Likeness of Sinful Flesh,Rom. viii. 3.--"For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin condemned sin in the flesh." For what purpose do we meet thus together? I would we knew it,--then it might be to some better purpose. In all other things we are rational, and do nothing of moment without some end and purpose. But, alas! in this matter of greatest moment, our going about divine ordinances, we have scarce any distinct or deliberate … Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning The Work of Jesus Christ as an Advocate, The Hardening in the Sacred Scripture. Chronicles Links 1 Chronicles 21:23 NIV1 Chronicles 21:23 NLT 1 Chronicles 21:23 ESV 1 Chronicles 21:23 NASB 1 Chronicles 21:23 KJV 1 Chronicles 21:23 Commentaries Bible Hub |
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