Study Desk

When the Arameans realized they had been defeated by Israel, they sent for reinforcements from beyond the Euphrates River, led by Shophach the commanding general of Hadadezer's army.

When David was informed, he gathered all Israel, crossed the Jordan River, and marched against them. David deployed his army against the Arameans for battle and they fought against him.

Now Joab did not number Levi and Benjamin, for the king's edict disgusted him.

David said to God, "I have sinned greatly by doing this! Now, please remove the guilt of your servant, for I have acted very foolishly."

David said to Gad, "I am very upset! I prefer to be attacked by the Lord , for his mercy is very great; I do not want to be attacked by men!"

David said to God, "Was I not the one who decided to number the army? I am the one who sinned and committed this awful deed! As for these sheep—what have they done? O Lord my God, attack me and my family, but remove the plague from your people!"

So the Lord 's messenger told Gad to instruct David to go up and build an altar for the Lord on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.

David said to Ornan, "Sell me the threshing floor so I can build on it an altar for the Lord —I'll pay top price—so that the plague may be removed from the people."

Ornan told David, "You can have it! My master, the king, may do what he wants. Look, I am giving you the oxen for burnt sacrifices, the threshing sledges for wood, and the wheat for an offering. I give it all to you."

King David replied to Ornan, "No, I insist on buying it for top price. I will not offer to the Lord what belongs to you or offer a burnt sacrifice that cost me nothing.

So David bought the place from Ornan for 600 pieces of gold.

Now the Lord 's tabernacle (which Moses had made in the wilderness) and the altar for burnt sacrifices were at that time at the worship center in Gibeon.

But David could not go before it to seek God's will, for he was afraid of the sword of the Lord 's messenger.

David then said, "This is the place where the temple of the Lord God will be, along with the altar for burnt sacrifices for Israel."

David ordered the resident foreigners in the land of Israel to be called together. He appointed some of them to be stonecutters to chisel stones for the building of God's temple.

David supplied a large amount of iron for the nails of the doors of the gates and for braces, more bronze than could be weighed,

David said, "My son Solomon is just an inexperienced young man, and the temple to be built for the Lord must be especially magnificent so it will become famous and be considered splendid by all the nations. Therefore I will make preparations for its construction." So David made extensive preparations before he died.

He summoned his son Solomon and charged him to build a temple for the Lord God of Israel.

But the Lord said to me: ‘You have spilled a great deal of blood and fought many battles. You must not build a temple to honor me, for you have spilled a great deal of blood on the ground before me.

"Now, my son, may the Lord be with you! May you succeed and build a temple for the Lord your God, just as he announced you would.