1 Chronicles 21:30
But David could not go before it to enquire of God: for he was afraid because of the sword of the angel of the LORD. But David could not go before it to enquire of God: for he was afraid because of the sword of the angel of the LORD.
The fear took hold at Ornan's threshing floor on Mount Moriah, the very ground that became the site of the temple. David could not go before the tabernacle to inquire of God because he was afraid of the sword of the angel of the LORD, and that sword was a real and present threat to him there. To stay the avenging sword of the destroying angel he offered burnt offerings and peace offerings on that spot, and God answered him by fire from heaven. By that sacrifice the destruction was turned aside.
That answering marked the ground as long-consecrated, for it was the same place where Abraham had revealed his willingness to sacrifice his only son. There God had renewed with Abraham the covenant of blessing, including the Messianic promise of deliverance through the sacrifice of the Son of the Most High. There the worshipers of Jehovah would meet God and renew their vows of allegiance. The turning aside of the sword through sacrifice was a fitting symbol of the Saviour's sacrifice and mediation for guilty people.