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 You shall grant it to me at the full price, that the plague may be withdrawn from the people.” But 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 the grain offering; I give it all.” 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.” — 1 Chronicles 21:22–24
David had sinned, and his sin had caused a plague to break out among the children of Israel. As a result, seventy thousand men of Israel died. Although we might be tempted to wonder why David’s personal sin caused a plague to come upon the entire nation, we must remember that the people had rejected the lordship of God when they demanded a king. God had forewarned the people of the possible actions of a king and its impact on their lives, yet they demanded an imperfect king as ruler rather than the perfect and holy God (see 1 Samuel 8). Many of us have heard David’s words in verse 24 approached with a sense of nobility that he would not offer to the Lord that which cost him nothing. But there is so much more to the story than this one well-known statement.
Seventy thousand people had died because David, in his pride, had taken a census. When the plague fell, David said, “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” (vv. 16–17). The Lord’s response was for David to erect an altar on the threshing floor of Ornan, and in response to this command, David made the familiar statement that most of us have heard.
There are two things we can learn from this. First, one person’s sin can have broad impact, so we need to avoid thinking things like, I am only hurting myself. That is never true. Second, though David’s gesture was noble, it was still a small price in light of the great consequence already endured by the people. Nevertheless, God accepted it! The threshing floor of Ornan later became the site for Solomon’s temple and then Herod’s temple, and it will be the location of the temple built during the tribulation.
David’s purchase of the land was a humble act of obedience. Although his statement simply noted that it was required of him to own the land to offer the sacrifice, God responded in a huge way. This is a great mystery to me, how God takes our meager efforts and offerings and does such magnificent things through them, even when we have sinned and hurt ourselves and others. As I have said so many times, God always rewards repentance. How great is our God—tell someone about Him today!
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