Ver. 23.-0rnan's offer to Do.vid or the ment with that of the parallel place, which threshing-floor and all its belongings, BB a (2 Sam. xxiv. 24) speaks of "fifty shekels gift, reminds of Ephron'B offer to Abraham of silver" (i.e. ta.king the shekel at 2s. 8d., (Gen. xxiii. 11). Oman's prompt offer of equal to a.bout £6 13s. 4d.) e.s the price of gift was, perhaps, all the prompter from the "the threshing-floor and the ozen," is to mp- desire to render every essistance to thti pose that the fifty shekels speak of the pur- staying of the plague. For burnt offerings che.se money of the oxen indeed, but not of the , .. for the meat offering. The whole code floor itself, which we.a valuable, not only for of regnle.tions for offerings-sin offering, size and situation, but also for its prepared trespass offering, peace offering, burnt coIIBtruction; or a.gain, keeping to the literal offering, meat and drink offering-is to be language of Samuel, that "the floor and the found in Lev. i.-vii. As regards the burnt oxen" a.re intended, while our expression, offering, see Lev. i. ; vi. 8-13. It was called "the place," may designate the whole hill. n~V, from its" ascending" accepted to heaven, The vo.lue of gold BB compared with silver we.a es sixteeD to one. If this be the solutioD, or else from its being put up or raised up we should have age.in e.n inste.nce of the (Hiph. conjugation) OD the altar; BIid some- compiler of this book seizing for perpetuation times ~'?:;>, from being " wholly" coDsumed. the point of greatest and most permaneDt The siD and trespaas offerings were for special interest, i.e. the purchase of the whole place. sins, but this was of a more comprehensive Ver. 26.-Re answered him from heaveD kind and of much greater dignity, as stand- by 11.re. There is no doubt significance in ing for the" purgiDg of the couecieDce." The the fact that the compiler of Chronicles entire coI1Bnming of the sacrifice eigDified records this answer by fire, unmentioned in the unqualified self-surrender of him who the Book of Samuel. He would give pro- brought the sacriJice. It we.a e. volunte.ry minence to this great token, as determining, offering, the offerer le.id his hand OD the or goiDg e. greo.t way towards determining, head of the V1ctim, BIid the blood of the the site of the temple. The e.nsw~r by fire victim was sprinkled round about the altar. waa given on eritice.l e.Dd special occe.sions The meat offering (n1;1i;:i) is fully described i.JJ. (Lev. ix. 24; I Kings xviii. 24, 38). Lev. ii.; vi. 14--23. It was e.n offering with- Ver. 28.-David se.w that the Lord had out blood, and therefore was e.n e.ccompnDi- answered him in the threshing-floor. David ment of an offering of blood. It was composed "saw" this by the fire on the altar, and by of flour or co.kee, prepared with ea.It, oil, and the faot tho.t God, at the voice of the o.ngel frankincense-the se.lt emblematic of noD- (ver. 18), ho.cl not misdirected him, but had decay; the oil, of spiritual grace; and the guided him aright. He saorifl.ced there. fmnkiDcenee, of acceptable fragrance, A This means to sny that he the11cefor1oard portion of this offering was to be burnt, and "sacrificed there;" and established there the a portion eateD by the priests iD the court, service of sacrifices. Do.vid was so impressed unless it was for o. priest himself, wheD all "e.t that time," by the answer given in tire must be burnt. Meo.ntime a drink offering from heo.ven, tho.t he began systemo.tico.lly or wine was, iD fact, o. po.rt of the meat offer- to so.crif!ce on the site of this threshing-f!oor, ing itself (Exod. xxix. 40, 41; Lev. xxiii. instead of going to the high place at G ibeon, 13; Numb. xv. 4--7, 9, 10). The material where the altar of burnt offering still stood. of the meo.t offering might be the greeD or To hA.ve attempted to go thither woulcl not fresh-go.thered ears of corn. The Septuagint only have meant e. long aud wasteful de!t,y, translates 8wpov; Luther, speis-opfer; and it but would also ho.ve meant the neglecting uf need scarcely be said tho.t our Authorized the august omen of the angel present. An VersioD meat offering exhibits only the awful sanction is thus given to" this place," generic employment of the word "meo.t" Moriah, and it becomes" t!&e house of the L01"d for food. God," und the place of fo,wful and established Ver. 25.-Bix hundred shekels of gold 'by sacrifice. weight. The only wo.y to reconcile this state-
HOMILETICS. Vers. 1-30.-Typical, sin, suffering, sorrow, sacrifice. The study of the nnrro.tive before us, together with its parallel, leads, with little room for hesitation, to the conclusiou that there must have been symptoms in the national character of Israel at this time calling for some severe check or peremptory visitation, Failing this supposition, we canno~ satisfactorily l!,et o,·er the language of the opening verse in the parallel record of 2 Sam. xx.iv. It is, however, undeniable that in both places the history lays the whole hea,l uml frout of the offending upun D,wid, and that the oITonding waij his is corroborated 332 TllE FIRST BOOK OF TIIE CHRONlCL~S. [ou. XXI. 1-30.