David's Fourth Loss
DAVID'S FOURTH LOSS
JERUSALEM was built upon four hills and Zion was upon one of the hills. The Jebusites were living in Zion. Now by obeying God, David conquered Zion, and drove out the Jebusites. However, in 2 Samuel 24:18- 28, we read of Araunah, a Jebusite, still living in Zion. He was a good man, and God-fearing, and when David came to him to buy the threshing-floor, he said, 'Why, your Majesty, I will give you everything free. I will even give you bullocks for sacrifice.' David answered: 'I will not offer to God anything which has cost me nothing.’ The story of the threshing-floor of Araunah is the story of David's fourth loss. God had to bring David on two occasions to a threshing-floor (I Chron. 13 and Ir Sam. 24). A threshing-floor is the place where wheat is threshed, to separate the chaff from the grain. Then, by winnowing, the wind separates the chaff from the wheat.
We have seen in 1 Chron. 13, how David consulted his captains and generals to bring up the ark to its place.
David should have known that God had laid down an order in which the ark should be carried, but he die not observe that order. The ark should have been carried only on the Levites’ shoulders, but David carried the ark upon a new cart as the Philistines had done, and the wrath of God fell upon him. On the threshing-floor of Chidon, David learned what a great mistake it is to; leave God's order and follow the methods of men.
Now in Ii Samuel 24, we read how David commanded his general Joab: 'Go, number the fighting men in our kingdom.’ David knew fully well that he had never won any battle by his own strength, nor by the power of his army. He himself had said in 1 Sam. 17:47, 'Gad does not save by sword nor spear; for the battle is the Lord’s;' yet now he wanted to make a show of the number of fighting men who were available in his kingdom. He had become proud, and was depending upon his armies for his victories.
Joab said to him: 'Your Majesty! You have won no battle by yourself. It is God who has fought for you. Why do you want to number these men? The Lord thy God add unto the people, how many soever they be, an hundredfold; yet they are not going to save you. It is only God who has helped you.’ However, David was proud and insisted on numbering the people. So the king's word prevailed. It is true that David repented and cried unto the Lord: ‘T have sinned greatly in that I have done; and now, I beseech Thee, take away the iniquity of Thy servant; for I have done very foolishly /' but as a result of David's sin, God sent a three days' pestilence in the land and 70,000 men died. What a
loss! what a terrible loss! At last God stayed the hand of the destroying angel at the threshing-floor of Araunah.
This is the second occasion when God brought David to a threshing-floor. Why? To take away the chaff from his life. David has thought: 'l am full of wisdom. I know so many things!’ No doubt he did, for from H Samuel 16 we know that he was a very wise man. Before his fellowmen, he was the wisest man in the whole kingdom. But in the eyes of God he still had much chaff in his brains and that is why God brought him to the threshing-floor of Araunah, to humble him, to bring him down, and to take away his human wisdom and self-confidence.
In I Chron. 3:1 we read that it was the very same place which later became the site of the temple, and out of that terrible loss to David and the nation, God gave not only forgiveness and full recovery but much more beside. God gave to David a heavenly pattern of the temple to be built later on by Solomon, David's son, who carried out all the instructions given by David his father.
He built the temple, and when the work was finished, and the temple was complete Solomon offered sacrifices in the temple. That was the happiest day for the whole nation. All the loss of so many centuries had been recovered. They saw God's glory, and God came and lived among them. He could speak to them from between the cherubim in the temple, and all nations had to come and bow before Solomon. They had incurred great losses as a nation, terrible losses. Sin and defilement were everywhere and they were being constantly defeated by the Philistines, Jebusites and other people. But now the story was changed. Now they were God's people and God was with them in His full glory. Now there was real recovery, and they could truly be called God's people.
What is the meaning of Zion? (Read 2 Chron. 3:1, 1 Chron. 28:29, 1 Kings 6:7 and 2 Chron. 7:1.) Tt would take many hours to explain the full meaning of Zion, so Tet us look at a few points only.
First of all, in Zion the Lord brought David to the site of the temple. Jerusalem is a city built upon four hills and Zion ts one of the hills. Now God wanted a place in Zion for His temple or house. Because the Jebusites possessed the city God could not find a place. But after many years of preparation, God brought David to Zion, to the very same place where / Abraham went through his great trial in Genesis 24. God brought David to the place where he was fully freed from human wisdom, where he was totally broken and emptied of all chaff; and then revealed to him the site of the temple.
secondly, God gave David the plan of the temple. In 1 Chron. 28:19 God gave him the whole plan and pattern of the temple in every small detail.
Thirdly, we see in I Kings 6, how Solomon began i the work and finished it, and while building, there was never heard the sound of hammer or tool, because the stones were already beautifully prepared in the quarry according to the heavenly plan. This speaks of unity and oneness and fellowship among God's people. There was no quarrelling, no fighting and no friction. They were governed by the Holy Spirit.
Fourthly, when the work was complete, God's fire came down and His glory filled the place. God began to speak and to speak plainly. That is Zion, the real Zion where God reigns in every heart and in every church according to the heavenly plan.
Some people think that by having a pandal, and a table, a cup, a plate and some song books they can start an assembly! [t can never be done that way. God will have to take you through many threshing-floors before He can take away the chaff from you and give you the site according to His heavenly plan for a heavenly church. It does not depend upon money, or buildings or lands. God wants a heavenly church, a spiritual church, where He can reign, and through which He can speak freely to His people. When the heavenly plan is manifested, then the glory can be fully seen. I tis through Zion that God defeats the devil fully. It is through Zion that He shows His wisdom and power, and there only can we see God's fullness and glory.
David recovered all through Hebron and Zion. Do you want to recover every loss? Then learn the meaning of Hebron and of Zion. Through prayer God will reveal all things to you. Then only can we repeat these words putting in our own name, 'David recovered all!’
Bakht Singh recovered all! Benjamin recovered all! By faith may these words be fulfilled in the lives of each of us.
Chapter 10