“Then David said to Ornan, Grant me the place of this threshingfloor, that I may build an altar therein unto the Lord: thou shalt grant it me for the full price: that the plague may be stayed from the people.” — 1 Chronicles 21:22

Early in our married life, my husband and I lived for a time in Southeast Asia. One of my favorite activities during our stay there was walking to the nearby street market, with its sidewalk vendors, carts, and open-front shops. The variety of goods fascinated me. Women vendors squatted beside huge rubber tubs of live fish and dried squid, and piles of fruits, vegetables, and spices. Small storefronts displayed kitchen pots and pans, plastic containers of every size, and all kinds of household utensils. Eager merchants gestured to stacks of folded fabric, colorful dresses, men’s suits, shirts, and t-shirts. There were mountains of handbags, wallets, and shoes, and an unending array of street food. 

What made excursions to the market especially intriguing was watching the process involved in making a purchase. Bargaining with vendors was an accepted part of the culture, and the discussions regarding potential sales were energetic. Though I had only limited understanding of the language, the facial expressions and gestures that accompanied these exchanges were self-explanatory! Back and forth the words flew, until the would-be buyer either produced payment or walked away. Negotiating a price that was acceptable to both buyer and seller clearly was a skill. 

In today’s text, a very different type of buyer and seller negotiation took place. When David wanted to purchase land from Ornan the Jebusite to build an altar to the Lord, no bargaining took place. In fact, the reverse was true! Ornan generously offered to give David his threshingfloor free of charge, along with his oxen for burnt offerings, his threshing instruments for wood, and wheat for the meat offering. However, David was not looking for a bargain. He insisted on paying the full price for what he purchased from Ornan because he knew that it would not be a worthy offering to the Lord if it cost him nothing. 

For Christians, this is a principle worth pondering. What sacrifices of time, resources, or praise are we offering to God? What is the personal cost to us? The true value of what we offer is known only to God, because He reads our hearts. 

Let us follow David’s example and be sure that we are not subtly looking for a bargain, or offering God something we do not particularly value. God deserves our best!

BACKGROUND

Chapter 21 describes David’s sin in taking a census of Israel (verses 1-6) and the plague that came as a punishment (verses 7-17). David’s purchase of land for an altar is recorded in verses 18-27, and verses 28-30 describe the offering to the Lord made there. Later, the Temple was built upon that site, so chapters 21-22 are regarded as an introduction to David’s Temple building preparation. 

The numbering of the people took place after Israel’s great victory over the Ammonites in chapter 20. This suggests that David’s census may have been based in sinful pride, and reflective of a dependence on the size of his military rather than in God’s ability to protect His people. 

In ancient cultures, a man only had the right to count what belonged to him. Israel did not belong to David but to God, so counting should have taken place only at God’s command. In verse 3, David’s military commander, Joab, objected that the proposed action was both unnecessary and “a cause of trespass,” inviting trouble for Israel. The parallel account in 2 Samuel 24:4 states that the captains of the army also warned David against such a step, but David went ahead with the census, and his action impacted all of Israel. 

According to the total that Joab delivered to David in verse 5, there were 1,570,000 fighting men “that drew sword” among the twelve tribes, suggesting that the total population of Israel may have been about six million at that time. 

God was displeased with what David had done. At His direction, Gad the seer told David to choose from three judgments: 

     • Three years of famine. While this would cause the death of some in Israel, the wealthy would survive. This would have included David and his household. 
     • Three months of defeat at the hand of Israel’s foes. This loss would occur primarily among Israel’s soldiers. 
     • Three days of pestilence in the land at the hand of God. The other two options could have insulated the king and his family from the punishment, but David knew that he deserved the chastisement of God. He chose this option, knowing it was preferable to be in the hand of God rather than his enemies, “for very great are his mercies” (verse 13). 

Had the pestilence caused David’s death, it could have brought chaos throughout the land, invasion by Israel’s enemies, and perhaps even the complete overthrow of the nation. However, David’s life was spared, though the plague that swept through Israel caused seventy thousand deaths. When David cried out to God in repentance, God relented and the plague was stayed. 

Through Gad, David was instructed to set up an altar to the Lord on the threshingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite (referred to as Araunah in the parallel account in 2 Samuel). In verse 25, “the place” may have included the whole area of Mount Moriah. This location had both a rich history and a significant future. According to Genesis 22:2 and 2 Chronicles 3:1, it was the spot where Abraham offered Isaac and where Solomon’s Temple soon would be built. Although Ornan offered to give David the land, David insisted on paying six hundred shekels of gold for the site because he wanted to make a sacrifice to God that came at a personal cost. 

The final three verses of the text serve as a connecting link between this account and David’s preparations to build the Temple, as described in chapter 22.

AMPLIFIED OUTLINE

II. The reign of David
     B. The establishment of his kingdom
          2. The prosperity of David’s reign
               d. The failure of David in numbering the people (21:1-30)
                    (1) David’s sin in the census (21:1-6)
                    (2) God’s anger and David’s confession (21:7-8)
                    (3) God’s message and David’s option (21:9-17)
                    (4) David’s altar and the end of the pestilence (21:18-30)

A CLOSER LOOK

1. Verse 1 indicates that Satan incited David into taking the census. Considering that, why do you think David was held responsible?
2. According to verse 6, which two tribes were not included in the numbering of Israel?
3. How can we ensure that the sacrifices we make to God reflect a sincere commitment?

CONCLUSION

God knows our hearts and is aware of how we value what we sacrifice to Him. Let us make sure we always offer Him our best.