Moving The Ark
2 SAMUEL 6:1-11
I READ ABOUT A PREACHER WHO BOUGHT A HORSE FROM ONE OF THE DEACONS IN HIS CHURCH.
THE DEACON SAID, “NOW THIS IS A VERY SPECIAL HORSE.
IF YOU WANT IT TO RUN, YOU GOTTA SAY “PRAISE THE LORD!”
IF YOU WANT IT TO STOP, SAY “AMEN!”
SO THE PASTOR GETS ON THE HORSE AND SAYS “PRAISE THE LORD!” AND THE HORSE GALLOPS THROUGH THE COUNTRYSIDE.
FIVE MINUTES LATER, THE PASTOR SEES THAT THEY'RE HEADING STRAIGHT TOWARD A CLIFF.
BUT HE CAN’T REMEMBER WHAT HE’S SUPPOSED TO SAY.
HE SAYS “WHOA, STOP! HALT! LET ME OFF!”
FINALLY, AT THE LAST SECOND, HE REMEMBERS AND HE SAYS “AMEN!” THE HORSE STOPS RIGHT AT THE EDGE OF THE CLIFF. THE PASTOR WIPES HIS BROW AND SAYS “WHEW! PRAISE THE LORD!”
TODAY, I WANT TO TALK ABOUT THE “RIGHT WAY” TO PRAISE THE LORD!
WE’RE GOING TO SEE THAT WORSHIP NEEDS TO BE DONE RIGHT. AND THAT WORSHIP NEEDS TO BE WHOLEHEARTED.
2 SAMUEL 6:1-11 (NIV)
6 DAVID AGAIN BROUGHT TOGETHER OUT OF ISRAEL CHOSEN MEN, THIRTY THOUSAND IN ALL. 2 HE AND ALL HIS MEN SET OUT FROM BAALAH OF 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 THAT ARE 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,C AND AHIO WAS WALKING IN FRONT OF IT. 5 DAVID AND THE WHOLE HOUSE OF ISRAEL WERE CELEBRATING WITH ALL THEIR MIGHT BEFORE THE LORD, WITH SONGSD AND WITH HARPS, LYRES, TAMBOURINES, SISTRUMS AND CYMBALS.
6 WHEN THEY CAME TO THE THRESHING FLOOR OF NACON, UZZAH REACHED OUT AND TOOK HOLD OF THE ARK OF GOD, BECAUSE THE OXEN STUMBLED. 7 THE LORD’S ANGER BURNED AGAINST UZZAH BECAUSE OF HIS IRREVERENT ACT; THEREFORE GOD STRUCK HIM DOWN AND HE DIED THERE BESIDE THE ARK OF GOD.
8 THEN DAVID WAS ANGRY BECAUSE THE LORD’S WRATH HAD BROKEN OUT AGAINST UZZAH, AND TO THIS DAY THAT PLACE IS CALLED PEREZ UZZAH
9 DAVID WAS AFRAID OF THE LORD THAT DAY AND SAID, “HOW CAN THE ARK OF THE LORD EVER COME TO ME?” 10 HE WAS NOT WILLING TO TAKE THE ARK OF THE LORD TO BE WITH HIM IN THE CITY OF DAVID. INSTEAD, HE TOOK IT ASIDE TO THE HOUSE OF OBED-EDOM THE GITTITE. 11 THE ARK OF THE LORD REMAINED IN THE HOUSE OF OBED-EDOM THE GITTITE FOR THREE MONTHS, AND THE LORD BLESSED HIM AND HIS ENTIRE HOUSEHOLD.
WHY DID DAVID USE A NEW CART TO MOVE THE ARK?
1 SAMUEL 7:1 (NIV)
7 1 SO THE MEN OF KIRIATH JEARIM CAME AND TOOK UP THE ARK OF THE LORD. THEY TOOK IT TO ABINADAB’S HOUSE ON THE HILL AND CONSECRATED ELEAZAR HIS SON TO GUARD THE ARK OF THE LORD.
GOD'S PRESENCE
1. DAVID KNEW THAT HE NEEDED GOD’S PRESENCE IN JERUSALEM.
FOR VICTORY OVER TRIALS, TEMPTATIONS, PROBLEMS, CIRCUMSTANCES, AND DIFFICULTIES.
GOD’S PRESENCE DWELT ABOVE THE ARK IN THE TABERNACLE. GENESIS____________
The Ark of the Covenant had been captured by the Philistines nearly 20 years prior to this incident (I Sam 4-7), before David became king. The Ark was Israel’s national treasure and most sacred object; it was the presence of God among His people. It was kept in the Tabernacle, in the Most Holy Place, a curtained-off location where only the High Priest would enter on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. The Philistines captured the Ark, but soon gladly sent it back after God destroyed the idol of their god Dagon and the people were stricken with tumors. Abinadab was housing the Ark in Kiriath-Jearim (approx. 20 miles west of Jerusalem) after its return from the Philistines.
GOD HELPS US GET THROUGH HARD TIMES.
2. GOD HELPS US WALK THROUGH EVERY SITUATION, MAKING US MORE THAN CONQUERS.
ALL THE HARDSHIPS AND MISFORTUNES ARE OVER COME BY THE POWER OF CHRIST THAT HE WORKS IN AND THROUGH US.
WE ARE EITHER SUCCESSFUL OR IF WE FAIL, WE LOOK TO GOD TO HELP US LEARN FROM OUR FAILURE.
GOD HAS DIFFERENT PLANS FOR EACH OF US.
3. GOD HAS DIFFERENT TASKS FOR EACH OF US TO DO.
It had always been upon David's heart to personally build the temple of the Lord, but the Lord had prohibited him. For the Lord had chosen David to complete the task of conquering the promised land, not to spend his life in building the temple. That was to be the task of David's son Solomon.
— Preacher's Outline and Sermon Bible - Commentary
3. THERE’S A RIGHT WAY AND A WRONG WAY TO DO THINGS.
SOMETIMES FAILURE CAN TEACH IS MORE THAN SUCCESS CAN.
WHEN WE DO THINGS WRONG WE CAN LEARN MORE
BUT IT’S BEST TO LEARN FROM THE FAILURES OF OTHERS.
David disobeyed the Lord by setting the Ark on a new cart and having it transported to Jerusalem (2 Samuel 6:3-5). Specific instructions had been given earlier by God, dictating that the Ark was always to be carried and never to be moved by cart or any other vehicle (Exodus 25:14-15; Numbers 3:30-31; Numbers 4:15; Numbers 7:9).
A second act of disobedience now took place, a failure to respect God's holiness (2 Samuel 6:6-7). As the cart was being transported along the road to Jerusalem, the oxen stumbled. Instinctively, Uzzah reached out to stabilize the Ark before it fell to the ground. But in touching the Ark, Uzzah committed a most serious offense, for the Lord had stipulated that not even the Levites could touch the holy furnishings of the Tabernacle. To touch the holy furnishings was to violate the holiness of God Himself. If any person ever touched one of the holy furnishings, he was to be stricken dead. And this was exactly what happened to Uzzah: he was stricken dead by the glory of God's holiness as soon as he touched the Ark
A third act of disobedience was also committed when David became angry at God in His judgment of Uzzah (2 Samuel 6:8). The fault was not God's but, rather, David's. For David had not obeyed the clear instructions, the explicit commands of God for moving the Ark. Note that David's anger was directed at God Himself, angry because the Lord's holiness had blazed out against Uzzah and stricken him dead. David memorialized the sight by naming it Perez Uzzah which means "outburst against Uzzah."
As a result of these three acts of disobedience and the violation of God's holiness, David became extremely fearful of God's wrath. But this was exactly what was needed. For the fear of the Lord is an absolute essential when a person approaches the Lord who dwells in the blazing glory of perfect holiness. With fear gripping his heart, David began to question if it would ever be possible to transport the Ark to Jerusalem. More than anything else, he wanted the symbol of God's presence close to him. But he made the decision not to take it to Jerusalem at that time lest he and his people again violate God's holiness and arouse His anger.
Therefore David took the Ark to the house of a Gittite, Obed-edom (2 Samuel 6:11; 1 Chron. 15:16-18). For three months the Ark remained at Obed-edom's home, and during this time his whole household was blessed in a very special way by God. These blessings would lead David to the conclusion—due to the Ark's presence—that he could once again attempt to move the Ark to the capital city of Jerusalem (2 Samuel 6:12).
The lesson for us is strikingly clear: in seeking the Lord's presence, we must acknowledge His holiness and seek Him exactly as He dictates. There is a right way and a wrong way to approach God, a narrow way and a broad way. And the way to approach Him is narrow, not broad. The narrow way is the way dictated by God Himself, the way of Christ, His One and only Son. No person comes to the Father except by Christ. Therefore, if we wish to be acceptable to God, we must obey God by approaching Him through Christ. We must come to God by Christ and by Christ alone. This is the clear teaching of God's Holy Word:
I. THE ARK and ITS SIGNIFICANCE.
a. The Ark was the first thing that God had told Moses to build.
b. The ARK was a SMALL BOX 4 feet long, 2 feet wide, and 2 feet deep made of shittim wood (incorruptible), overlaid with Pure Gold. (Only room for ONE person at a TIME).
c. The CONTENTS of the ARK consisted of:
· A GOLDEN POT of MANNA (Daily Bread).
· The TEN COMMANDMENTS on tablets of Stone (The Law was CONTAINED in Jesus).
· Aaron’s Rod that BUDDED (Once DEAD and ALIVE again!).
d. The PURPOSE of the Ark.
· To give POWER to those who POSSESSED it.
· The Ark was a MEETING PLACE for God and His people.
· The Ark was God’s SANCTUARY.
e. The people that CARRIED the Ark were Levites.
f. The DESIGN of the Ark was given by God Himself to Moses.
g. The ARK was REPRESENTIVE of the Lord Jesus Christ.
h. The ARK was ANOINTED with oil. (Ex. 30:25 – 26)