Page 92 - Satan in the Sanctuary

94 Satan in the Sanctuary

tion. A pestilence of terrible proportions hit the little king-
dom, and seventy thousand men died of the disease. An
angel of the Lord, reports 2 Samuel 24, was carrying out
this penalty, but was told by God to desist as the epidemic
reached Jerusalem.
By this difficult means God revealed the actual temple
site; the angel was stopped right at the threshing floor of
Araunah, a Jebusite national who respected the king. The
prophet Gad advised David to buy the site from Araunah
and erect an altar there to God. This would stop the plague.
Araunah told David to take what he wished and sacrifice
it; there was no need for payment. Araunah was honored
by the presence of the king; "Let my lord the king take
and offer up what seemeth good unto him ... the LORD thy
God accept thee" (2 Sam 24:22-23).
But David insisted on giving a price for the grounds;
"Nay; but I will surely buy it of thee at a price: neither
will I offer burnt-offerings unto the LORD my God of that
which doth cost me nothing" (2 Sam 24:24). And he paid
for the land.
There, on Mount Moriah, where Abraham had offered
Isaac, King David built an altar to God. This was the
mountain of Genesis 22:2 "which I will tell thee of."
And that became the temple site.
David, now old and tired, began to gather the special
materials and finances to build the great Temple on this
site. In a conversation of touching candor he assigned his
son Solomon the actual task, explaining his own role and
failure:
Then he called Solomon his son, and charged him to
build a house for the LORD God of Israel. And David
said to Solomon, My son, as for me, it was in my mind
to build a house unto the name of the LORD my God; but