David's purchase and sacrifice is a significant event recorded in the Old Testament, highlighting themes of repentance, obedience, and the establishment of a sacred site. This event is primarily documented in 2 Samuel 24 and 1 Chronicles 21.

Context and Background

The narrative begins with God's anger against Israel, leading to David's decision to conduct a census of the fighting men, an act that was seen as a lack of trust in God's provision and protection. Despite Joab's objections, David insisted on numbering the people. This action displeased the Lord, and as a consequence, God sent a plague upon Israel.

Divine Judgment and David's Repentance

Upon realizing his sin, David confessed and sought God's mercy. The prophet Gad, David's seer, brought a message from the Lord offering David three choices for punishment: three years of famine, three months of fleeing from enemies, or three days of plague. David chose to fall into the hands of the Lord, trusting in His mercy, and thus the plague was sent.

As the plague ravaged the land, the angel of the Lord was poised to destroy Jerusalem. However, God relented from the calamity and commanded the angel to stop at the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. David, seeing the angel and the destruction, pleaded with God to spare the people and let the punishment fall upon him and his family.

The Purchase of the Threshing Floor

In response to God's command through Gad, David went to Araunah to build an altar to the Lord. Araunah offered the threshing floor and oxen for the sacrifice freely, but David insisted on purchasing it, stating, "I will not offer to the LORD my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing" (2 Samuel 24:24). David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.

The Sacrifice and Its Significance

David built an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. The Lord responded to the plea for the land, and the plague was halted. This act of sacrifice and the subsequent divine acceptance underscored the importance of genuine repentance and the necessity of sacrificial offerings in seeking atonement and reconciliation with God.

The Site's Future Importance

The location of David's purchase, the threshing floor of Araunah, holds profound significance in biblical history. It is traditionally identified as the site where Solomon later built the Temple in Jerusalem, as noted in 2 Chronicles 3:1: "Then Solomon began to build the house of the LORD in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where the LORD had appeared to his father David, at the site that David had prepared on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite" . This connection emphasizes the continuity of God's plan and the centrality of worship and sacrifice in the life of Israel.

David's purchase and sacrifice at Araunah's threshing floor serve as a pivotal moment in the biblical narrative, illustrating the principles of repentance, the cost of disobedience, and the establishment of a place of worship that would become central to Israel's religious life.