King David, a Plague, & the Temple
Did you know that King David purchased the land for the Temple because of a plague?
When King David took a census against the Lord’s command (see 2 Sam. 24; 1 Chr. 21), a devastating plague came upon Israel. In just three days, 70,000 Israelites from Dan to Beersheba died.
But when the angel stretched out his hand toward Jerusalem, the Lord stopped the plague right at the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite (Canaanite).
So David went to Araunah and offered to purchase the threshing floor.
Araunah offered to give it to the mighty and powerful king for free, but David refused: “I will not sacrifice to the Lord burnt offerings which cost me nothing.”
David paid for the land, built an altar, and the plague was stopped.
Then David declared:
“This is the house of the Lord God,
and this is the altar of the burnt offering for Israel.”
He immediately began making preparations for a temple to be built on that very spot.
For 1,000 years, that threshing floor became the site of the Temple of the Lord. Today, we know the location as the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, on top of Mount Moriah.
Model of the Temple Mount - Israel Museum The Temple Mount in Jerusalem with the Dome of the Rock The original bedrock the Temple Mount was built on still showing today Model of the Temple Mount - Western Wall Tunnel Rendering of Jerusalem - BYU Jerusalem Center
What began as a place where judgment was stopped became a place of worship, sacrifice, and covenant.
The place where Jerusalem was spared became holy ground.
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