2 Samuel 24:18-25

2 Samuel 24:18-25

[18] And Gad  came  that day  to David,  and said  unto him, Go up,  rear  an altar  unto the LORD  in the threshingfloor  of Araunah  the Jebusite.  [19] And David,  according to the saying  of Gad,  went up  as the LORD  commanded.  [20] And Araunah  looked,  and saw  the king  and his servants  coming on  toward him: and Araunah  went out,  and bowed  himself before the king  on his face  upon the ground.  [21] And Araunah  said,  Wherefore is my lord  the king  come  to his servant?  And David  said,  To buy  the threshingfloor  of thee, to build  an altar  unto the LORD,  that the plague  may be stayed  from the people.  [22] And Araunah  said  unto David,  Let my lord  the king  take  and offer up  what seemeth good  unto him:  behold,  here be oxen  for burnt sacrifice,  and threshing instruments  and other instruments  of the oxen  for wood.  [23] All these things did Araunah,  as a king,  give  unto the king.  And Araunah  said  unto the king,  The LORD  thy God  accept  thee. [24] And the king  said  unto Araunah,  Nay; but I will surely  it of thee at a price:  neither will I offer  burnt offerings  unto the LORD  my God  of that which doth cost me nothing.  So David  bought  the threshingfloor  and the oxen  for fifty  shekels  of silver.  [25] And David  built  there an altar  unto the LORD,  and offered  burnt offerings  and peace offerings.  So the LORD  was intreated  for the land,  and the plague  was stayed  from Israel. 

What does 2 Samuel 24:18-25 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

David proceeded to offer sacrifices in response to the prophet Gad"s instructions ( 2 Samuel 24:18). David needed to commit himself again to God (the burnt offering) and to renew his fellowship with God (the peace offering, 2 Samuel 24:25). God instructed him to present these sacrifices at the place where He had shown mercy ( 2 Samuel 24:16). David willingly obeyed ( 2 Samuel 24:19).
Araunah (Ornan, 1 Chronicles 21) was a native Jebusite, so probably his land had never been sanctified (set apart) to Yahweh as other Israelite land had (cf. 2 Samuel 24:23; note "Yahweh your God," though Araunah may simply have been speaking politely). David purchased the threshing floor for one and one-quarter pounds of silver. He insisted on purchasing the threshing floor because a sacrifice that costs nothing is no sacrifice at all (cf. Mark 12:43-44). The incident recalls Abraham"s purchase of the cave of Machpelah from Ephron the Hittite ( Genesis 23:3-15), and it anticipates King Omri"s purchase of a hill on which he built another capital, Samaria ( 1 Kings 16:23-24). The situations involving Abraham and David were both desperate. Araunah"s threshing floor was to become the site of Solomon"s temple.
"At the same site where Abraham once held a knife over his son ( Genesis 22:1-19), David sees the angel of the Lord with sword ready to plunge into Jerusalem. In both cases death is averted by sacrifice. The temple is established there as the place where Israel was perpetually reminded that without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sin ( Hebrews 9:22). Death for Isaac and for David"s Jerusalem was averted because the sword of divine justice would ultimately find its mark in the Son of God ( John 19:33)." [1]
"Small wonder, then, that the NT should begin with "a record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ the son of David, the son of Abraham..."" [2]
The writer probably recorded this incident, not only because it accounts for the origin of the site of Solomon"s temple, but because it illustrates a basic theological truth taught throughout the book. Whenever someone whom God has chosen for special blessing sins, he or she becomes the target of God"s discipline, and he or she also becomes a channel of judgment to others. Only repentance will turn the situation around. When David agreed to obey God"s will revealed through Gad, he began at once to become a source of blessing again.
"No one need aspire to leadership in the work of God who is not prepared to pay a price greater than his contemporaries and colleagues are willing to pay. True leadership always exacts a heavy toll on the whole Prayer of Manasseh , and the more effective the leadership Isaiah , the higher the price to be paid." [3]
Much blessing came to Israel through the land David bought from Araunah the Jebusite. The fact that it was a threshing floor is interesting, too, since people threshed the blessing of fertility. Many early Jewish readers of1,2Samuel would have viewed the purchase of the site of Solomon"s temple as the climax of the book. The building of this temple is the focus of the first part of the Book of1Kings. Solomon"s temple became the centerpiece of Israel for hundreds of years. It was the place where God met with His people and they worshipped Him corporately, the center of their spiritual and national life. Therefore the mention of the purchase of Araunah"s threshing floor was the first step in the building of the temple, the source of incalculable blessing to come (cf. Genesis 23:3-16).
As mentioned previously, the writer composed this last major section of Samuel (chs21-24) in a chiastic structure. Here is a similar diagram of it.
AFamine from Saul"s sin 2 Samuel 21:1-4 (narrative)BMilitary heroes and victories 2 Samuel 21:15-22 (list)CDavid"s psalm praise of God ch22 (poem)C"David"s tribute in praise of God 2 Samuel 23:1-7 (poem)B"Military heroes and victories 2 Samuel 23:8-39 (list)A"Pestilence from David"s sin ch24 (narrative)
Hebrew writers often used this chiastic literary structure to unify several different parts around one central concept. Here the center is quite clearly Yahweh. Praise of God reflects a right relationship to Him. This relationship results in blessing (strength, victories, etc.). When one is unfaithful to God, the result is judgment, famine, and pestilence.
Within each of these six final sections there is also a conflict. Saul and his sons conflict with David and Mephibosheth ( 2 Samuel 21:1-14). The Philistine giants conflict with David"s warriors ( 2 Samuel 21:15-22). Evil and arrogant enemies of God conflict with righteous covenant-keepers (ch22). The blessed conflict with the worthless ( 2 Samuel 23:1-7). Israel"s enemies conflict with David"s men ( 2 Samuel 23:8-39) and, finally, David conflicts with Joab and Araunah (ch24).
All of Saul"s sons perished, but Mephibosheth, who was faithful Jonathan"s Song of Solomon , was in covenant relationship to David, a covenant-keeping son of Yahweh. The Philistine giants perished because God was with David. David"s psalm recalls Hannah"s psalm ( 1 Samuel 2:1-10). In both of these prayers the contrast between the arrogant and the humble before God stands out. David received the Davidic Covenant because of God"s sovereign choice and David"s typical obedience. God raised up and empowered many mighty men because David walked before God submissively. The nation suffered when David got away from God but prospered when he got right with God. In fact, the prosperity that grew out of David"s purchase of Araunah"s threshing floor highlights the super-abounding grace of God.