David bought a piece of land, a threshing floor, from a man named Ornan. He was instructed by God to build an altar there in order to stop the plague that had come on the people because he had sinned by taking a census. Ornan offered to give David the land, but David insisted on paying for it. This is also the place where Solomon later built the temple.<\/p>\n
David didn’t seem to have any second thoughts about purchasing this mountaintop; but if he did, they were gone the moment the sacrifice was supernaturally consumed by fire. This scene is very similar to the scene that took place on Mount Caramel between the prophet Elijah and the prophets of Baal (1 Kings 18). The Lord was clearly showing His acceptance of David\u2019s sacrifice by consuming it with fire from heaven. David desired to restore his fellowship with God, and God honored that desire by blessing his worship. God has promised that if we will move closer to Him, He will always move closer to us.<\/p>\n
Getting close to God works in much the same was as listening to a radio broadcast. The farther we get from the radio tower, the weaker the signal becomes and the more difficult it is to understand the message. But the closer we get to the tower, the better the reception becomes. Perhaps the old story of Ferdinand and Francis is an even better illustration. They were an older couple, driving down a farm road in their old pickup truck. Francis sat pressed against the door, and conversation was sparse. \u201cFerdinand,\u201d she said finally, \u201cwhat’s happened to us? We used to talk and laugh and be close. We hardly even communicate anymore.\u201d Ferdinand looked over at her on the other side of the truck and said, \u201cWho moved?\u201d “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you” (James 4:8).<\/p>\n
“LORD, we want to be closer to You as we walk though this world today. As we draw closer to You, we ask that You would make Your presence known to us more clearly.”<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n =============================================================<\/p>\n\n\n\n 1 Chronicles 21 KJV<\/p>\n\n\n\n 1<\/sup>\u00a0And Satan stood up against Israel, and provoked David to number Israel.\u00a02<\/sup>\u00a0And David said to Joab and to the rulers of the people, Go, number Israel from Beer-sheba even to Dan; and bring the number of them to me, that I may know\u00a0it\u00a0<\/em>.\u00a03<\/sup>And Joab answered, The\u00a0LORD\u00a0make his people an hundred times so many more as they\u00a0be:\u00a0<\/em>but, my lord the king,\u00a0are<\/em>they not all my lord\u2019s servants? why then doth my lord require this thing? why will he be a cause of trespass to Israel?\u00a04<\/sup>\u00a0Nevertheless the king\u2019s word prevailed against Joab. Wherefore Joab departed, and went throughout all Israel, and came to Jerusalem. 5<\/sup> And Joab gave the sum of the number of the people unto David. And all\u00a0they of\u00a0<\/em>Israel were a thousand thousand and an hundred thousand men that drew sword: and Judah\u00a0was\u00a0<\/em>four hundred threescore and ten thousand men that drew sword.\u00a06<\/sup>\u00a0But Levi and Benjamin counted he not among them: for the king\u2019s word was abominable to Joab. 7<\/sup>\u00a0And God was displeased with this thing; therefore he smote Israel.\u00a0\u00a08<\/sup>\u00a0And David said unto God, I have sinned greatly, because I have done this thing: but now, I beseech thee, do away the iniquity of thy servant; for I have done very foolishly. 9<\/sup>\u00a0And the\u00a0LORD\u00a0spake unto Gad, David\u2019s seer, saying,\u00a010<\/sup>Go and tell David, saying, Thus saith the\u00a0LORD, I offer thee three\u00a0things:\u00a0<\/em>choose thee one of them, that I may do\u00a0it\u00a0<\/em>unto thee.\u00a0\u00a011<\/sup>\u00a0So Gad came to David, and said unto him, Thus saith the\u00a0LORD, Choose thee\u00a0\u00a012<\/sup>\u00a0Either three years\u2019 famine; or three months to be destroyed before thy foes, while that the sword of thine enemies overtaketh\u00a0thee;\u00a0<\/em>or else three days the sword of the\u00a0LORD, even the pestilence, in the land, and the angel of the\u00a0LORD\u00a0destroying throughout all the coasts of Israel. Now therefore advise thyself what word I shall bring again to him that sent me.\u00a013<\/sup>\u00a0And David said unto Gad, I am in a great strait: let me fall now into the hand of the\u00a0LORD; for very great\u00a0are\u00a0<\/em>his mercies: but let me not fall into the hand of man.\u00a014<\/sup>\u00a0So the\u00a0LORD\u00a0sent pestilence upon Israel: and there fell of Israel seventy thousand men.\u00a015<\/sup>\u00a0And God sent an angel unto Jerusalem to destroy it: and as he was destroying, the\u00a0LORD\u00a0beheld, and he repented him of the evil, and said to the angel that destroyed, It is enough, stay now thine hand. And the angel of the\u00a0LORD\u00a0stood by the threshingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite.\u00a0\u00a016<\/sup>\u00a0And David lifted up his eyes, and saw the angel of the\u00a0LORD\u00a0stand between the earth and the heaven, having a drawn sword in his hand stretched out over Jerusalem. Then David and the elders\u00a0of Israel, who were\u00a0<\/em>clothed in sackcloth, fell upon their faces.\u00a017<\/sup>\u00a0And David said unto God,\u00a0Is it\u00a0<\/em>not I\u00a0that\u00a0<\/em>commanded the people to be numbered? even I it is that have sinned and done evil indeed; but\u00a0as for\u00a0<\/em>these sheep, what have they done? let thine hand, I pray thee, O\u00a0LORD\u00a0my God, be on me, and on my father\u2019s house; but not on thy people, that they should be plagued. 18<\/sup>\u00a0Then the angel of the\u00a0LORD\u00a0commanded Gad to say to David, that David should go up, and set up an altar unto the\u00a0LORD\u00a0in the threshingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite.\u00a019<\/sup>\u00a0And David went up at the saying of Gad, which he spake in the name of the\u00a0LORD.\u00a020<\/sup>\u00a0And Ornan turned back, and saw the angel; and his four sons with him hid themselves. Now Ornan was threshing wheat.\u00a0\u00a021<\/sup>\u00a0And as David came to Ornan, Ornan looked and saw David, and went out of the threshingfloor, and bowed himself to David with\u00a0his\u00a0<\/em>face to the ground.\u00a022<\/sup>\u00a0Then David said to Ornan, Grant me the place of\u00a0this\u00a0<\/em>threshingfloor, that I may build an altar therein unto the\u00a0LORD: thou shalt grant it me for the full price: that the plague may be stayed from the people.\u00a0\u00a023<\/sup>\u00a0And Ornan said unto David, Take\u00a0it\u00a0<\/em>to thee, and let my lord the king do\u00a0that which is\u00a0<\/em>good in his eyes: lo, I give\u00a0thee\u00a0<\/em>the oxen\u00a0also\u00a0<\/em>for burnt offerings, and the threshing instruments for wood, and the wheat for the meat offering; I give it all.\u00a024<\/sup>\u00a0And king David said to Ornan, Nay; but I will verily buy it for the full price: for I will not take\u00a0that\u00a0<\/em>which\u00a0is\u00a0<\/em>thine for the\u00a0LORD, nor offer burnt offerings without cost.\u00a025<\/sup>\u00a0So David gave to Ornan for the place six hundred shekels of gold by weight.\u00a026<\/sup>\u00a0And David built there an altar unto the\u00a0LORD, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings, and called upon the\u00a0LORD; and he answered him from heaven by fire upon the altar of burnt offering.\u00a027<\/sup>\u00a0And the\u00a0LORD\u00a0commanded the angel; and he put up his sword again into the sheath thereof. 28<\/sup>\u00a0At that time when David saw that the\u00a0LORD\u00a0had answered him in the threshingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite, then he sacrificed there.\u00a029<\/sup>\u00a0For the tabernacle of the\u00a0LORD, which Moses made in the wilderness, and the altar of the burnt offering,\u00a0were\u00a0<\/em>at that season in the high place at Gibeon.\u00a030<\/sup>\u00a0But David could not go before it to enquire of God: for he was afraid because of the sword of the angel of the\u00a0LORD.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" David bought a piece of land, a threshing floor, from a man named Ornan. 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