Meeting God in the Ordinary: The Threshing Floor

 

Summary

In the narrative of David's quest to find a suitable site for the temple of God, we uncover profound spiritual truths about where and how we can meet with God. David's journey, marked by patience and divine guidance, led him to the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite, a place of simplicity and ordinary toil. This site, chosen by God, underscores that divine encounters are not confined to grand edifices or ornate rituals but can occur in the most unadorned and humble settings. The threshing floor, a place of daily labor, becomes a sacred space, illustrating that God meets us in the ordinary moments of life, where our hearts are open and sincere.

The threshing floor also symbolizes the process of separation and refinement, akin to the spiritual journey of believers. It is a place where the golden grain is separated from the chaff, much like how God refines us through trials and tribulations. This imagery reminds us that God is present in our afflictions, using them to draw us closer to Him and to reveal His grace and mercy.

Moreover, the story of David's encounter with God at the threshing floor highlights the importance of confession and repentance. David's acknowledgment of his sin and his willingness to offer a costly sacrifice demonstrate the necessity of coming before God with a contrite heart. It is in this posture of humility and sincerity that we find reconciliation and peace with God.

The ultimate meeting place with God is through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, symbolized by the altar on the threshing floor. Just as David offered sacrifices to atone for his sin, we are invited to approach God through the sacrifice of Christ, which provides the basis for our forgiveness and communion with Him. This sacrifice is the foundation upon which we build our spiritual lives, transforming our hearts into living temples for God's presence.

Key Takeaways:

1. Divine Encounters in Ordinary Places: God often chooses simple, unadorned places for divine encounters, emphasizing that His presence is not confined to grand structures but is accessible in the ordinary moments of life. This teaches us to seek God in our daily routines and to recognize His presence in the simplicity of our surroundings. [12:24]

2. The Threshing Floor as a Symbol of Refinement: The threshing floor represents the process of spiritual refinement, where God separates the valuable from the worthless in our lives. Through trials and tribulations, God refines our character, drawing us closer to Him and revealing His grace. [24:03]

3. The Power of Confession and Repentance: David's confession of sin and his willingness to offer a costly sacrifice highlight the importance of approaching God with a contrite heart. True reconciliation with God requires humility and sincerity, acknowledging our sins and seeking His forgiveness. [31:07]

4. The Centrality of Christ's Sacrifice: The ultimate meeting place with God is through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Just as David offered sacrifices on the threshing floor, we are invited to approach God through Christ's sacrifice, which provides the foundation for our forgiveness and communion with Him. [34:45]

5. Building a Spiritual Temple: Our lives are to be transformed into living temples for God's presence, built on the foundation of Christ's sacrifice. This involves dedicating our entire being to God, allowing His presence to permeate every aspect of our lives and bringing glory to Him through acts of holiness and love. [46:22]

Youtube Chapters:

- [00:00] - Welcome
- [00:10] - David's Quest for the Temple Site
- [01:34] - The Significance of Mount Moriah
- [02:45] - The Chosen Place Revealed
- [03:55] - Seeking Reconciliation with God
- [06:02] - The Simplicity of the Threshing Floor
- [08:09] - Meeting God in Ordinary Places
- [11:29] - The Threshing Floor's Spiritual Symbolism
- [15:08] - God's Inclusivity and Grace
- [18:11] - The Cost of True Worship
- [22:09] - Spiritual Significance of the Threshing Floor
- [25:00] - The Reality of Sin and Justice
- [30:13] - Confession and Reconciliation
- [34:45] - Christ's Sacrifice as the Meeting Place
- [46:22] - Building a Spiritual Temple

Study Guide

Bible Study Discussion Guide

Bible Reading:

1. 1 Chronicles 21:28 - "At that time when David saw that the Lord had answered him in the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite, then he sacrificed there."
2. 1 Chronicles 22:1 - "Then David said, 'This is the house of the Lord God, and this is the altar of the burnt offering for Israel.'"
3. Genesis 22:14 - "So Abraham called that place The Lord Will Provide. And to this day it is said, 'On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.'"

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Observation Questions:

1. What was the significance of the threshing floor of Ornan in David's journey to find a site for the temple? ([00:10])

2. How did David respond when he realized the Lord had chosen the threshing floor as the site for the temple? ([03:16])

3. What was the reaction of Ornan when David wanted to buy the threshing floor, and how did David respond to Ornan's offer? ([17:45])

4. How does the sermon describe the presence of God in ordinary places, such as the threshing floor? ([08:09])

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Interpretation Questions:

1. Why might God choose a simple and unadorned place like the threshing floor for divine encounters, according to the sermon? ([08:09])

2. How does the imagery of the threshing floor as a place of separation and refinement relate to the spiritual journey of believers? ([24:03])

3. In what ways does David's confession and willingness to offer a costly sacrifice illustrate the importance of approaching God with a contrite heart? ([31:07])

4. How does the sermon connect the sacrifice of Jesus Christ to the altar on the threshing floor, and what does this signify for believers today? ([34:45])

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Application Questions:

1. Reflect on your daily routine. How can you become more aware of God's presence in the ordinary moments of your life? ([12:24])

2. Think of a recent trial or challenge you faced. How might God be using this experience to refine your character and draw you closer to Him? ([24:03])

3. Is there a sin or burden you need to confess to God? What steps can you take to approach Him with humility and sincerity this week? ([31:07])

4. How does the sacrifice of Jesus Christ provide a foundation for your spiritual life? In what ways can you build upon this foundation to transform your heart into a living temple for God's presence? ([34:45])

5. Consider a place in your life where you feel distant from God. How can you invite His presence into that space and make it a meeting place with Him? ([12:24])

6. Identify an area in your life where you need to practice repentance and seek reconciliation with God. What practical steps can you take to address this? ([31:07])

7. How can you dedicate your entire being to God, allowing His presence to permeate every aspect of your life and bring glory to Him through acts of holiness and love? ([46:22])

Devotional

Day 1: Divine Encounters in the Ordinary
In the story of David's quest to find a site for the temple, we learn that God often chooses simple, unadorned places for divine encounters. The threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite, a place of daily labor and simplicity, was chosen by God as a sacred space. This teaches us that God's presence is not confined to grand structures or elaborate rituals but is accessible in the ordinary moments of life. We are encouraged to seek God in our daily routines and recognize His presence in the simplicity of our surroundings. [12:24]

"Thus says the Lord: 'Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool; what is the house that you would build for me, and what is the place of my rest? All these things my hand has made, and so all these things came to be, declares the Lord. But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word.'" (Isaiah 66:1-2, ESV)

Reflection: In what ordinary place or routine can you intentionally seek God's presence today, and how might this change your perspective on that activity?


Day 2: The Threshing Floor as a Symbol of Refinement
The threshing floor symbolizes the process of spiritual refinement, where God separates the valuable from the worthless in our lives. Just as the golden grain is separated from the chaff, God uses trials and tribulations to refine our character, drawing us closer to Him and revealing His grace. This imagery reminds us that God is present in our afflictions, using them to shape us into His likeness and to deepen our relationship with Him. [24:03]

"Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tried you in the furnace of affliction. For my own sake, for my own sake, I do it, for how should my name be profaned? My glory I will not give to another." (Isaiah 48:10-11, ESV)

Reflection: What current trial or challenge in your life might God be using to refine your character, and how can you cooperate with His refining work today?


Day 3: The Power of Confession and Repentance
David's confession of sin and his willingness to offer a costly sacrifice highlight the importance of approaching God with a contrite heart. True reconciliation with God requires humility and sincerity, acknowledging our sins and seeking His forgiveness. This posture of humility allows us to experience God's grace and mercy, leading to peace and reconciliation with Him. [31:07]

"Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy. Blessed is the one who fears the Lord always, but whoever hardens his heart will fall into calamity." (Proverbs 28:13-14, ESV)

Reflection: Is there a sin or area of your life that you need to confess to God today? How can you approach Him with a sincere and contrite heart?


Day 4: The Centrality of Christ's Sacrifice
The ultimate meeting place with God is through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Just as David offered sacrifices on the threshing floor, we are invited to approach God through Christ's sacrifice, which provides the foundation for our forgiveness and communion with Him. This sacrifice is central to our spiritual lives, transforming our hearts into living temples for God's presence. [34:45]

"For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God." (Hebrews 9:13-14, ESV)

Reflection: How does the sacrifice of Christ impact your daily life, and in what ways can you live out this truth today?


Day 5: Building a Spiritual Temple
Our lives are to be transformed into living temples for God's presence, built on the foundation of Christ's sacrifice. This involves dedicating our entire being to God, allowing His presence to permeate every aspect of our lives and bringing glory to Him through acts of holiness and love. As we build our spiritual temple, we are called to live in a way that reflects God's character and honors His name. [46:22]

"Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him. For God's temple is holy, and you are that temple." (1 Corinthians 3:16-17, ESV)

Reflection: What specific steps can you take today to dedicate more of your life to God, allowing His presence to transform you into a living temple for His glory?

Quotes

The threshing floor of Ornan boasted no magnificence of size or beauty of construction. There was just the rock, and I suppose a composition spread upon it of hard clay or cement, that the feet of the oxen might the better tread out the corn. That was all it was, yet when the temple with all its glory crowned the spot, God was never more conspicuously present than on that bare ungarnished threshing floor. [00:08:09]

Meet God in a barn, saith one, why not? Does that astonish you? God met Adam in a garden, Abraham under a tree, and Noah in an ark. There is less of man in the open field than in the cathedral, and where there is least of man, there is at least an opportunity to find most of God. Meet God on a threshing floor, why not? [00:11:29]

Moreover, it was a place of ordinary toil, not merely a floor, but a threshing floor in present use, with oxen present, and all the implements of husbandry ready to hand. It was so ordinary and so every day a place that none could have been more so, as if the Lord would say to us, I will meet you anywhere. [00:11:29]

Every place is holy where a holy heart is found. This ought to gladden the solitude of godly men. God is with you, therefore be of good cheer. If you are on board ship or if you are wandering in the woods, or are banished to the ends of the earth, or a shutout from the sabbath assemblies of God's house, yet wherever you seek him he is found, and every place is hallowed ground. [00:12:24]

The temple of glory is built on the threshing floor of affliction. I do not thrust forward this observation as though it were of great weight, but even if it were but a fancy so far as the type is concerned, the thought conveys a truth in a pleasing manner. But much more this was the place where justice was most clearly manifest. [00:24:03]

David went out to meet with his God and make confession before him. Oh sirs, the lack of many of you is that you have never yet beheld sin in its consequences, sin in its guilt, sin in its doom. God is angry with a sinner every day. Men do not fly to God till fear puts wings upon their feet. [00:30:13]

David's confession is very frank and full. David says, is it not I, even I it is that have sinned. Go thou sinner to the Lord with thine own personal confession. Shut thine eye to thy fellow man and say, Father, I have sinned. Cry with the publican, God be merciful to me, a sinner. [00:31:07]

Ornan's threshing floor was then the place where sacrifice was offered and accepted. Hastily they piled the altar of unhewn stones. They brought up to it ox after ox that had been lately threshing out the corn. The blood flowed in plentiful streams, and the sacrifice was laid upon the wood. [00:34:45]

Calvary is the trusting place between God and penitence. Now we have reached it. This is the site of the temple, this is the temple not made with hands once destroyed but build it up in three days. The person of the Lord Jesus crucified and raised from the dead is that place where God meeteth guilty confessing man and striketh hands with him. [00:34:45]

The wounds of Christ are the windows of the heart of God. If falcons believe in Jesus Christ, by faith presenting him again to God as thy sacrifice, then God will meet with thee. But what did David see air long when he had laid his bullock on the altar? A flame descended from the Lord, like a flash of lightning it came and the sacrifice was consumed. [00:34:45]

Make your entire being a living temple for the living God. Begin now, the foundations are laid, you would not dream of building on any other for other foundation can no man lay than that which is laid, the divine Moriah of Christ's person, the sacred place of his sacrifice, is this mount wherein God shall be seen. [00:46:22]

Make your bodies to be the temples of the Holy Ghost and your spirits the priests that sacrifice therein, in acts of holiness, piety, charity, and love spend all your days. Let your houses be churches dedicated to his fear and love and let the chambers be holy as the courts of the tabernacle in the wilderness. [00:46:22]

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Transcript
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