The Place God Chose (Week 16)
The spiritual and political significance of the Temple Mount has made it the most controversial piece of real estate in the world. The hilltop plateau on which once stood the First and Second Temples now houses two Muslim shrines and is controlled by Muslim authorities. Jews and Christians are only allowed to pray down below outside the western retaining wall. Any disturbance of this status quo can bring the entire Middle East to the brink of war.
However, the Temple Mount is significant not because of modern political tensions but because God chose it to be the site of sacrifice—not once but twice in Scripture. The first time was when God instructed Abraham to take his son Isaac to be sacrificed in the region of Moriah to a mountain He would show him. Tradition is that this was the mountain.
Later when King David sinned, the Angel of the Lord was seen above that hilltop threshing floor, ready to execute judgment on Jerusalem. When David repented, God instructed him to build an altar and make a sacrifice. Second Samuel 24 records David’s purchase of the threshing floor and his sacrifice there.
David’s son Solomon later built the temple on that very site, and the sacrificial system continued there for the better part of the next 900 years. Then one Friday afternoon, Jesus was crucified at the edge of that mountaintop plateau. The Lamb of God was slain for the sins of the world in the very area God chose as a place for sacrifice.
Regardless of the political tension surrounding the Temple Mount, it’s the spiritual significance of this area that makes it so controversial. It’s not only where God chose for Israel to bring their sacrifices, but it’s also the place God chose for His name to dwell—and from where Jesus will one day rule God’s kingdom. And Satan would like nothing more than to stop that from happening.
To learn more about God’s choice of this site for His purposes, join me for this episode of the Out of Zion podcast, “The Place God Chose.” Walk Thru the Bible with me each week by downloading our Bible reading plan, and get started reading right away!
Invite your friends and family to join us! I can’t wait to Walk Thru the Bible with you!
About this episode:
King David has displeased the Lord and sees an Angel above the threshing floor of Arauna about to execute judgment on Jerusalem. The Bible records the purchase of this land on Mt. Moriah from Arauna so sacrifice could be made there. This place where Abraham had sacrificed Isaac became home to the Temple and sacrifices for centuries, and one day God would sacrifice His only son for the sins of the world on the edge of that same mountain. This episode complements the daily readings from our Walk Thru the Bible reading plan for May 17-23, covering 2 Samuel 21-24; Psalms for Troubled Soul.