Araunah's Faithfulness

Some of my favorite stories in the bible are about everyday people who aren't necessarily heroes but love the Lord and are just faithful where they're at. In 1 Chronicles 21, we read of such a man named Araunah. After King David sins against God, a man named Gad tells him to build an altar on Araunah's property. So David goes to Araunah who is busy working, threshing wheat, and makes him an offer. In verse 22, David says, “Let me have the site of your threshing floor so I can build an altar to the Lord…sell it to me at the full price.” This kind of reminds me of when realtors come by asking if we're interested in selling our home, as if we're going to make this huge decision on a whim just because they stopped by. But instead of shooing him away, Araunah responds with amazing wisdom and generosity. He says, “Take it! Let my lord the king do whatever pleases him. Look, I will give the oxen for the burnt offerings, the threshing sledges for the wood, and the wheat for the grain offering. I will give all this.” In other words, he says take it, take it all. Not only does Araunah offer the land, he offers his oxen for the burnt offering, his equipment for the wood, and his wheat for the grain offering. 

Here we see Araunah’s generous heart for the purposes of God. While Araunah offers everything for free, David argues that he should pay for it. In verse 24, David says, “No, I insist on paying the full price. I will not take for the Lord what is yours, or sacrifice a burnt offering that costs me nothing.” David makes an interesting statement here. He says what is a sacrifice worth if it costs nothing? Jesus sacrificed for us by giving His life and dying on the cross. What does it cost us to follow Jesus as our Lord and Savior? In our own lives, we are saved by grace and it is the gift of God, but following Jesus should require sacrifice. There are times it should cost us, maybe time or money in order to serve God, help someone out, or forgo what you want. Jesus says in Matthew 16:24, if any person wants to be my disciple, they must pick up their cross and follow me. 

So appropriately, King David paid Araunah 600 shekels of gold for his threshing floor. David builds an altar on that site. In fact, this is the place where the temple in Jerusalem would later be built. David offered sacrifices to the Lord and God showed His mercy. From most people’s perspective, this story is a David story but it could not have happened without Araunah. As far as we know, Araunah was just a regular guy going about his business. He wasn't powerful or influential. He was just faithful to his everyday work and responsive when David showed up with an opportunity to serve God. I Timothy 6:18 says, “be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share.” By Araunah's willingness to give his property and possessions to David for the Lord's purposes, he serves as a great example for us to trust God and be faithful when opportunity arises.

Pastor Darren