THE CENSUS OF ISRAEL AND THE THRESHING FLOOR OF ORNAN THE JEBUSITE As the author cared to show what lie in David’s heart of piety and attachment to the Lord; Here he speaks about his sin in making a census of the people of Israel. By that he meant, not to reveal some weakness in David’s life, as much as to show how God turned David’s sin into a way to reveal the location on which the temple would be built after his death. By his repentance, he got forgiveness; and his sin turned into a blessing. It may seem to the reader of the second book of Samuel 24, that the episode of David’s fall into demanding the census of the people, happened during a late stage of David’s life; While here, in the first book of the Chronicles 21, it seems to happen during the early years of his reign. The reason behind this controversy is that the first book of the Chronicles did not mention many events that happened in David’s life; on account of that they do not fit within the goal of the book, namely, binding the historical events with worship. And on another aspect, as the last nine chapters of the first book of the Chronicles (21-29) dealt with the preparations for building the temple, and setting the systems of its ministry, etc., what came in the present chapter (21), may seem as though happened in an early stage of David’s life. This chapter concentrated on talking about a sin, counted by some to be the most serious of what David had fallen into. Some may wonder why was the author committed to talk about that particular sin, when he disregarded David’s sin concerning Bathsheba and her husband Uriah the Hittite, and the difficulties that dwelt upon David’s household, including the rebellion of his son Absalom! David’s sin in making a census of the people of Israel was recorded in this chapter, on account of that the atonement on this particular sin, led to the reference to the location of the land purchased by David to set an altar for the Lord, that later on became the location on which the temple of the Lord will be built. It is as though David’ sin turned into good, namely, to David’s contribution to building the temple by purchasing the land. According to some scholars, that piece of land was where Abraham intended to slay his son Isaac by the command of the Lord (Genesis 22). On Mount Moriah; a word meaning (the Lord sees) or (Jehovah sees) (Genesis 22: 14). In the second book of the Chronicles, it came: “Now Solomon began to build the house of the Lord at Jerusalem, on Mount Moriah, where the Lord had appeared to his father David, at the place that David had prepared on the threshing floor of Ornan the jebusite’” (2 Chronicles 3: 1). David, in a unique way, fulfilled the divine promises presented to the fathers Patriarchs. 1- Although David was known, since his early days of youth, and until the day of his departure, for his humility; Yet, being human, he was tested by pride. and unfortunately fell into it, despite Joab’s warning (1-7). Of the dangers of leadership is to fall into pride; hence the leaders are in need of more prayers for their sake. 2- Having recognized his fault, David instantly returned to God with repentance; Yet he still needed chastisement to taste the bitterness of the sin, so as not to do it again. 3- David purchased the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite, on which he built an altar to offer a sacrifice to the Lord; a location on which the future temple of the Lord was to be built. !- David commands Joab to number the people of Israel 1 - 6 2- David shows remorse for what he did 7 - 8 3- David chooses the kind of chastisement to dwell upon him 9 - 13 4- The plague and how Jerusalem was spared 14 - 17 5- An altar is built on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite 18 – 30 We have already dealt with that painful episode in our book, entitled: [Interpretation of the contemplations of the early fathers in the second book of Samuel (2 Samuel 24). Here we present more of those contemplations: 1- DAVID COMMANDS JOAB TO NUMBER THE PEOPLE OF ISRAEL: “Now Satan stood up against Israel, and moved David to number Israel” (1) Who was behind this sin? … In (2 Samuel 24: 1), it came; “Again the anger of the Lord was aroused against Israel, and He moved David against them”. And in the book of the Chronicles, it is written that it was Satan who was behind David’s erroneous behavior. Both are true: God allowed Satan to tempt David. God is not the source of evil, but He allows it to realize His goals. If Satan presents the seduction, yet he does not commit man to accept it. Here he shows that Satan does not stand tight-handed before God’s plans and His continuous works to realize salvation. He seduced David’s heart to scatter God’s plans toward His people; as the serpent seduced Adam and Eve; and as he previously attempted to tempt ‘Job’ to destroy him (Job 1, 2); And the prophet Zechariah saw him in one of his visions (Zechariah 3: 1). Numbering the people is not a sin in itself; as it is befitting of the shepherd to know all about his flock; but it is obvious that David aroused the wrath of God; on account of that he did it out of the pride of his heart, to boast his military power and possibilities, not trusting in God. The motive of his act was the sin of arrogance; as the sin often lies, not in our manifest behavior, as much as in our hidden motives. We are sure that God causes no sin; as “He tempts no one” (James 1: 13). Therefore when it is said that “He moved David to do it” (1); we should make it clear that, because of a holy and a wise goal, God allowed Satan to do. It is no wonder that the goal of Satan, the enemy of God, and every good thing, is to destroy David and the people…. Here we notice: 1- It is amazing how Satan could seduce David to do such a sin; about whom God testified: “He is a man after My own heart” (Acts 13: 22) who is supposed to be among those whom the evil one cannot touch. God so allowed to let us know that the holiest of the saints should never assume that they are out of reach of the devil’s temptations. This reminds us of when Satan kept on saying to St. Maccari the Great: [You made it Maccara]; to which the saint continued to say; {No I have not]; up to the moment just before he delivered his spirit in the hand of his Creator; when he said: [Now I have done it]… Now, when Satan intended to do harm to Israel, how did he do it? “He did not incite God against him to destroy them” (Job 2: 3); but he moved David, their best friend, to number them, by which he could arouse the wrath of God, and incites Him against them. 2- By seducing us to sin against God, Satan causes us more harm than what he does through his perpetual complaint against us before God. He destroys men by their own hands . 3- The greatest harm, Satan can do to the church of God is to seduce her leaders by pride; which should never be recognized, particularly in the elite of the church, according to the words of the Lord Himself, saying: “But not so among you; on the contrary, he who is greatest among you, let him be as the younger; and he who governs as he who serves” (Luke 22: 26). + David believed in you, and You took him from behind the sheep and made him king; You let him overcome Goliath, and all his persecutors. The devil stirred all his hosts against him on all sides; But because You held his hand, he endured and got courage. When the evil one put in David’s heart to number the people; God chastised him by His mercy, and received him by His love. God made him king, and filled him with the spirit of prophecy; and from his mouth a wealth of words filled the whole universe. He became a fountain, from which the words of the Holy Spirit flowed, for all peoples to drink, and still are thirsty to them.. (St (Mar) Jacob El-Serougi) . “So David said to Joab and to the leaders of the people, ‘Go number Israel from Beersheba to Dan; and bring the number of them to me that I may know it’” (2) “And Joab answered, ‘May the Lord make His people a hundred times more than they are. But, my Lord the king, are they not all my lord’s servants? Why then does my lord require this thing? Why should he be a cause of guilt in Israel?’” (3) This episode shows David fall into weakness that no one expected to see; which motivated Joab to rebuke him for it. David sinned on account of that he leaned upon the arm of his people, contrary to his principles, and sought his own glory. The Lord Himself warned him on the tongue of the prophet Nathan, saying: “I have been with you wherever you have gone; and have cut off all your enemies from before you; and have made you a name like the name of the great men who are on earth” (17: 8). David did not seek the Lord’s counsel before numbering the people, nor listened to that of Joab, who was against the whole idea, and was not comfortable with David’s command.. Although Joab had a great reputation in public affairs; yet he had to follow the king’s order, which he did with much hesitation. He protested against that task before he started doing it; and although no one could compete with him in doing what is for the glory of the king and the good of the kingdom; yet he would rather be relieved of it, for two reasons: 1- He believed that it was nor warranted, nor needed. For God promised to increase His people; And Joab did not doubt the fulfillment of the divine promise; for the whole people were His loyal and loving servants. 2- Joab perceived that that thing was so serious, could be a cause of guilt in Israel; and could arouse the wrath of God upon them. But David did not perceive it that way. … That is why it is befitting of even the kings to seek the counsel of his faithful men with the spirit of humility. “Nevertheless the king’s word prevailed against Joab. Therefore Joab departed and went throughout Israel and came to Jerusalem” (4) “Whatever the king did pleased all the people” (2 Samuel 3: 36); but now there was a public resentment of his orders, which showed in Joab’s reaction toward them; for “The king’s word was abominable to Joab”. (6). “Then Joab gave the sum of the number of the people to David. All Israel had one million one hundred thousand men who drew the sword, and Judah had four hundred and seventy thousand men who drew the sword” (5) The result of that census was less than perfect, because Joab’s heart was not in it; he did not number two very important tribes: Levi and Benjamin (5-6), and he probably was not elaborate enough in numbering the other tribes as well; which explains the differences in the numbers from what came in (2 Samuel 24: 9); which could also be referred to the fact that the second book of Samuel did not count the number of the active army, the way it came here; for which David, as well, did not care to know, for he knew it in a general way; but his goal was to know to what extent the power of Israel could reach, to be able to put it in use at the proper situations “But he did not count Levi and Benjamin among them, for the king’s word was abominable to Joab” (6) Joab did not number the tribe of Levi, because they are exempted from military service; and also because this tribe was scattered among the rest of the tribes, that makes it very difficult to estimate their actual number. And he did not number tribe Benjamin, on account of that the census got disrupted before it reached Benjamin (1 Chronicles 27: 24), because of the plague. There is a great difference between this episode compared to what happened when David, the young shepherd came to the battle field, and saw the mighty Goliath haughtily wandering around, and defying Israel. The young man did not care, then, to know the number of the army, for he believed that “It is better to trust in the Lord, than to put confidence in man; It is better to trust in the Lord, than to put confidence in princes” (Psalm 118: 8, 9); but he said: [Let me confront him]. Why did he have the courage to do that? For he trusted in the Lord; contrary to what he did in the episode of the census. + Great is the power of hope in the Lord; It is an unconquerable stronghold; a protective mighty wall; an undefeatable military force; and a safe harbor; by which the unarmed become armed; women could become stronger than men; and children mightier than the men of war. No wonder that they can overcome, not just their enemy, but the whole world … Hope in the Lord can alter everything. + He did not say: [I shall not suffer], but said [I shall not fear what man can do to me]. Meaning that, [even though I may suffer, yet I shall not fear]; As also said by the apostle Paul: “If God is with us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8: 36). …. Many things were against him, yet he was more exalted over all fears. Oh, beloved brethren, Because God loves you, He draws you away from every thing; … and draws you to Him. (S. John Chrysostom) + To those who say: [Why the divine care does not support us when we are persecuted? … I may say: [What harm could come on us, if we look at death as a departure to the Lord; If we see it as a mere change, by which we go from one kind of life to another kind. Everyone of us may say in complete trust: “The Lord is on my side, I will not fear what man can do to me” (Psalm 118: 6); As “The souls of the righteous are in the hand of God; and no torment will ever touch them” (Wisdom 3: 1); … They persecute us, not because we are evildoers; but because they assume that we, Christians, sin against life, and against ourselves. (St. Clement of Alexandria) + Before going to war, look for an ally; Before falling into illness, be sure to have your physician; Before sorrowful things dwell upon you, Pray; for at the time of sorrow, you will find Him more attentive to you. (Mar Isaac the Syrian) We should ask ourselves this important question: Do we perpetually believe and trust in the Lord?... “But without faith it is impossible to please Him” (Hebrew 11: 6). The Lord Jesus, glory be to Him, said: “When He (the Holy Spirit) has come, He will convict the world of sin” ….What sin? “Because they do not believe in Me” (John 16: 8); And the apostle Paul says: “Whatever is not from faith is sin” (Romans 14: 23). That was therefore, David’s sin in that episode, which he soon perceived and confessed, seeking forgiveness. 2- DAVID SHOWS REMORSE FOR WHAT HE DID: . “And God was displeased with this thing; therefore He struck Israel” (7) In the census done by David, no ransom was collected, according to what came in Exodus 30: 12; And David’s pride and lack of trust in God came with serious results. + The behavior of rulers are often bound to the features of their subjects; Even the truly good shepherds may err as a fruit of the evil of their flock. David who was commended by God Himself, to become worthy to know heavenly secrets, was puffed up by a sudden pride, and fell into the sin of numbering the people. And although he was the one who sinned, the people fell under punishment. Why? ….. On account of the fact that the rulers’ hearts are influenced by their peoples’ worthiness. The judge (David) was rebuked for his sin by putting punishment on those because of whom he sinned. Falling into pride by his own free will, David, himself, fell under punishment; for the great wrath that struck the people in their flesh, has actually struck David in the depth off his heart. Surely, the worthiness of both the rulers and the people are mutual and bound together; For the behavior of the people would mostly become evil because of that of their rulers; and the behavior of the rulers will be influenced by the worthiness of their people. (St. Gregory the Great) “So David said to God, ‘I have sinned greatly, because I have done this thing; but now I pray, take away the iniquity of Your servant, for I have done very foolishly’” (8) Once David perceived the seriousness of his sin, he hastened to bear its responsibility, to show contrition, and to confess his sin before the Lord, seeking his forgiveness. He presented a true confession of his sin, and prayed for the sake of its forgiveness (8). He confessed that he had sinned greatly, had done foolishly; and prayed to God to take away his iniquity. + Struck greatly in his heart, David said to God: “I have sinned greatly, because I have done this thing; But now I pray, take away the iniquity of your servant, for I have done foolishly” (8). God sent ‘Gad’, David’s seer, to him to choose one of three punishments for himself… Describing the three of them as calamities on him, David said that he would rather fall into the hand of the Lord, for His mercies are very great, rather than to fall into the hand of man. David sinned by seeking knowledge of the number of people; a kind of knowledge that are within the right of God alone. It was written that when the plague started to dwell upon the people, in the evening of the first day, when David lifted his eyes and saw the angel of the Lord striking the people, he said: “Was it not I who commanded the people to be numbered, I am the one who sinned and done evil indeed; but these sheep, what have they done? Let Your hand, I pray, O Lord, my God, be on me and my father’s house” . Then, God relented and commanded His angel to restrain his hand, and told David through the prophet Gad to offer a sacrifice. As sacrifices at that time were usually offered on sin; yet here, they are offered on remorse. By his humility, David became more received by God. It is not strange for men to sin, but they would be more worthy of rebuke, if they are not aware that they have sinned, and show humility before God (St. Ambrose) 3- DAVID CHOOSES THE KIND OF CHASTISEMENT TO DWELL UPON HIM: “And the Lord spoke to gad, David’s seer, saying, ‘Go and tell David, saying, (9) “Thus says the Lord: I offer you three things; choose one of them for yourself, that I may do it to you’” (10) “So Gad came to David and said to him, ‘Thus says the Lord: Choose for yourself” (11) “Either three years of famine, or three months to be defeated by your foes with the sword of your enemies overtaking you, or else for three days the sword of the Lord – the plague in the land with the angel of the Lord destroying throughout the territory of Israel. Now consider what answer I should take back to Him who sent me” (12) David fell under the rod of chastisement which drives foolishness away from the heart; the foolishness of pride and of trusting in the numbers rather than in God…. Let us contemplate in the following: 1-. David perceived that what he did was abominable in the sight of God (9-11), which is not a little thing for such a good man like David. For nothing is worse in God’s sight than the pride of heart and not trusting in Him; and there is nothing more sorrowful and painful for such a sensitive soul as David’s, like being the cause of abomination to God. It is befitting of us to know how God concentrates on specific things in David’s life. Many here look at certain situation as a sin, and at others not to be as such, or are less so; but when we are in the presence of God, we shall realize that our look was erroneous, and know that sin is not only in action , namely in things we may do or not do, but it is as well in the thoughts and intentions. By studying the word of God we shall come to know how he looks at sin. 2- David was given to choose one of three things: war, famine, or plague; by which God intended to humiliate him for the sake of his repentance and his salvation. David found himself in great distress before three horrible choices. “And David said to Gad, ‘I am in great distress. Please let me fall into the hand of the Lord, for His mercies are very great, but do not let me fall into the hand of man” (13) 4- THE PLAGUE, AND HOW JERUSALEM WAS SPARED: “So the Lord sent a plague upon Israel, and seventy thousand men of Israel fell” (14) If we think about how sin has a series of consequences, it will be so bitter in our mouth, that we come to reject it. Within few hours, David heard the horrible news that 70,000 of his flock have died of the plague. He was proud of the multitude of his people; but the divine chastisement took its course to make them less numerous. With worthiness, what we are proud of may be taken away from us, to make us feel weak, and taste the bitterness of evil. David arrogantly insisted on numbering his people, saying, “Go and number Israel;, and bring me their number to know them” (2); But now God numbers them in a different way: “(He numbers them) for the sword” (Isaiah 65: 12). They brought to David the number for his confusion and not for his pleasure, the number of those who died by the sword of the angel of the Lord; 70,000 died before the black plague comes to an end. It often happens that the whole congregation suffer because of the faulty action of their leader; but on the great day of the Lord every man will be condemned on his own sin. … Some may wonder why did God allow for 70,000 to die for the sin of one man – David? … Why did He allow for the perdition of many because of the sin of Achan the son of Carmi (?) …. And why was the Lord Christ late to come for the salvation of the world?, etc. … According to St. Jerome, we may attempt to defend God and justify His deeds. Yet who is man, to perceive the wisdom and planning of God? He says: [Let God’s authority be over yours; He is definitely not in need of your defense nor of your justification of His deeds]. + The church of God is like an eye; if a speck of dirt, however small comes into it may affect the sight; So it is if a member or a few of the body of the church commit an unclean act, they will hinder the splendor of the growth of the church. (Salvian, priest of Marseille) . “And God sent an angel to Jerusalem to destroy it. As he was destroying, the Lord looked and relented of the disaster, and said to the angel who was destroying. ‘It is enough, now restrain your hand’. And the angel of the Lord stood by the threshing floor of Ornon the Jebusite” (15) Here we see an end to that sorrowful situation. Once David repented, he resumed his peace with God. “O Lord, I praise You; though You were angry with me, Your anger is turned away, and You comfort me” (Isaiah 12: 1). Ounce David repented, God relented of the disaster, and commanded the angel of destruction to restrain his hand (15). … Here, the sword of judgment returned to its sheath (27); but at the Golgotha, the sword pierced the side of the Lord Jesus Christ. “Then David lifted his eyes and saw the angel of the Lord standing between earth and heaven, having in his hand a drawn sword stretched out over Jerusalem. So David and the elders, clothed in sackcloth, fell on their faces” (16) Seeing the angel of destruction with his drawn sword stretched out over Jerusalem (16), David was greatly terrified, for the sake of his beloved city. … If seeing an angel coming on a peaceful mission has caused terror in the heart of the bravest of men, how could it be with seeing an angel with his drawn sword stretched, like the cherubim with his flaming and turning sword to guard the way to the tree of life? When we come to be under the wrath of God, the pure angels who tend to rejoice for the repentance of one sinner, will turn against us; although we do not see them as David did. “And David said to God, ‘Was it not I who commanded the people to be numbered? I am the one who has sinned and done evil indeed; but these sheep, what have they done? Let Your hand, I pray, O Lord my God, be against me and my father’s house, but not against Your people that they should be plagued” (17) By saying that to God, David presents a practical example of humility. In a talk by St. Ambrose concerning the liberation from death, he presented to us David’s request from God; as a practical example of accepting death as a chastisement for the sake of liberating the soul from sin. + The apostle, teaching us that he who departs from his body, will be with Christ, if he is so worthy; Let us contemplate in the nature of life and death. From the Holy Book we know that death is nothing but a separation or a liberation of the bond between the soul and the body. David was ready to die to atone for his disobedience of the Lord; he was ready to endure the vengeance of God for the sake of his beloved people. He knew how to become more glorious if he died for the sake of Christ, rather than to reign in this world as a king. What could be greater for man, than to become an offering for the sake of Christ? (St. Ambrose) In his letter to Emperor Theodosius to encourage him to repent on his massacre in Thessalonia in about the year 390 AD, St. Ambrose asked him to follow the lead of David who sinned, but presented a repentance on what he did. David accepted the punishment on his iniquity, saying to God: “Let Your hand be on me, and on my father’s house” (17); for it is I who sinned; Iam the guilty head that should be cut off by the sword. He threw himself under the mercy of God. Despite his knowledge that God was angry on him; no evil thought came to his mind against God; but only said: “Let me fall into the hand of God, because His mercies are great” (13). A good man thinks good concerning God, even when the world look grim before his eyes. David said that even if God leads him to the slaughter, he will still trust in Him.. He showed care for his people; and was struck in his heart to see them suffer for his own disobedience, “But these sheep; what have they done?” (17). It was too much for him to see the angel of the Lord with his sword drawn against his beloved people, and against Jerusalem which had a special place in his heart. … His position was: 1- He confessed his sin, and asked God with his whole heart to forgive him (8); He confessed that he had done evil indeed and disgraced himself. 2- With utter submission he accepted to be chastised by the hand of God on his sin (17). 3- He cast himself on God’s mercy, despite knowing that God is angry with him (13). 4- He showed compassion on his people, and was utterly grieved to perceive what dwelt upon them because of his own sin. We should not wonder if we see that God allows for the chastisement of many because of a sin done by a few, and probably by one single person. For God, intending for His church to be holy without blemish, may allow for a temporary collective chastisement; as a practical lesson to all; on account of that on the great day of the Lord, he will let everyone present an account of his own work. According to Pope Gregory the Great: [The personality of the leaders binds to those submitted to them. They may be good people, yet, they would unfortunately change because of the authority given to them, And as the prophet Samuel said to king Saul: “So says the Lord, ‘When you were little in your own eyes, have you not become the head of the tribes of Israel? And did not the Lord anoint you king over Israel?” (1 Samuel 15: 17) Having been a shepherd of his father’s flock of sheep, David was taken by God to shepherd His people. “He shepherded them according to the integrity of his heart; and guided them by the skillfulness of his hands” (Psalm 78: 72). Yet, when David numbered his flock, God’s wrath dwelt upon them, and they started to perish; That was when David delivered himself to the account of his flock; saying to God: “I am the one who sinned, and done evil indeed; but these sheep, what have they done? Let Your hand be on me and on my father’s house” (2 Samuel 24: 17). That is how all the good shepherds used to deliver themselves to the account of their flock. (St. Aphrahat) + Humility is good; it saves those in danger, and raises the fallen up. “I am the one who sinned, and done evil indeed; but these sheep, what have they done? Let Your hand be on me” (See 2 Samuel 24: 17; Job 21: 17). That was said by David, who made his kingdom submit to God, presented remorse, confessed his sin, and sought forgiveness; he got salvation by humility. Christ Himself showed humility; and those who follow Christ’s lead, will get comfort in Christ. + By his humility, David became more acceptable by God. It is not strange for the people to sin; but they will be worthy of rebuke if, not perceiving that sinned, they do not show humility before God. (St. Ambrose) + What can we say about David to whom God testified, saying: “I have found (a man after my own heart), My servant David; With My holy oil I have anointed him; With whom My hand shall be established” (Psalm 89: 20, 21). And he, himself says: “Have mercy on me, O my God, according to Your loving kindness. According to the multitude of Your tender mercies, blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me of my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against You, You only, I have sinned; and done this evil in Your sight -- that You may be found just when You speak, and blameless when You judge. Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me. Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts, and in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean. Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Make me to hear joy and gladness, that the bones which you have broken may rejoice. Hide Your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and uphold me with Your generous Spirit. Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, and sinners shall be converted to You. Deliver me from blood guiltiness, O God; The God of my salvation; And my tongue shall sing aloud of Your righteousness. O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth shall show forth Your praise. For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it. You do not delight in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart – These, O God, You will not despise. Do good in Your good pleasure to Zion; Build the walls of Jerusalem. Then You shall be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, with burnt offering and whole burnt offering. Then they shall offer bulls on Your altar” (Psalm 51: 1- 19) (St. Clement the Roman) 5- DAVID BUILDS AN ALTAR ON THE THRESHING FLOOR OF ORNAN THE JEBUSITE: “Then the angel of the Lord commanded Gad to say to David that David should go and erect an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Ornon the Jebusite” (18) The divine command to David to build an altar to the Lord in the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite (18), was carried by the angel of the Lord to Gad the seer to convey to David. The same angel who executed the war in the name of God, here he brings forth the step leading to peace; For the angels do not want us to grieve. The angel could have brought those instructions to David directly; but he brought them forth through the seer, to show the honor of the prophets. … The same way, according to the book of the revelation, the proclamation of Jesus Christ was given to John the apostle by an angel, and through him to the churches. The instructions to build an altar for the Lord was a symbol of reconciliation; For if God would be pleased in David’s death, he would not accept a sacrifice from his hand. On Mount Moriah, grace and righteousness have met together. + Notice, O brethren, that, while no place within the territory of the Jews was worthy to have the temple of God built on it ; but in the land of a Gentile there was a chosen place. This shows how the hearts of the Jews were not worthy to offer sacrifices in them, but those of the Gentiles, namely the conscience of the Christians were chosen as a place for the temple of the Lord. To this fact the apostle Paul obviously referred when he rebuked the Jews, saying: “It was necessary that the word of God should be spoken to you first; but since you reject it, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, behold, we turn to the Gentiles” (Acts 13: 46). … That is why the angel of the Lord stood on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite, the Gentile king; For the true Angel, Christ, visited the Gentiles. (Father Caearius, bishop of Arle) + Here, as well, the angel held his sword; and while destroying the wicked, he referred to the temple of the Lord on the threshing floor of Ornan, king of the Jebusites. By that he made it clear that the church of Christ will grow, not in Israel, but among the Gentiles. (St. Jerome) “So David went up at the word of Gad, which he had spoken in the name of the Lord” (19) “Now Ornan turned and saw the angel; and his four sons who were with him hid themselves; but Ornan continued threshing wheat” (20) David hastened to make a deal with Ornan for the sake of the threshing floor; for he would never minister God at the expense of others; even though Ornan presented it for free, not only as a complement to king David, but because he saw the angel (20), and was terrified of his drawn sword, and he and his four sons hid themselves because they could not endure the splendor of his glory ; Being a man of true sense of the fear of God, his fear of a probable danger, made him ready to do anything to appease the anger of God. “Then David came to Ornan, and Ornan looked and saw David. And he went out from the threshing floor, and bowed down to David with his face to the ground” (21) “Then David said to Ornan, ‘Grant me the place of this threshing floor, that I may build an altar on it to the Lord. You shall grant it to me at the full price, that the plague may be withdrawn from the people” (22) “And Ornan said to David, ‘Take it to yourself, and let my lord the king do what is good in his eyes. Look, I also give you, the oxen for burnt offerings, the threshing implements for wood, and the wheat for grain offering; I give it all” (23) “Then king David said to Ornan, ‘No, but I will surely buy it for the full price; for I will not take what is yours for the Lord, nor offer burnt offerings with that which costs me nothing” (24) The burnt offering here means offering the whole heart to God, the time, money, and what we possess. David, therefore intends to offer everything out of his own wealth, and not of that of others. + Even though Ornan offered to give the blessed David the threshing floor, and the bulls as a burnt offering; yet king David rejected the offer unless he pays the full price in advance… That is what will be realized on the coming of our Lord and Savior; who refused to take the hearts of the Gentiles for Himself, unless He pays His precious blood as a price. “So David gave Ornan six hundred shekels of gold by weight for the place” (25) The second book of Samuel said that the price of the threshing floor and the bulls were just fifty shekels of silver; while according to the first book of the Chronicles, here, it is obvious that David purchased the whole place (Hebrew hammaqom), which includes the whole region of Mount Moriah; hence he paid 600 shekels of Gold. Purchasing the whole region might had come in a later stage; namely after the purchase of the threshing floor and the bulls, used by David in the first sacrifice. The difference between the price of the first purchase and the second, could be interpreted that it is difficult to see how Ornan could be in a position to give the whole region of Mount Moriah, “And David built there an altar to the Lord, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings, and called on the Lord; and He answered him from heaven by fire on the altar of burnt offering” (26) David refused to take the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite to build an altar for the Lord for free; For the Lord would not be offered at the expense of others. .. God showed His acceptance of the offerings of David on that altar, by sending fire from heaven (26). The proof that God’s anger was appeased is that instead of the fire coming justly upon the sinner, it came upon the sacrifice on the altar and consumed it; followed by the return of the sword of the angel of destruction to its sheath. … The same way, Christ was made a sin and reproach for our sake; for the Lord was pleased to crush Him, for God to be, for us through Him, not a consuming fire, but a reconciling Father. “Then the Lord commanded the angel, and he returned his sword in its sheath” (27) “At that time when David saw that the Lord had answered him on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite, he sacrificed there” (28) David continued to offer his sacrifices on this specific altar; on account of that the bronze altar erected by Moses was still on the high place of Gibeon (29); where the sacrifices of Israel were offered. But after seeing the angel of the Lord with his drawn sword, David feared to go to Gibeon to offer his sacrifices, and to inquire from God (30); for the situation here with the start of the plague, was not less urgent than the one that committed Aaron in the old to hasten to make an atonement (Numbers 16: 46-47). Time did not allow David to go to Gibeon, for fear that the knockout would come before he returns; Hence God, out of compassion on him, and because of the present situation, commanded him to erect an altar on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite, and granted him an exemption from His statute concerning the one altar; and allowed for offering sacrifices on this altar, that was not against the one in Gibeon, but goes hand in hand with it. And even after the present tribulation passed, it is obvious that God allowed David to continue offering sacrifices here, in addition to the continuity of offering them in Gibeon (28). “For the tabernacle of the Lord and the altar of burnt offering, which Moses had made in the wilderness were at that time at the high place in Gibeon” (29) God chose the location of the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite on Mount Moriah, the same location where He commanded Abraham to offer his son Isaac a sacrifice; looking ahead to the sacrifices in the future temple; and ultimately to the sacrifice of the Lamb of God who will forgive the sins of the world sacrifices will be offered on its altar; the location where God will encounter with His people; which became now the place of the sacrifice. David built the altar, and on it he offered a burnt offering, that referred to the Person of Christ; then he offered a peace offering, that referred as well to Christ, our peace. For Christ made peace by shedding His own blood on the cross; He is our peace. He is the One whose blood was sprinkled on the seat of mercy for our sake; He is our Greater High Priest, who ascended up to heaven, and sat on the right hand of the Father. For there is no access to the Father except through our Lord Jesus Christ, the Intermediary of the covenant. Perceiving all that by the spirit of prophecy, David offered the burnt offering and the peace offering to God. “But David could not go before it to inquire of God, for he was afraid of the sword of the angel of the Lord” (30) These two verses (29-30) interpret the reason behind moving the worship to Jerusalem from Gibeon, the place they used to go to inquire from the Lord (16: 39-40; Exodus 29: 42). What preoccupies the mind of the author is that the episode mentioned here is bound to the choice of the location of the future temple to be built by Solomon the son of David (1 Chronicles 21: 18; 2 Chronicles 1; Genesis 22: 2). ---------------------------- AN INSPRATION FROM 1 CHRONICLES 21 LEAD US NOT INTO TEMPTATION + My God, by soul trembled for fear of falling into weakness; David who was according to Your own heart, Was deceived by Satan, and for sometime he disregarded Your care; He commanded the chief of his army to number of men who drew the sword; I wonder, did David forget the day when he confronted the mighty Goliath? When he was just a boy who carried only a sling? Keep me safe from the deceptive thoughts of the devil; Carry me by Your grace, so as not to divert to the right or to the left; + David did not endure to see his people perish because of his own sin; And from the depths of his heart, he sought to have the chastisement fall upon him and his father’s house; You listened to the cries of his heart, and looked at his tears; You looked at his loving heart for his people; More than his love for himself and his father’s house; Give me David’s heart, and a double portion of his spirit; I do not seek this, out of selfishness, for my sake and that of my father’s house; But I seek it for the sake of all the people, even for all mankind; Let my heart rejoice for the salvation of all; When shall I accompany You in loving all humanity? When shall I perpetually look up at Your cross? When shall I have hope, That the earth and its fullness be Yours, O Savior of the World? ====================== PREPARATIONS FOR BUILDING THE TEMPLE (1 CHRONICLES chapters 22 to 29) These chapters are considered as a consummation of the second book of Samuel; to fill the gap between its end and the start of the first book of the kings. From these final chapters of the first book of the chronicles we see David’s great zeal to make preparations for building the temple; We see his care to gather together the building materials, and to establish all the necessary preparations for its running, despite the fact that God did not allow him to build it himself. That zeal of David exhorts us to enjoy the spirituals and the true relationship with God. For God, what David did was more important than anything he has already done in his life. “Out of the eater came something to eat” (Judges 14: 14). After the horrible verdict that dwelt upon Israel because of David’s sin, God gave His command to build a new altar, and chose its location; And David set forth with great enthusiasm to prepare for that great achievement, even though he had planned for it since long time. Chapter 22: Preparations of the building materials, the laborers, and the motivation for work Chapter 23: The Levites partake of the building of the temple Chapter 24: The groups of priests and the Levites Chapter 25: The musicians Chapter 26: The doorkeepers, the treasurers, and the judges Chapter 27: Appointing the political and the military leaderships Chapter 28: David addresses the leaders Chapter 29: David’s offerings to the temple; and thanksgiving to God
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