Day 120

The Place of God’s House

2 Samuel 24:1–25; 1 Chronicles 21:1–27

David ruled a spacious, peaceful kingdom in Israel. His lands stretched from the Euphrates to the border of Egypt. On the west was the Great Sea. On the east, the great desert. Then David did a sinful thing. “Go through the tribes of Israel,” he ordered Joab. “Count the people so I may know how many there are.”

Joab knew this was wrong. But he had to obey his king. The Lord disliked what David had done. So he sent a disease on the land for three days. Seventy thousand people died. A destroying angel stood at Ornan’s threshing floor ready to destroy Jerusalem. But God said, “Enough! Do no more.” So the angel ordered David to offer a sacrifice there. Ornan threshed at the top of Mount Moriah.

Ornan offered his land, oxen, and tools for no cost. Instead, David paid the full price. There, where Abraham had offered Isaac so long before, David sacrificed. He called upon the Lord, and God answered him with fire. He burned the oxen with the threshing tools on the altar.

Then David said, “This is the place we’ll build God’s house. Israel’s altar for burnt offering will be here.”

Questions: What did David do that displeased God? Where did David offer the sacrifice?