The Worship of the King
Notes
Transcript
Introduction:
We’ve all been in worship services where we felt the Holy Spirit was present and we felt that God was surely in that place. We also have been in services that we felt were flat.
A lot of people choose a church based on the worship service. If they are satisfied with the style of the service and the decor of the room, they will consider attending that church on a regular basis.
We talk to people about worship and we say things like, “Well, I don’t like this...” or “I really think we should do that.”
Very seldom do we take thought for whose presence we are coming before and whom we are worshiping.
Tonight, we are going to look at a very somber reminder of who we worship. We are going to see that God takes His worship very seriously and has an opinion on the matter, and frankly, only His opinion matters.
David again gathered all the chosen men of Israel, thirty thousand. And David arose and went with all the people who were with him from Baale-judah to bring up from there the ark of God, which is called by the name of the Lord of hosts who sits enthroned on the cherubim. And they carried the ark of God on a new cart and brought it out of the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill. And Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, were driving the new cart, with the ark of God, and Ahio went before the ark.
And David and all the house of Israel were celebrating before the Lord, with songs and lyres and harps and tambourines and castanets and cymbals. And when they came to the threshing floor of Nacon, Uzzah put out his hand to the ark of God and took hold of it, for the oxen stumbled. And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzzah, and God struck him down there because of his error, and he died there beside the ark of God. And David was angry because the Lord had broken out against Uzzah. And that place is called Perez-uzzah to this day. And David was afraid of the Lord that day, and he said, “How can the ark of the Lord come to me?” So David was not willing to take the ark of the Lord into the city of David. But David took it aside to the house of Obed-edom the Gittite. And the ark of the Lord remained in the house of Obed-edom the Gittite three months, and the Lord blessed Obed-edom and all his household.
Pray
Some of you may remember the phrase “worship wars.” Some of you may have lived it or you might still think you are living it. At the heart of the argument was what style of music or song type worship should contain. I want to let you in on a little secret. God did not give us music notes, so I really don’t think he cares so much about the style as much as the message of the songs and the focus.
However, to say that God doesn’t care about worship, but only the heart is a major oversimplification of the matter.
It is clear when we read the Bible that the theme of worship and God’s response to it is a repeated concept that comes up over and over again. God prescribes how He wants to be worshiped and He responds to that worship, as well as improper worship.
Let’s take a look at this them in 2 Samuel 6. The scene set before us is one of a king coming into the city, only this king is not King David, but God himself.
1. The Entrance of the King (vv.1-4)
1. The Entrance of the King (vv.1-4)
The first scene that we have is that of a king coming into the city. We will pick up this theme again at the end of the chapter, but for now let’s take a look at what happens.
David again gathered all the chosen men of Israel, thirty thousand. And David arose and went with all the people who were with him from Baale-judah to bring up from there the ark of God, which is called by the name of the Lord of hosts who sits enthroned on the cherubim. And they carried the ark of God on a new cart and brought it out of the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill. And Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, were driving the new cart, with the ark of God, and Ahio went before the ark.
David has conquered the Philistines and has a period of peace. He has been annointed King and is no longer in a civil war. He also has a city to rule from. Now he can turn his attention to getting the ark of the covenant into the city to be with him.
The ark of the covenant was in interesting artifact of worship. I was a chest that contained the two tablets of the Law that God wrote with His own finger and gave to the people of Israel. It also contained Aaron’s budded staff and a sample of the manna that fell from heaven.
On top of the ark was the mercy seat that was garded by two cherubim with wings outstretched and touching each other.
The ark symbolized the very presence of God.
David decides to gather his army together and bring up the ark from where it had previously resided at the house of Abinadab.
The idea was great. The people, with David at their lead, were going to have God’s presence, resembled in othe ark of the covenant, escorted into the city of David by the armies and the people in a great triumphant entry.
They bring the ark up on a cart that is described as a “new cart.” This means that the cart had been dedicated to the Lord and had never been used.
They put the ark on the cart and have the army and the people worshiping as the ark comes up into the city. It is intended to inspire awe and wonder at the presence of the King.
So, the ark is brought up with Uzzah and Ahio, Abinadab’s sons, bringing the ark into the ciy.
That brings us to the first principle of worship that we need to understand. If God is not present at our worship service, then what are we doing? We are wasting everyone’s time and makin a mockery of God at the same time.
2. The Worship of the King (vv.5-15)
2. The Worship of the King (vv.5-15)
The next thing we want to look at is the actual worship of the King.
And David and all the house of Israel were celebrating before the Lord, with songs and lyres and harps and tambourines and castanets and cymbals. And when they came to the threshing floor of Nacon, Uzzah put out his hand to the ark of God and took hold of it, for the oxen stumbled. And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzzah, and God struck him down there because of his error, and he died there beside the ark of God. And David was angry because the Lord had broken out against Uzzah. And that place is called Perez-uzzah to this day.
The first problem we see here is in how they are bringing the ark into the city. I think it is safe to say that with at least the leadership, they are desiring a good thing. They want to worship God and make much of His name.
The problem is that they fail to worship God as He has commanded them to. They are following the practices of the Philistines with the cart rather than what God had commanded them to do.
Look at the celebration.
And David and all the house of Israel were celebrating before the Lord, with songs and lyres and harps and tambourines and castanets and cymbals. And when they came to the threshing floor of Nacon, Uzzah put out his hand to the ark of God and took hold of it, for the oxen stumbled. And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzzah, and God struck him down there because of his error, and he died there beside the ark of God. And David was angry because the Lord had broken out against Uzzah. And that place is called Perez-uzzah to this day. And David was afraid of the Lord that day, and he said, “How can the ark of the Lord come to me?” So David was not willing to take the ark of the Lord into the city of David. But David took it aside to the house of Obed-edom the Gittite.
The people are having a wonderful celebration, but it is not a genuine worship of God, because they have failed to honor His word.
Because the people are bringing the ark back in on a cart, they are acting like the people of the nations around them and not like the people of God.
You might ask, “How?”
Well, they are transporting the ark the wrong way. They have it on a cart because that is what the Philistines did when they sent it back. To understand this, you have to go read about it in 1 Samuel 4-6.
Remember that this was a time similar to that of the Judges. Samuel is a little boy and Eli is the priest, along with his wicked sons.
Israel is being defeated and the sons decide to use the ark as a talisman or good luck charm.
The ark comes inot the camp and the people let out a roar so that the Philistines say that a god has come into the camp of Israel.
The Philistines end up capturing the ark and taking it into their temple, but God strikes the people with a plague and tumors and causes them to try to return the ark to Isreal.
They put the ark on a cart and have two oxen driving it and separate her from her braying calf, knowing that if she leaves her calf, she is going where God is drawing her and not where nature would pull her
God directs the cow to the city Beth-Shemesh.
This showed the Philistines that the cause of their punishment was that they were holding onto the ark of God and God’s presence was too much for them or their Gods
The story doesn’t end there. There is a reason for going into all of this history tonight. The people of Beth-shemesh tried to loook upon the ark and were killed by the Lord. We are not talking about 5 guys and some fries, but about 70 men!
You see, we have to understand some prescriptions God had given for how to transport the ark and what to do regarding it
And when Aaron and his sons have finished covering the sanctuary and all the furnishings of the sanctuary, as the camp sets out, after that the sons of Kohath shall come to carry these, but they must not touch the holy things, lest they die. These are the things of the tent of meeting that the sons of Kohath are to carry.
but deal thus with them, that they may live and not die when they come near to the most holy things: Aaron and his sons shall go in and appoint them each to his task and to his burden, but they shall not go in to look on the holy things even for a moment, lest they die.”
They were to transport it with poles
They were to separate it in the Holy of Holies with the screen that had the cherubim on it
They were to use the screen to cover the ark when they transported it so that they would not look upon it and they were never to touch it
The ark represented the presence of God.
God is holy and we cannot touch Him or look upon Him.
The veil symbolized our separation from God and the cherubim guarded the way to eternal life and the mercy seat. We need mercy but can’t get to it.
Jesus died on the cross and when He died, the veil in the temple was torn in two. It symbolized access we now have through Jesus and his shed blood to God and to his mercy.
Now, we can come directly into the presence of God without fear of being destroyed. This doesn’t mean without a reverenial fear.
Well, back to 2 Samuel. Things did not go as the people planned it and one of the oxen stumbled. Uzza was trying to do a good thing by reaching out to steady the ark, but he sinned in trying to do his good thing by doing what God had forbidden
I want you to understand something very important here. God is a holy God and cares how we worship. We cannot break His word in one area and try to justify it by doing something else that is good.
God also cares how we worship and approach Him (Nadab and Abihu and the whole book of Leviticus)
You see, the gospel is on display in worship. It is more than a service meant to entertain you. We are drawing near to the king.
That is why we stand. That is why we participate and sing. That is why we join our voices together.
We are in the presence of King Jesus.
David’s Response
David responded with a holy fear!
And David was afraid of the Lord that day, and he said, “How can the ark of the Lord come to me?” So David was not willing to take the ark of the Lord into the city of David. But David took it aside to the house of Obed-edom the Gittite.
David knew the paradox.
He was sinful
God is holy
How can the two live in the city together?
Ironically, the ark goes to rest at the home of Obed-edom who was a Gittite and God blesses him and his household.
And the ark of the Lord remained in the house of Obed-edom the Gittite three months, and the Lord blessed Obed-edom and all his household.
Remember, God’s presence is always a blessing, no matter how fearful it may be.
3. The Response to the King (vv.16-23)
3. The Response to the King (vv.16-23)
The final lesson we need to see is in the response to the King.
David realized the blessing of God on Obed-edom and he wanted some of that blessing for himself.
Remember that this concept had been repeated over and over again that David knew the Lord was with him or David knew that God had blessed him
David apparently went and read his Bible and learned how to bring the ark in.
Isn’t that a novel idea - to learn how to worship God by reading the Bible and following His commands
And David knew that the Lord had established him king over Israel, and that he had exalted his kingdom for the sake of his people Israel.
And David took more concubines and wives from Jerusalem, after he came from Hebron, and more sons and daughters were born to David. And these are the names of those who were born to him in Jerusalem: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, Solomon, Ibhar, Elishua, Nepheg, Japhia,
There are two responses to the King that we see here. One is represented by David, the other is by his wife, Saul’s daughter.
David responded in worship, singing, and dancing before the Lord with a freedom. He only cared about how God saw and accepted him.
Michal, on the ther had, looked out the palace window and scorned David.
She said,
As the ark of the Lord came into the city of David, Michal the daughter of Saul looked out of the window and saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord, and she despised him in her heart. And they brought in the ark of the Lord and set it in its place, inside the tent that David had pitched for it. And David offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord. And when David had finished offering the burnt offerings and the peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord of hosts and distributed among all the people, the whole multitude of Israel, both men and women, a cake of bread, a portion of meat, and a cake of raisins to each one. Then all the people departed, each to his house.
And David returned to bless his household. But Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David and said, “How the king of Israel honored himself today, uncovering himself today before the eyes of his servants’ female servants, as one of the vulgar fellows shamelessly uncovers himself!” And David said to Michal, “It was before the Lord, who chose me above your father and above all his house, to appoint me as prince over Israel, the people of the Lord—and I will celebrate before the Lord. I will make myself yet more contemptible than this, and I will be abased in your eyes. But by the female servants of whom you have spoken, by them I shall be held in honor.” And Michal the daughter of Saul had no child to the day of her death.
She thought it was unbecoming of David to wear the ephod and dance. She was what we used to tell students in youth, “too cool for school.” She thought David should wear the royal robes and present himself as a dignitary befor the people.
All David cared about was honoring God. David and the people worship God.
Michal cast judgment and worships her self-image.
Conclusion
We have to choose to worship God and Him only.
We have to come to him in worship in the way He prescribes.
We have to honor Him in our hearts and in submission to His commands.
What about you? Do you fear God? Do you revere Him and honor Him?
