Why Aravnah?

Aravnah is the name or title of a man in 2 Samuel 24 & 1 Chronicles 21.

Often spelled Araunah or Ornan in most Bible translations.

Aravnah was a Jebusite, which means that he was not part of God’s original Covenant. The Jebusites are listed as one of the seven nations that Israel was to completely displace, however, this man owned a threshing floor and dwelt in the land of Israel’s inheritance. The Promised Land.

In 2 Samuel, David buys the threshing floor from Aravnah so he can build an altar to God, in order to stop the plague which is killing many people.

Aravnah offers to give it to him along with oxen and threshing implements and yokes for the burnt offering. David basically says:

“I won’t offer a sacrifice to God that costs me nothing”

David buys the land and builds an altar on the threshing floor, and the plague is stopped. This location later becomes the site for the House of God, also known as Solomon’s Temple. This is the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.

The threshing floor is where useful grain is separated from useless chaff.

This is symbolic of separating good and bad, dark and light, holy and unholy, righteous and unrighteous, death and life.

Under the Old Covenant, animal sacrifices were required for the sins of the people. This shedding of innocent blood was only a covering for sin until the New Covenant was established.

Jesus Christ, God’s only begotten Son, established this New Covenant by giving His own life as full and final payment for our sins. The sins of the entire world. His innocent blood was shed so that all who come to Him and receive His mercy, can be saved from death and receive eternal life.

The Old Covenant was for the Jews only, but the New Covenant is for everyone.

Aravnah is symbolic of a non-Jew being prepared to give up everything he owns, for the Kingdom of God. This is the narrow road of being a disciple of Christ, to lay everything down on the threshing floor and be separated from the world. To die to self and be made alive in Christ.

Jesus hits this home when he says:

“If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it.

But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it.”

Matthew 16:24-25 NLT