God's Voice 4 Obeying The Voice of God.

When God looks down from heaven at you, what does he see? When you come to stand before his throne you will be standing in one of four positions. You will either be an enemy of God, a Child of God, a son of God or a friend of God. I'm sure that if we are honest with ourselves we would all like to be known as God's friend and not his enemy.

ENEMIES OF GOD

James 4:4"You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God."

God has enemies! According to James 4:4 if you  choose to be a friend of the world then you will also make yourself God's enemy. An enemy of God is basically someone who is opposing his Kingdom from being established. Here are three ways you can make friendship with the world:

I. Walking in the advice of ungodly people.

Psalm 1:1"Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers." Walking in the counsel of the wicked means to receive advice from anything else other than the bible or biblical advice through another person. Every time you seek and act on wisdom that is not from God you make yourself a friend of the world/

2. Standing with sinners.

Psalms 1:1 "or standing in the way of sinners." Standing in the way of sinners means to live a life of continual disobedience to God. A sinner is not able to 'not sin'. Christians though, through the power of the Holy Spirit are able to 'not sin'. We can choose to obey or disobey God. When you continually disobey God you are standing in the way of sinners and thus make yourself a friend of the world.

3. Joining in with the mockers.

Psalm 1:1 "or sit in the seat with mockers". To sit in the seat of mockers means to join in with those who make fun at other people. When you 'mock' someone, what you are saying is "I am superior and greater that you therefore I can make fun of you." This is the sin of pride! The world system places people in a tower with the greatest and most significant at the top to the least at the bottom. Before God though we are all equals so we have no right to 'mock' others. When you do mock others you are making yourself a friend of the world. The next time you do make fun out of someone remember what the bible says "God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble."

CHILDREN OF GOD

Matthew 18:3"And he said: “I tell you the truth, unless you change must  and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven."

A child of God is someone who is adopted into Christ's family. This means that God himself becomes your Father and other believers become your spiritual brothers and sisters. As a Father to you God take responsibility for your spiritual growth and development. He will teach and show you what to do, correct you when you do wrong and prepare you to receive your inheritance. If you want to become a child of God all you have to do is receive Jesus to  be your own personal Lord and savior. To do this you must first repent of your sin, confess that Jesus is Lord, believe in your heart that he is alive and then live like it.

SON OF GOD

Galatians 4: 7"So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir."

A son of God can approach God with confidence at any time. As a son of God you know that you are accepted by him and will always turn to him. Hebrew 4: 16"Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." The greatest time  of need in a believer's life is the moment you committed an act of sin. The moment you sin you need to turn to God and receive his mercy. Every time you sin you drift further away from God until he is out of your life altogether. If you have done wrong and you know it, don't put off turning back to God. To become a son of God you must be led by the Spirit. Romans 8:14"because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God." You are led by the Spirit when you hear God's voice and do what he says.

FRIENDS OF GOD

James 2: 23And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called God’s friend.

When God looked at Abraham he didn't see an enemy, a child or a son, he saw a friend. He saw somebody who believed and trusted in him. God saw that he would stick closer to him than even his own family. John 15:14"You are my friends if you do what I command." To become a friend of God you must obey his commandment which is to love one another (John 15:12&17) v12 "My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you." 17This is my command: Love each other. There are 4 ways you can love someone in the same way that Jesus loves you:

I. Sacrifice

John 15: 13"Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." Jesus, becauce of his great love for you sacrificed his life so that you could be saved. The four ways in which you can also lay down our life for others is through prayer, giving money, and offering practical help. When you pray for someone else you are giving up your time and energy for them. During prayer time you are sacrificing your own life for the benefit and well being of others. When you give money you are not just giving finances you are also giving your life. The average person works between 30 and 40 hours a week for approximately $5 per hour. If God then tells that person to give $50, then that person will have to work 10 hours to earn that money. Helping others with practical help is also another way in which you can sacrifice your life for other people. When you help others you help carry their burden and make life easier for them.

2. Speaking the truth.

Ephesians 4: 15"Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ." Who is God that he should lie to us? Some people believe that lying can be honorable. This is wrong! The most honorable thing that you can do for someone is to tell them the truth. When you lie you disrespect, dishonor and humiliate others. Jesus loved us by never speaking anything that was false or deceitful and we should follow his example. It is important that you make sure your heart is right before you do this and that you do it under God's guidance and in love and wisdom.

3. Correction

Hebrews 12:6because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son.” The word 'discipline' as used in Hebrews 12:6 means to correct. God corrects those he loves. This means if you do something wrong he will tell you what you did wrong and will show you what you should do instead. We too can love each other in the same way. If we ever see anyone doing something wrong we can love them by telling them what they are doing wrong and then showing them what they should do instead, while being careful not to judge.

4. Obedience to our call.

Philippians 2:8"And being found in appearances as man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death— even death on a cross!" Jesus' call was to die on the cross for mankind. For him to be the source of salvation he had to live a pure, sinless life and then sacrifice it. Jesus was obedient to his calling because he loved us more than he loved himself. By fulfilling the call of God that is on your life, you are loving others as Christ loved you.

CONCLUSION

Love is not an empty word we speak to those we are fond of, but is an act of your will. You can choose to love others by sacrificing, correcting, speaking the truth and obeying the call that has on your life.

PRAY

"Lord Jesus, help me to love others in the same way that you love me."

God's Voice 3 TUNING INTO THE VOICE OF GOD

The world we live in this is full of invisible signals. There are sound waves, radio waves, microwaves, TV signals and telephone signals to invisible signals you must have a tuner or receiver.

Right now you are surrounded by millions of television pictures but you cannot see them because you need a television. It is the same with radio signals. If you want to hear your favorite radio station you need a Hi-Fi or radio tuner. Your TV or radio however are useless to you unless they are plugged in and turned on! If you want to be able to receive the signals that God is sending you, then you need to 'plug-in' and 'turn on' your spiritual receiver.

TURNING YOUR RECEIVER ON

Man is made up of three parts, the body, the soul and the spirit. Each part has it's own function in receiving signals. Understanding these functions will help you 'plug in' and 'turn on' your spiritual receiver.

The function of the body.

Your body is made up of five elements called senses. They are sight, touch, hearing, smell, and taste. Each one has a specific purpose:

i.    Your sight enables you identify objects.

ii.   Your touch enable you to identify textures.

iii.  Your hearing enables you to identify sound.

iv.  Your smell enables you to identify aroma.

v.   Your taste enables you to identify flavour.

Your five senses when put together enable you to identify the outside world. The function of the body is to make you world conscious. It makes you aware of the environment in which you live. If you are looking at this right now then your body is turned on!

The function of the soul.

Your soul is made up of three elements. They are your mind, your emotions and your will. Each one also has a specific purpose:

i.   Your mind tells you your thoughts.

ii. Your emotions tell you your feelings. 

iii.Your will tells you your desires.

Your mind, emotions and your will put together tell you about your inside world. Therefore the function of the soul is to make you self conscious. It makes you aware of yourself. If you are reading this now then your soul is turned on!

The function of the spirit.

Your spirit consists of itself and has a specific purpose.

i. Your spirit connects you up with God. Romans 8:16"The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children." Your spirit enable God to make a connection with you and it makes you aware of God's thoughts. The function of the spirit is to make you God conscious. If you are born-again your spirit is turned on to God and you can communicate effectively with him. If you are not born-again your spirit is asleep or is turned off and you will not be able to receive any of the signals that God is sending to you. Being born-again simply means that your spirit has been born or woken up. if you are not sure if you are born-again then you can have your spirit turned on to God right now by asking God to save you. Before this can happen, you need to believe that Jesus died for you and that God raised him from the dead, also you need to confess him as your Lord. If these two things are in place, you can ask God to forgive you of anything you have done wrong and ask him to save you. If you would like to know  more about becoming born-again you can write to us contact your local spirit filled church.

TUNNING YOUR RECEIVER IN

If you have turned your spiritual receiver on you now need to tune it into the right frequency. There are essentially four key things that you can do which will help you to recognize God's voice when he speaks to you.

Key I. Meditate on the word of God.

Joshua 1: 8"Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful." There has been much confusion over what the world meditation means. Some religions will have you believe that meditation is to sit crossed legged with your eyes closed and to empty your mind of your thoughts. A classic example of this is Buddhism. According to the bible this is not true meditation. This type of meditation can seriously damage your walk with God. If someone tells you to meditate like this then my advice to you is to not participate in it. In fact the biblical definition mean quite the opposite, it means to fill your mind with thoughts. Scripture meditation involves getting one verse from the bible and constantly repeating it to yourself. As you do this exercise regularly(every day and night) you will begin to hear God teach you himself about his word.

Key 2. Act on the word of God.

James 1:22"Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says." As you begin to hear God, he is going to give you some very specific instructions about what to do. In the beginning you might get an impression in your spirit that God is telling you to do something. God's word will always be fulfilled, so by stepping out in faith you will be able to determine if what you heard was from God or not. For example, if you get an impression that God wants you to pray for someone because he wants to heal them and you act on that word but nothing happens then the word was not from God. But if they are healed you can then listen for dame voice the next time. Don't worry God won't throw you into the deep end and ask you to heal the sick until he knows you are ready and that you know his voice. He will probably start teaching you through other daily things first. Also we must remember that God will not ask you to do anything that is contradictory to what he has said in the bible.

Key 3. Pray in tongues.

I Corinthians 14:2"For anyone who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God. Indeed, no one understands him; he utters mysteries with his spirit." You have a 'hotline' right into the throne of God and you can use it at anytime of the day or night. It is called the gift of tongues. The gift of tongues in just one  of the spiritual gifts that is available to all those who are born-again and are baptised in the Holy Spirit. When you pray in tongues you pray directly to God and he hears and understands every word you say - even if you don't. As you are praying in tongues God will speak back to you. If at any time when you are praying you run out of words, try praying in tongues for a couple of minutes. God will then give you something new to pray about.

Key 4. Establish a desire.

Psalms 37:4"Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart." How much you really want to hear God's voice? If you are not that bothered then you will probably struggle to hear him clearly. God wants to grant you the desires of your heart. If your heart's desire is to hear him speaking to you and to recognize his voice then he will not disappoint you.

EXERCISES

Follow these four exercises to help train you to hear God's voice. 

Exercise I.

Every day this week choose one verse from the bible and meditate on it by repeating it to yourself quietly for five minute at the stroke of every hour. Write down anything that God tells you. 

Exercise 2.

Every morning this week before you go to school, college or work pray and ask God what he wants you to do. Write what he tells you down and then do it!

Exercise 3.

Once a day, every this week pray in tongues for a minimum of 5 minutes. Afterwards write down what you think God is telling you to pray for and then pray it or write it down if that is appropriate. 

Exercise 4.

Simply ask this question to yourself every morning this week "How much do I really want to hear God's voice."

CONCLUSION

You have the ability to hear God's voice. All you have to do is turn your spirit on and tune it in! It is a wonderful privilege to be able to communicate with the God who created the heavens and the earth.

PRAY

"Lord Jesus, give me a new desire to hear your voice."

Elaine Chong: God's Voice 2: Objective 1 - CORE BRIEF

Elaine Chong: God's Voice 2: Objective 1 - CORE BRIEF: "IDENTIFYING THE VOICE OF GOD WHY does God speak to you and I today? Ever since the beginning of time God has been interacting with man and..."

God's Voice 2: Objective 1 - CORE BRIEF

IDENTIFYING THE VOICE OF GOD


WHY does God speak to you and I today? Ever since the beginning of time God has been interacting with man and now he wants to interact with you. God wants to establish a line of communication with you. Non-Christians find this concept very hard to believe and understand. Never the less it is true and very biblical.


Here is 7 reasons why God wants to speak to you:


1. To create something new.


  Thessalonnians 2:13 “And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is at work in you who believe.” God's word is at work. When you receive it, it will create something new in your life. God never creates anything before he first speaks it out. In the beginning God said "Let there be....." then he created. The bible also says in the book of Amos 3:7 "Surely the Sovereign LORD does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets." that God does nothing until he first reveals what he is going to do.


2. To release faith.


Roman 10:17Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ. Every time God speaks to you your faith in him will increase. God wants to begin building in you a strong everlasting faith in him and he will begin by speaking to you.


3. To edify.


1Corinthians 14: 3"But everyone who prophesies speaks to men for their strengthening, encouragement and comfort." To edify means to build up or strengthen. When God speaks to you your body, faith and hope will be strengthened.


4. To exhort.


 1Corinthians 14:3"But everyone who prophesies speaks to men for their strengthening, encouragement and comfort." Exhortation means to encourage. When God speaks to you he will help you if you are struggling in your walk with him. Exhortation restores positives thoughts to your mind.


5. To Comfort


1Corinthian 14:3"But everyone who prophesies speaks to men for their strengthening, encouragement and comfort." God will speak to us in times of affliction, trials and persecution to comfort us. The words of comfort that we receive will relieve us from any suffering or grief that we may be experiencing. God wants to see the hurting healed!


6. To reveal sin.


2Thessalonians 2:3"Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for [that day will not come] until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction." God does not tolerate sin! He will speak to men to reveal it and to those who are sinning so that they will repent.


7. To give direction. 


Psalm 119:105"Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path." It's very difficult to walk in total darkness because you cannot see where you are going. God speaks to us to show us where to go with our lives.

HOW DOES GOD SPEAK TO US TODAY?

Exodus 3:4When the LORD saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!” And Moses said, “Here I am.”

There are a number of different methods that God can use to get your attention and speak to you. He caught Moses's attention by setting fire to a bush in the wilderness and then speaking from within the flames. In Numbers 22:28Then the LORD opened the donkey’s mouth, and she said to Balaam, “What have I done to you to make you beat me these three times?” God enabled a donkey to speak to it's master Balaam. Now God may not use these two drastic methods to get your attention but he could if he had to. There are a number of easier methods that God will use to speak to you before resorting to speaking from flames and animals.

1. A word of prophecy.

1Timothy 1:18Timothy, my son, I give you this instruction in keeping with the prophecies once made about you, so that by following them you may fight the good fight" God can and will use other people to give you his message. Someone who has the gift of prophesy can pray and God will tell them to tell you something. Sermons that you hear at church are also classed as a word of prophesy to you. However with every word of prophesy that you receive it is your responsibility to test what is said against the bible.

2. The Bible.

Matthew 4:4Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word(Rhema) that comes from the mouth of God.’” The rhema word comes from reading the bible. God will speak to you as you read his word. For example you might be praying for a solution to a problem then you read what to do in a verse from the bible. This is as equally good as having Jesus appear to you and tell you what to do.

3. Open doors.

Revelation 3:8 :"I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name. " When you are driving in a car you will come across traffic lights. Their purpose is to direct traffic, they will tell you whether it is safe to go (green) or stop (red). Open doors are like spiritual traffic light. Whenever you are praying for direction God can give you a red or green light. For example you have just left a job interview and you are praying "Lord, is it right to take this job?" Now if you are offered this job, but none of the others, in most cases it is like God giving you a green light. Open doors are windows of opportunity that open up to you.

4. Vissions and dreams.

Acts 217“‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams." God can speak to you by showing you pictures while you are awake or asleep. In a vision or dream you can see something similar to a movie playing in your mind. They are vivid and usually speak about what God is doing or going to do in the future. Visions and dreams can also be still images that resemble photographs.

5. Angels.

Judges 6:12When the angel of the LORD appeared to Gideon, he said, “The LORD is with you, mighty warrior.” Angels are sent by God to us. They can bring with them healing, provision, deliverance, judgement and the word of God to you.

6. Answered prayer.

James 4:2 "You do not have, because you do not ask God. " Again traffic lights are like answered prayer. If you are asking God for something and he gives it to you then it is as if he is giving you green light and saying "YES". You can then stop praying for that item and thank God for it.

7. Vocally.

Matthew 3:17And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”

There are reports today of people physically hearing God's voice. It is possible! When Jesus was baptised in new testament times God the Father spoke and everyone around heard him.

8 Directly.

2Corinthians 8:16"I thank God, who put into the heart of Titus the same concern I have for you." This is voice that only you can hear. It is as if God is placing thoughts and desires directly into your heart and mind. For example you could be walking through your neighborhood and you suddenly get a thought to go and tell a certain person about Jesus. Nobody else heard that voice, only you. Also you might get an impression in your spirit about how God feels about something that has happened. This is one of the most common way that God will speak to you.  

CONCLUSION

If you think that you can't hear God or that God isn't speaking to you then I suggest that you review this objective. God is speaking to you all the time, it's just a matter of being able to recognize how. 

PRAY

"Lord Jesus, help me to recognize your voice."

Elaine Chong: God's Voice 1

Elaine Chong: God's Voice 1: "If a spiritual being appeared in front of you right now, would you know if it was good or bad? As you read through the bible you will come..."

God's Voice 1

If a spiritual being appeared in front of you right now, would you know if it was good or bad?


As you read through the bible you will come across numerous accounts of God making contact with individuals. First there was Adam who used to walk and talk with God in the evenings. Then there was Noah who God told to build an ark because he was going to send a flood to the earth. Abraham was another to whom God spoke and promised a child. And what about Moses when God spoke to him at the top of the mountain and give him the ten commandments? The list go on and on.


There are also many accounts in the bible of other beings in the spirit realm making contact with man. Gideon was visited by angel when he was hiding from his enemy. King Saul was frequently visited by an evil spirit who tormented him.


In these end-times in which you are living you are going to experience a greater level of interaction with the spirit world than ever before. You need to be aware of the fact that there are both good and evil spirits that will make contact with you for two very different reasons.


Good spirits include angels and God himself. Angels are spiritual beings created by God and are under his authority or 'rule'. They will make contact with you to help you in your walk with God, by serving you, bringing you God's messages (if necessary)and by protecting you. Evil spirits are commonly referred to as demons and are under satan's control. They were at one time good spirits but have since sinned against God and have since been thrown out of his Kingdom. Evil spirit will try to tempt you to disobey God. They also try to steal your faith in God and get you to worship satan instead. If you want to grow from being a believer in Christ to a disciple of Jesus then you are going to have to learn how to distinguish between good and evil spirits.

"But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil." Hebrews 5:14


If a spiritual being appeared in front of you right now, would you know if it was good or bad? Don't worry if the answer is no to this question at the moment because the objectives in this mission will help to train you. Unfortunately there are many Christians who do not know the difference between their own thoughts and doubting thoughts sent by the enemy to bring deception. I experienced this myself in my walk with God. After about six month after becoming a believer in Christ I began get doubting  thoughts in my mind about God, Christianity, and my action. I also began remembering and desiring my old life style. I didn't realize that this was a major attack from the enemy. All my Christian friends could see it but I couldn't, it was as if I was spiritual blinded. It wasn't long before I had totally turned my back on God and 'church' and was back living a life of sin and rebellion. This continued for more than twelve months until one day I suddenly realized that I had made a big mistake. If I had learnt how to distinguish good from evil when I was first saved I would never have wasted a year of my life wondering around in a wilderness. The gift of 'discerning of spirits' as mentioned in 1Conrinthians 12:7-11 (7Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. 8To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, 9to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, 10to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. 11All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines.) will also help you in distinguishing good from evil. It is a supernatural ability to instantly recognize and identify good from evil. This gift is probably one of the most needed gifts in the present-day church as we are currently seeing a great increase in the number of 'cults' and false teachers. If we are operating in the gift of 'discerning of spirits' we will be less likely to fall prey to their deceptive teachings and will remain in God's grace.


Two of the consequences of failing to discern spirits are sin and curses. In Genesis chapter 3 Eve lacked discernment when the serpent came to tempt her. If she had had discernment she would have recognized that the serpent was evil and would not have listened to him. As we all know she did listen to him and sinned against God and received a cursed over her life. King David, the mighty man of God from the old testament, also on a number of occasions failed to 'discern the spirits'. 1Chronicles chapter 21 tells us that Satan 'incited' David to take a census of the nation of Israel, which was an act that God had told him not to do. As a result King David disobeyed God and a curse was placed over Israel. If he had of discerned that it was the enemy telling him to do it, he wouldn't have sinned and the curse would have been avoided. It is of primary importance that you learn and understand how God speaks.

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<< 1 Chronicles 21 >>

David Numbers the Fighting Men

1Satan rose up against Israel and incited David to take a census of Israel. 2So David said to Joab and the commanders of the troops, “Go and count the Israelites from Beersheba to Dan. Then report back to me so that I may know how many there are.”

3But Joab replied, “May the LORD multiply his troops a hundred times over. My lord the king, are they not all my lord’s subjects? Why does my lord want to do this? Why should he bring guilt on Israel?”

4The king’s word, however, overruled Joab; so Joab left and went throughout Israel and then came back to Jerusalem. 5Joab reported the number of the fighting men to David: In all Israel there were one million one hundred thousand men who could handle a sword, including four hundred and seventy thousand in Judah.

6But Joab did not include Levi and Benjamin in the numbering, because the king’s command was repulsive to him. 7This command was also evil in the sight of God; so he punished Israel.

8Then David said to God, “I have sinned greatly by doing this. Now, I beg you, take away the guilt of your servant. I have done a very foolish thing.”

9The LORD said to Gad, David’s seer, 10“Go and tell David, ‘This is what the LORD says: I am giving you three options. Choose one of them for me to carry out against you.’”

11So Gad went to David and said to him, “This is what the LORD says: ‘Take your choice: 12three years of famine, three months of being swept away before your enemies, with their swords overtaking you, or three days of the sword of the LORD—days of plague in the land, with the angel of the LORD ravaging every part of Israel.’ Now then, decide how I should answer the one who sent me.”

13David said to Gad, “I am in deep distress. Let me fall into the hands of the LORD, for his mercy is very great; but do not let me fall into the hands of men.”

14So the LORD sent a plague on Israel, and seventy thousand men of Israel fell dead. 15And God sent an angel to destroy Jerusalem. But as the angel was doing so, the LORD saw it and was grieved because of the calamity and said to the angel who was destroying the people, “Enough! Withdraw your hand.” The angel of the LORD was then standing at the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.

16David looked up and saw the angel of the LORD standing between heaven and earth, with a drawn sword in his hand extended over Jerusalem. Then David and the elders, clothed in sackcloth, fell facedown.

17David said to God, “Was it not I who ordered the fighting men to be counted? I am the one who has sinned and done wrong. These are but sheep. What have they done? O LORD my God, let your hand fall upon me and my family, but do not let this plague remain on your people.”

18Then the angel of the LORD ordered Gad to tell David to go up and build an altar to the LORD on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. 19So David went up in obedience to the word that Gad had spoken in the name of the LORD.

20While Araunah was threshing wheat, he turned and saw the angel; his four sons who were with him hid themselves. 21Then David approached, and when Araunah looked and saw him, he left the threshing floor and bowed down before David with his face to the ground.

22David said to him, “Let me have the site of your threshing floor so I can build an altar to the LORD, that the plague on the people may be stopped. Sell it to me at the full price.”

23Araunah said to David, “Take it! Let my lord the king do whatever pleases him. Look, I will give the oxen for the burnt offerings, the threshing sledges for the wood, and the wheat for the grain offering. I will give all this.”

24But King David replied to Araunah, “No, I insist on paying the full price. I will not take for the LORD what is yours, or sacrifice a burnt offering that costs me nothing.”

25So David paid Araunah six hundred shekels of gold for the site. 26David built an altar to the LORD there and sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. He called on the LORD, and the LORD answered him with fire from heaven on the altar of burnt offering.

27Then the LORD spoke to the angel, and he put his sword back into its sheath. 28At that time, when David saw that the LORDhad answered him on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite, he offered sacrifices there. 29The tabernacle of the LORD, which Moses had made in the desert, and the altar of burnt offering were at that time on the high place at Gibeon. 30But David could not go before it to inquire of God, because he was afraid of the sword of the angel of the LORD.