David’s assumption of blame offered the fifth event leading to the fulfillment of God’s 1000 year old promise through Abraham. When he watched the gigantic angel standing in the air above Jerusalem, sword in hand, ready to strike, the king and his counselors fell to their faces. Proving himself a true man of God, he took responsibility for the famine Saul caused—not his fault. He also honestly took blame for the concatenation of events caused by his sin with Bathsheba. Coupled with permissiveness to his sons and a sudden diminution of faith in God, he understood his fault in demanding a census. He also begged God to punish only him and his family, freeing the nation to receive blessings.
Instead, as is his wont where repentance is sincere, God authored the sixth event. His mercy prevented punishment for anyone else. But, as forgiveness necessarily followed repentance—can’t we see the conjunction in Christian teaching of baptism for forgiveness following repentance?—God ordered him to the very place the angel now stood on Araunah’s threshing floor. There, on that spot, on the long, flat rock surface Abraham visited 1000 years before. Where he built his altar. Where the angel now stood. (Do not miss that point. To that very spot God directed David.) To it David went, perhaps not fully understanding. There he built his altar to God. There he offered his sacrifice. And when God sent fire from above to consume the sacrifice, David instantly understood and realized: the whole threshing floor would be the Temple Mount that we can see to this day—and the very place where the angel STOOD would be the altar of sacrifice in Solomon’s Temple. Which was exactly what we see in II Chronicles 3:1 End Part IV
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Archives
March 2024
Categories
All
|