The heart of King David

2 Samuel 24:18-25

This account of David’s obedience and repentance shows his heart, when told by the prophet God has said; David went into action.  That is obedience, and anything short of that is not an act of obeying God.  I’m sure many of us fall short when it comes to both repentance and obedience, could it be our faith is often anemic, I know that to be true in my life?  Not praying beforehand and waiting for God’s direction, not sharing Christ with others: yes, I often have displayed anemic faith.

So David does as directed by the prophet Gad, and sets out for the threshing floor of Araunah.  Going back to verse 16, “And when the angel stretched out his hand toward Jerusalem to destroy it, the Lord relented from the calamity and said to the angel who was working destruction among the people, “It is enough; now stay your hand.” And the angel of the Lord was by the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.”  Araunah’s threshing floor sat above Jerusalem to the north and probably was in the high part of the city.

This is where God told David to build the altar, so before getting there Araunah the Jebusite looks down and sees David and his servants coming toward him, so he bows with his face to the ground.  Picking up the account in verse 21,  ^“And Araunah said, “Why has my lord the king come to his servant?” David said, “To buy the threshing floor from you, in order to build an altar to the Lord, that the plague may be averted from the people.”  Now that may be the first time Araunah has ever seen the king that close, and more than likely they had never exchanged words.  I’m sure he was like I am when the policeman pulls me over when I’m not sure what I have done.

Listen to his reply to King David; “Then Araunah said to David, “Let my lord the king take and offer up what seems good to him. Here are the oxen for the burnt offering and the threshing sledges and the yokes of the oxen for the wood. ²³ All this, O king, Araunah gives to the king.” And Araunah said to the king, “May the Lord your God accept you.”  Now that was very nice and wise of him, but in the time of David, Kings took what they wanted and needed, but not David, listen to his reply.

“But the king said to Araunah, “No, but I will buy it from you for a price. I will not offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God that cost me nothing.” So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels^[a of silver. ⁵ And David built there an altar to the Lord and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. So the Lord responded to the plea for the land, and the plague was averted from Israel.” 

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice