Arauanah’s Threshing Floor

Here we have an interesting account of the prideful folly of King David that led to him purchasing the threshing floor of Araunah, a Jebusite, for 50 shekels of silver. King David initiated a census on Israel but the enemy was behind his action. His sin incurred the wrath of God. King David was given three options of punishment. He chose three days of the plague at the hands of the destroying angel despatched from heaven. When the angel had gone through the land slaughtering, on reaching Jerusalem his hand was stayed as God would instruct that it was enough punishment. The angel ceased the slaying at Araunah’s threshing floor. This gracious act prompted King David to purchase the threshing floor. He determined to offer a pleasing sacrifice to God for His mercies. In his heart the only thing that would be worthy to give to God was an offering that would cost him something. Now Araunah’s threshing floor was situated on Mount Moriah, (Strong’s 4179), namely referred to as the place ‘chosen by Jehovah’. This site was marked for God’s glory, the place chosen by God. It would later be the site for the building of the temple by Solomon. “Then Solomon began to build the temple of the LORD in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where the LORD had appeared to his father David on the threshing floor of Araunah. the Jebusite, the place provided by David.” (2 Chronicles 2:1, NIV). It was therefore God-intended that His mercy would be shown at the threshing floor.

It was at Mount Moriah that Abraham went to sacrifice Isaac, his only son unto the Lord. “Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.” (Genesis 22:2, NIV). As I prepared this text, I was moved with a fresh insight of the significance of awe and worship attached to Mount Moriah. Abraham went to Mount Moriah with Isaac where a sacrificial ram was provided by God, caught in the thicket by its horn. The ram as a sacrifice and its horns are all symbolisms of our LORD JESUS. Veiled in this early Old Testament account, we see a hidden reference made of JESUS our Paschal Lamb. Similarities can be drawn out with King David noting the move of God to stave off judgement from the destroying angel. Araunah’s threshing floor on Mount Moriah, would in time to come be the scene of sacrifice for Israel’s sins. This mountain was a place of awe and worship unto God. As in Abraham’s case, a sacrifice provided by God would be the only worthy offering unto Him. The judgement of God ceased on Araunah’s threshing floor, awaiting the institution of Solomon’s temple, the place of His mercy.

The threshing floor is indicative of the process of refinement by the Word as the trash and stubble is winnowed by the Spirit of the wind. The wheat and tares speaks of God’s judgement that comes now in this end time to separate the elect ones from the masses that will fall away. We are in the season of the purifying of the spiritual Levites. These are God’s people who will be ardent worshippers of the new covenant. They will be the new temple worshippers, diligent in the chastening of the soul as they labour with intensity on the threshing floor of grace. In time, King Solomon built a temple on Araunah’s threshing floor. It is where the covenant sacrifice of King David was made. A foundational stone in the place where God chose for Solomon’s temple. God has chosen the hearts of men for the new temple of grace, not made with hands. The perfect sacrifice of our Lord, our Paschal Lamb has been offered for sin, JESUS the Stone of David in the foundation of the kingdom is the threshing floor of our hearts. It is on the floor of our hearts that we can work out our salvation with fear and awe to escape the judgement of God. The spiritual Levites are they that are conscientious in the things of God. The Levites under the law were chosen to service the things pertaining to temple matters in reverential fear and holy discipline. Under the new covenant of grace of our Lord, we are now personally responsible to attend to the things concerning matters of the heart, as they pertain to worship, purity and truth.

There are several metaphors for threshing. It can be interpretative of ‘purification’. “At that time this people and Jerusalem will be told, “A scorching wind from the barren heights in the desert blows toward my people, but not to winnow or cleanse; (Jeremiah 4:11), and also ‘chastisement’. “I will winnow them with a winnowing fork at the city gates of the land. I will bring bereavement and destruction on my people, for they have not changed their ways” (Jeremiah 15:7, NIV). Wheat and grains were threshed and winnowed on threshing floors to separate the wheat from the tares. The stubble would be gathered up and throw into the fire. It was a process that was labour-intensive requiring stamina and commitment to get through the long process. In the scriptural accounts of Jeremiah above, there are two types of processes – refining and judgement. The backdrop to both scriptures pertains to God’s people’s incessant sinning. Throughout the history of an erring people, YHWH Kadosh, the Holy One would chose between love and mercy or punishment. These two discipline types are considered to be the ideal parenting style. We can see the Fatherly character of our God being displayed to bring the best out of His people. But they had an incessant penchant for idol worshipping.

Strong’s Hebrew (2219) ’zarah’ means ‘to scatter, disperse, scrutinise’. God’s wrath is poured out on the children of disobedience when they will not forsake their sins and repent. When King David repented and offered a sacrifice that cost him, his actions appeased the wrath of God. The heart is the threshing floor where we can offer ourselves in confession and repentance unto the Lord. The Word, liken to the rod of correction will not be spared to bring to bear against disobedience and the rebellious nature in humankind. The potent Word will beat out every impurities in us. Our folly and wilfulness will be scattered by the fierce east winds of change to disperse, scatter and shift stubborn works of unrighteousness.

Our Lord sits in His seat of mercy, working on His people. Lovingly skimming away the dross under the piercing blazing eyes of His Truth to present us faultless before the Father. The work of the Spirit is to help God’s people to bring a desirable offering, worked out on the threshing floor of the penitent heart. A place chosen by God for His Holy Name to dwell with man. A by-product of dwelling in the presence of our Lord is possessing a pure heart. It creates a desire and intense longing for worship. Our hearts are conditioned to worship and the threshing floor of the heart is where the Spirit of Truth bears with us to work on ourselves to produce fruits of righteousness. In reverential fear we can be winnowed and thrashed to remove the undesirable works of our stubborn nature. The trash and stubble of our nature is destroyed in the heat of scrutiny by the 7-fold eyes of the Spirit.. “He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, and they will bring offerings in righteousness to the Lord”. (Malachi 3:3, ESV).

Gwendolyn Smith. : #NEWPENTECOST. : 28th August 2020