It was the right thing to do. It was the right time to do it. They were the right people, and they were going to the right place. So why didn’t it work?
There are a couple of things from today’s reading that I want to remember. First of all, I observe that David was “all in” in his devotion to God, and his love for the Lord. There was nothing deceptive or calculating about David’s desire to move the Ark to Jerusalem. He loved the Lord, and wanted the Lord to be close, and exalted. The whole nation agreed, and no one protested when they put the ark on the ox cart. There isn’t any mention of a Levite saying “this isn’t how it’s done”. Anyway, the lesson for me is: You can do the right thing for the right reason at the right time with the right people, and it could still fail…if you don’t do it in the right way. Doing it the way God said to do it is important. David meant well. The people meant well. But that didn’t help Uzzah. There doesn’t seem to be conviction out there about who Uzzah was. Some say he was a Levite, but as a Levite he would have known better. His father Abinadab has the same name as one of David’s brothers. It would be a high honor to guide the Ark, and David may have given that honor to a nephew. It would also explain why David was so upset…he lost someone he cared about. Anyway, popular thought is that Abinidab was Uzzah’s father, and they were Levites. Either way, it was a needless death.
I wonder if there are times in the church when we do the right thing, for the right reason, etc: but still come up short because we haven’t done it in the right way? We should be spiritual, but we need to be smart and spiritual. Pray about everything, and leave nothing to chance. Perhaps David forgot to ask God “how should I transport the Ark”? In the excitement, he might have been careless. It can happen. Whatever the reason, David later realizes his error and corrects it. It takes months for David to overcome his fear of God’s power and come to grips with his own helplessness before God. I know many people who don’t want a nuclear reactor in their backyard…the Ark of the Covenant is infinitely more powerful. David understood that…and that he couldn’t control it. It must have taken a great amount of trust on David’s part to bring the Ark into Jerusalem. It was about 9.3 miles from Kiriath Jearim to Jerusalem, that would be about a 3-4 hour walk, but carrying the Ark and celebrating with sacrifices the whole way….would be an all day event. I wonder how long David spent on the preparations to bring the Ark to Jerusalem? I don’t think it was a “spur of the moment” thing …..at least not this time.
As I read the account of David bringing the Ark into town, I sensed that David was a man filled with the Holy Spirit. If that’s true, then the presence of God lived within him. So, David is picking up on the fact that God is delighted to be moving (within the Ark) into His holy city, Jerusalem. I think that David is carried away in the Spirit of God as he celebrates and dances before the Ark…because the Holy Spirit is overjoyed because the presence of God is coming into Jerusalem. This is God’s holy city. In heaven there is a “new Jerusalem”. Jerusalem is very special to God. And God coming into Jerusalem is a beautiful picture, and a significant one. When Jesus walked into town they lined the paths with palm branches. As much as this is David’s city, it’s the Lord’s city first.
I wonder if Jesus is the presence of God in the Ark. Or is it the Holy Spirit? Could it have been Jesus that David was celebrating as they carried His Ark into the city? In 15:29 David’s wife Michal sees him dancing around the Ark “filled with joy” and she is filled with contempt. The sins of her father (Saul) have resurfaced in her. She isn’t delighted, probably because worship and service are not her priority. In a later reading we will learn that when she confronts David with her thoughts he discharges her from his presence forever. Good riddance…I don’t care how good looking she was. The last thing the kingdom needs is a selfish, sinful presence in the kings court.
A few other things “stick out” today: When the Philistines attacked, David “went out to meet them”. in another reading he went to the stronghold which was in their direction. He wasn’t hiding, he was preparing and staging. And, when they fled, he burned the idols they left behind. That isn’t mentioned in the last account. Who would go back into battle having left their idols behind on the battle field? If they couldn’t bring about victory to begin with, then why trust them? Of course, Israel also was defeated in battle several times even though the Ark was with them…and it was because they were disobedient.
David’s song of praise is rather long. I think if it were set to modern music we might find it easier to sing than read. It clearly is Spirit inspired, as I read it I note the different things that God wanted the people to remember. As I mentioned yesterday, God wants them to remember how they first came to be here (all the way back to Abraham) as well as to acknowledge his presence in everything, all around them. I see here that David speaks of God calling the “nations of the world” and later he speaks of being drawn to God from “among the nations”. I doubt that he could understand the significance of his words. Even at this point, the Holy Spirit was longing to draw “all men” unto Himself.
Faithfully,
PR