THE THRESHING-FLOOR
D.Steven
I wondered if I might say a word as to what is involved in the threshing-floor. It is a very searching and yet a very necessary exercise that needs to be worked out, often, I think nearly always, in a very unseen kind of way. It is very interesting to see where threshing floors appear in the Scriptures, and I read here because it appears at a time when David is being adjusted. Not that we would dwell on that except to show how beautifully Scripture presents great servants such as David, how he repents, and the very high lines of service that come out from him as a consequence of adjusting himself, getting right and repenting of his sin. Scripture is very instructive, how persons like David, great persons, have their errors recorded, not in any sense to make much of the error but for our instruction, to see how quickly they get adjusted; how, as a result of it, a very rich line of ministry in relation to the service of God is secured. Here it proceeds at a point where the threshing-floor comes to light. It says "And God sent an angel to Jerusalem to destroy it". How solemn it was! What a terrible thing had happened! It says that "Satan stood up against Israel, and moved David to number Israel". What a solemn thing was happening! the people were going to be destroyed; but it says that God "repented him of the evil, and said to the angel that destroyed, "It is enough; withdraw now thine hand. And the angel of Jehovah stood by the threshing-floor of Ornan the Jebusite". That is where he was; and what was proceeding there was what the threshing-floor would speak of. I am sure there is something in it for us to learn, that there is an exercise proceeding, unseen it may be, but proceeding all the time, that is in accord with God. It is the process of separating good from evil, the wheat and the chaff were separated. What is useless, what would in that sense be evil and wicked, is separated from what is good, and the good is maintained; and there are persons who are working to this end all the time. How fine that is! how encouraging as we think back over our sorrowful histories and see that there are persons (thank God for them!) who have been going on all the time working on this principle of separating the good from the evil; and God in His goodness has maintained a position (I speak carefully about that word) on account of those few who have been worthy.
So David comes through this sorrowful time. When he saw this threshing-floor he would know what it meant because he had come to one before, as we would remember. The ark had been brought out of the house of Abinadab (see 2 Sam 6) and another threshing-floor comes to light, just at the point where things are handled wrongly; Uzzah puts his hand out to the ark of God and it happens at Nachon's threshing-floor where what is going on is in accord with God; and God deals with something there. Here what happens is that there is judgment as a result of David's sin, and it is coming on the people, but then there is this man Ornan who is working in accord with God's thoughts and the plague was stayed on account of this. How beautiful that is! The word challenges my own heart: Am I working in this way? Are we working in an unseen way where nobody sees what is going on? Am I upholding this principle of separating the good from the evil, in my life, in my circumstances, where the enemy is active all the time to bring in things that would hinder the service of God? The slightest little thing - chaff! It speaks in Matthew of the Lord Himself purging his threshingfloor; the winnowing fan is in His hand, it says (see chap 3: 12). It shows that the Lord will not have anything that would be of an adverse character, or anything that is not real amongst us in His threshing-floor. So the plague is stayed; and David is moving in a beautiful spirit here, he would take on the whole thing himself. He said to God "Is it not I that commanded the people to be numbered? It is I that have sinned and done evil". How beautifully he takes it on! But then the word is: "the angel of Jehovah commanded Gad to say to David, that David should go up and rear an altar to Jehovah in the threshingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite". What was to be for God's pleasure was to be built on this basis, the threshing-floor of Ornan the Jebusite. What a foundation for the house of Jehovah Elohim' So it is that there will be nothing for God on any other principle than that of the separation of the evil from the good. Here is a man and his four sons who are working this out in a beautiful way. It says "Ornan turned back and saw the angel; and his four sons with him hid themselves". They hid themselves; it is something that is going on in a hidden way. "Now Ornan was threshing wheat". What a fine thing that was! Threshing wheat, as you know, is a very severe matter. They now have mechanical means but in those days it was a very arduous thing to thresh wheat. It brings out the purity of the grain for the people of God. Therefore, for us, what is for the service of God is to be pure and nothing else; the chaff, all the looseness and whatever else there would be is threshed out, discarded and separated from. There is a separating process going on, beloved brethren, which I believe we need to be really committed to.
Then it says "And David came to Ornan, and Ornan looked and saw David". What a beautiful picture this presents to us! Ornan and his four sons are working out this great principle of separation, separating the evil from the good, and David sees it. He has been told to go there and he goes immediately, but I think it also shows that he sees that here is the only basis on which the house of God can be set up, and he moves into this position therefore and enquires whether he can purchase this in order to build an altar to Jehovah. And on the other side you see Ornan ready to give it all. These two men show two great principles. Ornan would give everything; he had been working to this end and would not hold it for himself or take anything for it; what a beautiful principle that is - "Take it to thee"! On the other hand David would not have it for nothing, he would pay the full money. It says: "David said to Ornan, Grant me the place of the threshing-floor, that I may build an altar in it to Jehovah: grant it to me for the full money, that the plague may be stayed from the people". He could see that this could not be acquired on any other principle then that it had to be paid for. That would surely point to something for us, that we only acquire these things on the basis of payment; that means that we pay, and it involves what that would mean. Where would it come from? It involves suffering. That David paid the full price involves committal. Ornan said "Take it to thee, and let my lord the king do that which is good in his sight: see, I give the oxen for the burnt offering, and the threshing-sledges for wood, and the wheat for the oblation; I give it all". Think of that, how beautiful an expression that is! He has the wherewithal to fulfil the whole sacrifice - the oxen, the sledges and the wheat for the oblation. He said "I give it all" but David said "No; but I will in any case buy them for the full money; for I will not take that which is thine for Jehovah, to offer up a burntoffering without cost". So the agreement is come to "and David gave to Ornan for the place in shekels of gold the weight of six hundred shekels. And David built there an altar to Jehovah", and he says later "This is the house of Jehovah Elohim", chap 22:1. How fine that is! The whole matter is completed in a very short space of time, I might say; from the moment that he numbered the people and sins he is brought through in his history in repentance and receives forgiveness, and then purchases this place for the house of Jehovah. How beautifully this represents a person who repents and is forgiven and is established again, so quickly, I am sure that this is the essence and the truth of the gospel, that one can repent and be forgiven and fully established in the presence of God as David was, although it meant much to him in suffering and sorrow as a result of the judgment that came in. He had to bear that but he got right and was free in relation to the house of God, the service of God, on the basis that he purchased this threshing-floor from Ornan the Jebusite.
Well, that was what I was moved to say dear brethren that we might be encouraged to move on this line: I am sure that the Lord would help us because this is what He requires of us, a pure and holy place maintained for Him in His absence; for He is absent from this scene and oh, what a scene it is! Surely we are all feeling what a world we are living in, what is around us, what we come in contact with daily. Then we hear of other places too, worse than we are, other countries where conditions are more than deplorable for Christians. The suffering and the persecution that is going on in the world at the present time we know little about, but it is all under God's eye; the whole world and the suffering that is going on is under His eye and His hand; but I am sure that this principle is being worked out, and thank God for it. My exercise is that we may be more committed to it to maintain things for Him here in order that there may be a richer, brighter note of praise to Himself for His Name's sake.
GLASGOW
January 1974