LAYING ON THE TRESHING FLOOR
Text: 1 Chronicles 21:18-28
Threshing - The separation of grain or seeds from the husks and straw.
Threshing Floor - The place where the separation of grain or seeds from the husks and straw was carried out.
Separation - The sorting of one thing from another.
EX. -the separation of the wheat from the chaff
Chaff - Husks and straw that is separated from the grain or seeds.
Upon David’s repentance, his peace made with God. Though thou wast angry with me, thy anger is turned away.
A stop was put to the progress of the execution, 1Ch_21:15. When David repented of the sin God repented of the judgment, and ordered the destroying angel to stay his hand and sheath his sword, 1Ch_21:27.
Direction was given to David to rear an altar in the threshing-floor of Ornan, 1Ch_21:18. The angel commanded the prophet Gad to bring David this direction. The same angel that had, in God’s name, carried on the war, is here forward to set on foot the treaty of peace.
David immediately made a bargain with Ornan for the threshing-floor; for he would not serve God at other people’s charge.
He answered him from heaven by fire, 1Ch_21:26. To signify that God’s anger was turned away from him, the fire that might justly have fastened upon the sinner fastened upon the sacrifice and consumed that; and, upon this, the destroying sword was returned into its sheath.
It’s interesting to me that God had instructed David to build the altar in the threshing floor. David had to repent for the sins that he had committed. In verse 17 David said. "even I it is that have sinned and done evil indeed."
God had instructed David to build the altar on the threshing floor where he would make atonement for the sins he had committed. This was a separation process.
I. THERE ARE TIMES WHEN WE MUST LAY ON
THE THRESHING FLOOR.
So God can separate the things from us that are considered chaff. (The husks and straw) so that only the grain and seeds remain.
Hebrews 12:1 - Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
The things that cause us to fall easily. I know we are not perfect but we should strive to live upright before God and live a life is pleasing to Him.
There are times when God must show us and reveal the things to us that are chaff in our life so that we can separate them from the seeds.
Humble - to bring yourself down
1 Peter 5:6 - Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:
In due time..God will not exalt us if there are things in our life that are holding us back from where we need to be.
Pride must be beat away on the threshing floor.
-1 Peter 5:5 - for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.
Matthew 18:4- Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
Things that need to be beaten away on God’s threshing floor are:
Attitudes
Hard feelings toward someone.
Unforgiveness
Revenge
Sin in general
II. AFTER OUR THRESHING
God will be able to exalt us. 1 Peter 5:6
Because our seeds have been separated from the chaff we are now able to grow to be a stronger christian that we were before.
Our goal should be to always go further in God and to always be better today than we were yesterday.
III. GOD’S FINAL THRESHING FLOOR
God’s final threshing floor will come at the judgement when He will separate the saints from the sinners for the final time.
Matthew 25:32,33 - And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats
And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.
When God pronounces to the christians "Well done thou good and faithful servant" This will be the seed that will enter into heaven.
When God pronounces to the sinners, "Depart from me ye worker’s of iniquities, I never knew you" This will be the chaff or the husks and straw that will then enter into hell for eternity.
