Proper 10

David again brought together all the able young men of Israel—thirty thousand. 2 He and all his men went to Baalah in Judah to bring up from there the ark of God, which is called by the Name, the name of the Lord Almighty, who is enthroned between the cherubim on the ark. 3 They set the ark of God on a new cart and brought it from the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill. Uzzah and Ahio, sons of Abinadab, were guiding the new cart 4 with the ark of God on it, and Ahio was walking in front of it. 5 David and all Israel were celebrating with all their might before the Lord, with castanets, harps, lyres, timbrels, sistrums and cymbals.

So David went to bring up the ark of God from the house of Obed-Edom to the City of David with rejoicing. 13 When those who were carrying the ark of the LORD had taken six steps, he sacrificed a bull and a fattened calf. 14 Wearing a linen ephod, David was dancing before the LORD with all his might, 15 while he and all Israel were bringing up the ark of the LORD with shouts and the sound of trumpets.

16 As the ark of the LORD was entering the City of David, Michal daughter of Saul watched from a window. And when she saw King David leaping and dancing before the LORD, she despised him in her heart.

17 They brought the ark of the LORD and set it in its place inside the tent that David had pitched for it, and David sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings before the LORD. 18 After he had finished sacrificing the burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the LORD Almighty. 19 Then he gave a loaf of bread, a cake of dates and a cake of raisins to each person in the whole crowd of Israelites, both men and women. And all the people went to their homes.

The New International Version (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2011), 2 Sa 6:12–19.

The ark of the covenant was the evidence of God’s presence with His people. Ever since Moses had been commanded to build it and put it in the tabernacle, it was understood as the proof that God was there.

But at times, the Israelites misunderstood the importance of the ark. Sometimes they attempted to use it to manipulate God to do what they wanted. In fact, that’s just what they did when they went up against the Philistines. They thought that if they waved the ark around the battlefield, God would destroy the Philistines and give them victory.

In other words, they used the ark of the covenant, God’s presence with them like a lucky charm, wishing upon it that God would do what they wanted.

But God was not manipulated like that and so, in the midst of the battle, the Philistines took possession of the ark and took it with them. Now, God wasn’t about to sit back and let the Philistines keep the ark, and so he punished them with disease. And the Philistines in an almost a comical way, put the ark on a cart and send it back to the Israelites.

Now, word comes to David the ark has been returned and we heard how David and 30 thousand men went to retrieve the ark, to bring it back. But apparently he doesn’t take any Levites. They still don’t appreciate what this is. They still think of it as just a “thing” that belongs to them instead of the very presence of a Holy God. And the people are celebrating, loudly. They have all kinds of instruments. The singers are singing more loudly. The musicians are playing more forcefully. Those chanting are chanting with all their might. They load it onto a cart, and Ahio walks in front and Uzzah walks in back. And the oxen trip and the cart starts to wobble, and the ark looks like it might fall and Uzzah reaches out and touches the ark.

But the ark is holy and Uzzah is not and so Uzzah is slain by God’s Spirit. And the cheer turns to shock. And the music stops. And there’s a change of plan. Instead of taking the ark back to his city, David instead leaves it at the home of another. The home of Obed Edom. And it remains there for 20 years.

Now, word comes to David the ark has been returned and we heard how David and 30 thousand men went to retrieve the ark, to bring it back. But apparently he doesn’t take any Levites. They still don’t appreciate what this is. They still think of it as just a “thing” that belongs to them instead of the very presence of a Holy God. And the people are celebrating, loudly. They have all kinds of instruments. The singers are singing more loudly. The musicians are playing more forcefully. Those chanting are chanting with all their might. They load it onto a cart, and Ahio walks in front and Uzzah walks in back. And the oxen trip and the cart starts to wobble, and the ark looks like it might fall and Uzzah reacheos out and touches the ark.

Proper 10

2 Samuel 6:1-5, 12b-19

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