There is help to be gained by considering some of the men whose lives touched that of Israel’s first righteous king.
The first one we want to consider is Araunah the Jebusite who is called Oman in Chronicles. David toward the end of his life had numbered Israel. God had become very angry at this and through the prophet Gad had given David a choice as to his people’s punishment. Either there would come seven years of famine or they would flee three months before their enemies or there would be three days pestilence in the land. Characteristically, David chose the punishment which would cause him and his people to fall into the Lord’s hands rather than the hands of men. After 70,000 men had died by the hand of the destroying angel David was told by the prophet to build an altar in the threshing floor of Araunah, the Jebusite. From the account in second Samuel we are left wondering “why that particular spot ?” The answer is given in the account in Chronicles where we read concerning Solomon that “he began to build the house of the Lord at Jerusalem in Mount Moriah, where the Lord appeared unto David his father, in the place that David had prepared in the threshingfloor of Oman the Jebusite.” So Oman’s threshingfloor stood directly on the site of the future Temple, where in the near future the sacrifices of all the people would be offered.
So now it is clear why that particular spot was desired by God. Also this was the spot where Abraham was commanded to take his son Isaac to offer him.
A Good Attitude
From the account we can see the tremendous attitude of Araunah. If left up to him he would have provided David with oxen and wood for the sacrifice and even the wheat he was threshing for a meal offering; all of this free of charge. His generosity is overwhelming. His desire was to go above and beyond what was actually required of him.
To conform to the letter of the law he would have had to sell his means of livelihood, which in itself was quite a lot to ask. He, however, like Christ, wanted to go above and beyond what was required and thus desired to obey the spirit of the Law . . . namely to give freely. The natural tendency would be to say, “I bought these oxen with my own money that I worked for and I made this yoke and the threshing instruments with my own hand and this wheat came as a result of my efforts and my work. I could not possibly give them to you except for a goodly price.” But was this Araunah’s attitude? “Freely you have received, freely give.” Jesus said.
The lesson for us is clear, we should freely give, whether it be to the collections on Sunday mornings, or being generous in acts of hospitality to our brethren or friends, or whether it be giving of our time and effort in the support of the truth. The need for generous acts of kindness is always there.
But David was insistent, he said he would not offer burnt offerings unto God of that which didn’t cost him anything. So Arunah allowed David to do this. Araunah could possibly see how important a principle it was with David and to deprive him of something he wanted badly and believed in strongly would have been wrong for Araunah to do.
There is a difference between being grabby (putting ourselves into positions where the other person is always doing the giving and us doing the taking). One characteristic is greediness; the other, submissiveness to the desires of others. Because of the independent side of people, very often this principle of generosity is not allowed to occur. Often we tend to want to make it on our own, to be independent of others. This can be bad if in doing so we deny others the opportunity of giving of themselves. David had sinned and in the offering he desired to pay the full price. Araunah allowed him that privilege. David did not ask a bargain price. He did not barter for the place and the accessories. It had to be the full price, nothing less. Redemption is based on that principle.
Ittai the Gittite
Ittai the Gittite is the second man we want to consider. From his name, “the Gittite” we know that he came from Gath of the Philistines. We first read of Ittai when David is fleeing from Absalom. Ittai had just arrived the previous day, but is then caught up in David’s hasty exit. When they arrive at a place safely away from Jerusalem, David speaks to Ittai, saying “Wherefore goest thou also with us ? return to thy place and abide with the king: for thou are a stranger, and also an exile. Whereas thou camest but yesterday, should I this day make thee go up and down with us ? seeing I go whither I may return thou, and take back thy brethren: mercy and truth be with thee.”
In effect David was telling Ittai that he should feel no shame in returning to Jerusalem. Life would be hard, times would be difficult, he need not feel obliterated to stay. Yet look at what Ittai says. “As the LORD liveth, and as my lord the king liveth, surely in what place my lord the king shall be, whether in death or life, even there also will thy servant be.” Almost an echo of the words of Ruth to Naomi, “Entreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge; thy people shall be my people; and thy God my God.” This was a great tribute to David’s character and to Ittai’s strength of mind.
Follow The King
Jesus tells his disciples, “if any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour.” For all of us in our coming to Christ, the words of David to Ittai have a special relevance. “Thou art a stranger and also an exile; where as thou camest but yesterday.” Such we were, outside the commonwealth of Israel, “having no hope and without God in the world.” We heard the call of the king. Our hearts took fast hold of the things concerning him and the kingdom and we forsook our former allegiance. So now “in death or life,” “in what place my lord the king shall be” we follow, that in the end we might be with him forever.
Later on in Mahanaim where David had fled, his army took shape under the leadership of Joab, Abishai, and Ittai the Gittite. Ittai’s faithfulness was rewarded by David’s trusting him and giving him charge over one third of his army.
We finally read of Ittai as being one of the mighty men of David. Ittai put his trust in David and in David’s God. There was nothing in the Philistines or in their gods that could attract him. They had eyes but they could not see; ears had they but they could not hear.
But David’s God, the God of Israel, now that was a different story. The qualities of Ittai are laid out for all to see: loyalty, devotion, the love of his king. We see these same qualities in the apostles to their risen Lord.
Do we see them in ourselves? Let us then follow Ittai and his example and put our loyalty and our trust in the greater son of David and in his God.
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One