Threshing floor - short story

 

All of you look at my people with contempt. Including king David. Can't blame him though. My own people despised him as he was on his way to capture the city of Jerusalem, saying even the lame and the blind could keep him out. We were proud. All the other nations were driven out from the land that flows with milk and honey. Except our fortified city. We Jebusites were proud of it. And as their king, I Ornan had a role to play in that too. We forgot that it is not by anyone's might that Israel is being established in this land. I mean, the stories if true, lasting for years, decades and centuries of bringing them from the mighty Egyptians and outrunning them in the Red sea, drowning and destroying them all. Slowly but steadily travelling as nomads through the wilderness and coming to the land of Canaan, ousting each and every single king here. Everyone except us, the Jebusites because of our fortified city. Some had alliances with their kings. Some had given over their queens and princesses as wives to their kings. But we were safe in our fortress.

But that day when Jerusalem was captured by their wise king, David as he approached the city through the water tunnel in the Spring Gihon. That is when our pride was destroyed. We had thought that we are safe in our fortified city. That is when I understood there is somebody more powerful behind this nation. There is some power that makes this small and insignificant nation to be more powerful than they seem to be. And this young chap King David was gracious enough to let us all live among them. No killing. Only capturing. Though I was sad that my kingdom was just dissolved infront of mine own eyes, I was glad that there was no massacre, no bloodshed. But I felt an urge that it was time for me to settle. Enough of running around. Enough of pursuing and protecting. I understood there was more about life. And I had an urge to find out more about this power behind Israel. I decided to settle in Mount Moriah and study. I had discussions with my seers and my prophets and my advisers and historians. Every day I found myself trying to spend time to know about this power, which i was convinced was behind this small nation. I also decided to spend time with people of that nation too, wanting to know from their lives, their narration I wanted to hear.

I found out that, we could trace our ancestors to Noah, through his son Ham. So are these Israelites, tracing their lineage till Noah, through Shem. So in a way we were related. And there was this old king and priest Melchizedek who was one of our kinds, who was given gifts by their great grand father Abram.

 While spending time with the people in Israel I found out that they call this power behind them as Yahweh. They respect and revere this entity so much so that they do not want to utter His name at all.

Meanwhile I built a threshing floor in my place in Mount Moriah. I had my own people and even my sons working hard and toiling to live a normal life. All of us Jebusites were peaceful. Our prides were demolished, but at least we were all spared. But the threshing floor was for me a place to enquire more of this God. I used to spend hours and days to know about Him in the threshing floor than I would with my family. Wanting to know more about this God. Slowly I understood a truth. I realised, this God is a living God, unlike all the other gods, which we or the other nations in Canaan used to serve. There is something different in this God. Not just that He has been able to establish these people here out of no where. But there is something different. This God loves them, so much. I found myself talking to this God, believing and hoping that He would love me too. I wanted to worship and adore him too like the nation of Israel as they pay the sacrifices in the tent. I wanted to read more of his statutes like they do in the tent. But there was a little disparity in the God I knew and the people that serve this God. There was a lot of hypocrisy in them too. A lot of pride was there in them too. 

 Slowly according to my knowledge I made my threshing floor into a place of worship and adoration unto this God. Where I would talk to Him, listen to Him.

One day I was in my threshing floor doing my routine talking and praying and worshipping. But my men and my family were restless. There was this plague that is fast spreading in Israel. Infact it was so powerful that in a span of less than three days, more than 70,000 people died in entire Israel. Everyone was frantic asking what would happen. But somehow I had the peace. I believed that this God would protect us. I continued in my act of worship and fasting and praying to this God. People were calling me a fool, my own family labelling me insane, saying what has happened to the King of Jebus that he is not bothered about his subjects and spends time only in prayer.

While I continued my worship I saw a huge angelic being with wings that covered almost the entire sky with a sceptre in his hand as huge as the tallest tower i have seen. The sceptre was dripping with blood. I thought I was dreaming and the plague has caught me too that I am hallucinating. The angel said, "Ornan, the God that you are so faithfully pursuing is indeed a living God. He has heard your supplications. Your worship and adoration He is so pleased with. How you have humbled yourself from a king of a fortified city to a man who sought God in this threshing floor. This threshing floor is holy ground. It is at this place that Abram was obedient enough to decide to give his son as a sacrifice into the Lord, when it was asked of him. This ground is the same place where the ram of redemption was provided for him. This same ground you have converted into a place of worship in the midst of doubts and questions raised. In the midst of ridicule among your own people you have raised this threshing floor into a temple unto the Lord. It is this threshing floor that you have made into a placing of knowing this God who alone is living. The Almighty, All powerful, The I Am, Yahweh. He is indeed pleased with your persistence and desire to know Him."

All I could do was bow down low with face on the floor and worship. Continue my utterences of praise to the Lord God Almighty.

The angel continued, " I had been instructed to come with force in judgement unto the whole nation Israel, because of a disobedient act by their King. But as soon as I entered your threshing floor, I was instructed by the Lord to stop. He said " "That is enough" because Ornan is someone who loves me, he is one who pursues to seek me. He has humbled Himself to learn more of me. Eventhough he is not a true Israelite, I love him because he is genuine." I didn't have words to praise God. He has considered me worthy.

And as the angel was talking to me, I saw King David and his men approaching my threshing floor from a distance. My men and my sons were running frantic. I could see the great terror in their eyes, saying it's not just the plaque that is going to kill us, but now the King is also on his way to shed blood and kill us all. But I was sure if the angel is here now, if God is with me now, what can anyone else do to me?

David comes and bows low. He said, "The Lord has asked me to build an altar in this threshing floor of yours. I prefer to buy this land and pay sacrifice unto God." My men and sons came back from their hiding ambushes angrily to David, "You took away our city, now you want to leave us with nothing. You want to robe us of this only source of income of ours? What have we done wrong? How have we wronged you after you have captured our fortified city? We have been living peacefully here." To which David replied, "I do not intend to robe you of anything. I desire to buy this land and few oxen to pay sacrifice to the Lord." They continued, "Why? you did not get yet another place? You are the king. You can do anything you want. You want to demolish our lineage. If we disobey, you can kill us all right?"

David said, "No I seek peace."

It was time for me to pitch in, "King all I have is yours. You can take the floor for free, as a gift and you can take any oxen you want to give as sacrifice." My men was more upset, my sons disappointed. "Our king has gone crazy."

But the king was insisting on buying. He said, "I cannot give anything to God that costs me nothing." I thought what he is saying is true and he paid fifty pieces of silver for the floor and the oxen. As the blood was shed, as the smoke arose we were all in a trance of worshipping God. David rose and left thanking God and thanking me saying the Lord has answered his prayer.

As I was standing with my men and my sons in my threshing floor, we all heard a thundering voice from heaven. Everyone was startled. It said, " I am Yahweh, the God of all heavens and the earth. I am so well pleased with Ornan. You, his men have ridiculed him for his obedience, his own sons have found fault with him. But I am very well pleased with him. Because of his obedience and persistence I will bless him. This threshing floor where he pursued to know me will be a place of worship. Where people will come and worship me the only true God in spirit and in truth. This will be the future place that David's son Solomon would build a temple of worship unto me. And at this same place the Messiah would die to pay the ultimate sacrifice to redeem mankind. All because of your persistence, Ornan."

All i could say with my tear filled eyes was, "Lord, I am grateful. What could have happened to me? I would have been killed just like any other kings in Canaan. But you O, Lord, chose to spare my life, only to reveal youself to me. And now you have selected your humble servant's threshing floor to be a place of worship unto you. I humble myself. Praise you God."