Time with Jesus - Saturday, 20 October 2012
Hi all,
The story of David and Araunah the Jebusite is
fascinating. At this very spot, God ended a plague brought about by David’s
disobedience. David wanted to buy the place to build a sacrificial altar for
God. Araunah offered it to him for free. David told Araunah that he would not
offer to God that which cost him nothing! Later David bought the entire piece
of land from Araunah. Subsequently, this was the place Solomon built the
Temple. God brought good out of something bad!
Blessings,
Jim & Phyllida Strickland
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Matt 10:8
Freely you received, Freely give |
Time with Jesus – Saturday, 20 October 2012
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Matt 10:8
Freely you received, Freely give |
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©
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These
devotionals are the intellectual property of Jim Strickland and copyright
protected. You are welcome to copy and distribute them to anyone provided it
is for non-commercial Christian purposes
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©
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INTRODUCTION
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DAILY
LIGHT EVENING SCRIPTURES
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THE
TEMPLE’S SITE
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Genesis
Chapters 44 and 45 are among the most beautiful chapters in the Old
Testament. They are deeply moving. Joseph has not yet revealed his true
identity to his brothers. He has had all his brothers arrested. Joseph’s cup
was found located in Benjamin’s baggage. Now Joseph tells them that they are
free to go but Benjamin will remain in Egypt as his slave. We then read of
Judah offering to remain in Egypt as Joseph’s slave instead of Benjamin.
Judah’s plea on behalf of his brother and on the danger to his father’s life
is touching. If Benjamin does not return to Canaan, his absence will result
in his father’s death.
At this point, in Chapter 45, Joseph breaks down weeping. He dismisses
his servants and reveals his real identity to his brothers. Reading it myself
brings me close to tears. Here was the man who had been sold as a slave into
Egypt by these same brothers now embracing them and telling them all is
forgiven. 5 But don't be upset, and
don't be angry with yourselves for selling me to this place. It was God who sent me here ahead of you to preserve
your lives. Genesis 45:5 NLT
It is sometimes said that Joseph in the Old Testament is a type of
Jesus Christ. There is considerable truth in this statement. Biblically,
there is no trace of sin in his life. He bears imprisonment on trumped up
charges with great fortitude. Then he is raised from slavery to the right
hand side of Pharaoh in one day. I must confess I’m not sure how I would
react to meeting the same brothers who had sold me as a slave into Egypt.
Could I forgive that? To give the religious answer, “Yes” is easy. But could
I do it? I’m not sure.
What I can say is that some years later, his brothers were still
afraid of him. After the death and burial of their father, they thought the
time had come for him to deal harshly with them. Then we get a further
glimpse of the forgiveness embedded deeply into Joseph’s heart. He said to
them 20 You intended to harm me, but
God intended it all for good. He brought
me to this position so I could save the lives of many people. Genesis 50:20 NLT
David was a man after God’s heart. But David was subject to the same
failings we are. So when he decided to carry out a census of all his people,
it was probably pride that pushed him into doing something so foolish. The
verses on the right give the background and some of the detail surrounding
the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. David refused to accept it as a
gift from Araunah. He would not make an offering to God that cost him
nothing. So David purchased the threshing floor. Later he bought the entire
piece of land from Araunah. It was a fair price for the time. But David had
no intention of using the place as a farm. He decided that the entire
property would be donated toward the great temple his son Solomon would
build. Thus it was that this piece of property which David had bought was to
be the site on which Solomon’s temple would stand. It has been said that the
Holy of Holies in the great temple was directly over the piece of ground on
which Araunah’s threshing floor had once stood.
We are told that the most expensive building in history was Solomon’s
Temple. Most of it was paid for from David’s personal wealth.
Jim & Phyllida Strickland
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23 I (Araunah) will give it all to you, Your
Majesty, and may the LORD your God accept your
sacrifice."
2 Samuel 24:23 NLT
6 What can we bring to the LORD? What kind of offerings
should we give Him? Should we bow before God with offerings of yearling
calves? 7 Should we offer Him
thousands of rams and ten thousand rivers of olive oil? Should we sacrifice
our firstborn children to pay for our sins? 8 No, O people, the LORD has told you what is good, and
this is what He requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to
walk humbly with your God.
Micah 6:6-8 NLT
6 We're all sin-infected, sin-contaminated. Our best efforts
are grease-stained rags. We dry up like autumn leaves-- sin-dried,
we're blown off by the wind.
Isaiah 64:6 MSG
10 As
it is written: "There is no one righteous,
not even one;
Romans 3:10 TNIV
23 Because all people have sinned, they have fallen short
of God's glory. 24 They receive
God's approval freely by an act of his kindness through the price Christ
Jesus paid to set us free from sin. 25 God showed that Christ is the throne of mercy where
God's approval is given through faith in Christ's blood. In his patience God
waited to deal with sins committed in the past. 26 He waited so that he could display his approval at the
present time. This shows that he is a God of justice, a God who approves of
people who believe in Jesus.
Romans 3:23-26 GW
6 All
those things bring praise to his glorious grace. God
freely gave us his grace because of the One he loves.
Ephesians 1:6 NIrV
10 So you also are complete through your union with Christ,
who is the head over every ruler and authority.
Colossians 2:10 NLT
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Sometimes it’s very difficult for us to do what’s right.
We often shout and bluster and say that we will fight,
To do something we’re feeling, that surely must be done.
And then, upon reflection, we feel we have to run,
Because we did in foolishness, a very silly deed.
The Lord has been offended and there really was no need,
To go ahead and do it. We’d got the whole thing wrong.
We wonder what the Lord will say. Will He come out strong,
And bring about a judgement, because we disobeyed?
We’ve made such a mess of it, we ought to be afraid!
That is just what happened when David was the king.
Go and count the people. It was the very thing
He should not have requested and Joab told him so.
But David still insisted and told Joab to go,
And carry out a census; his curiosity,
Overcame his caution. Joab reluctantly,
Went ahead and did it. When he reported back,
David said to Joab, he’d taken the wrong tack,
He knew it was an error. He knew that it was sin.
And desperately regretted the mess that he was in.
Early the next morning, his seer, known as Gad,
Told him he must make a choice from three things which were bad.
Three long years of famine that would decimate the land.
Three months of his running from his enemies demand;
Or three days of a plague in which so many would be dead.
David chose the plague because he knew inside his head,
God was very merciful. Perhaps He would relent,
And He would spare the people, if he would but repent?
Even so death’s angel took many folk away.
He’d continue killing, till God ordered him to “Stay!”
Then he was commanded, at Araunah’s threshing floor,
Stop this dreadful killing; I don’t want any more.
David then decided, this very place would be,
Where he’d build an altar for everyone to see.
He said he would buy it. Araunah told him Nay!
Let me give it to the king. He doesn’t have to pay,
Any sort of money. I’ll give it him for free.
David said, “I’m sorry. Here’s how it has to be.
I’ll not make a sacrifice that doesn’t cost a thing.
I have got to pay for it, I can never bring,
Anything to God for which I haven’t paid.
Araunah consented; the “deal” was thereby made.
David then proceeded. But many folk don’t know.
There upon that very spot, the temple had to go.
All that piece of property became the spot of land
On which God’s Holy Temple, would ultimately stand.
David made an error, but God turned it for good.
The way the Lord has promised, for certain that He would.
Jim Strickland
Written 20th October 2012 |
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