The Life of David: 1 Chronicles 13

1 Chronicles 13:1–5 NKJV

1 Then David consulted with the captains of thousands and hundreds, and with every leader. 2 And David said to all the assembly of Israel, “If it seems good to you, and if it is of the Lord our God, let us send out to our brethren everywhere who are left in all the land of Israel, and with them to the priests and Levites who are in their cities and their common-lands, that they may gather together to us; 3 and let us bring the ark of our God back to us, for we have not inquired at it since the days of Saul.” 4 Then all the assembly said that they would do so, for the thing was right in the eyes of all the people. 5 So David gathered all Israel together, from Shihor in Egypt to as far as the entrance of Hamath, to bring the ark of God from Kirjath Jearim.

Priority is defined, a thing that is regarded as more important than another. We have individual priorities. We determine a priority by making time for it, not by simply saying, this is a priority. As one wise man said, “We make time what it is important.”

What priorities do you have?

Is there something you do not go a week without doing?

Today is the first Sunday of the year, of a new decade, and twenty-one days of prayer and fasting. Now is a good time to make God a priority. When we put Him first, He helps us, leads us, and guides us.

Background

David’s early reign as king outlined his priorities for Israel. He no longer had to deal with Saul. The twelve tribes of Israel united behind David after the death of Ishbosheth. Jerusalem becomes Israel’s capital. He had a couple skirmishes with the Philistines and God helped him.

In light of Saul’s disastrous reign, If you were David, what would decisions would you make as the new King?

David made the decision to place the Ark of the Covenant in a place of prominence.

Why was the Ark of the Covenant important?

We live in a day where anyone can have a relationship with God. In the Old Testament circumstances were different. Because Jesus had yet to come to earth, sin still separated God from His people.

Unlike today, where anyone can have a relationship with God, in the Old Testament,

Today, the Holy Spirit draws us near to God. We can come before Him because of the sacrifice Jesus made. He served as the substitute for sin. In the Old Testament, if people came before God, their sins sentenced them to death.

However, God wanted a connection with His people. He gave Moses instructions to build a box where the presence and glory of God would dwell. The box was called the Ark of the Covenant.

Exodus 23:10–22 NKJV

10 “Six years you shall sow your land and gather in its produce, 11 but the seventh year you shall let it rest and lie fallow, that the poor of your people may eat; and what they leave, the beasts of the field may eat. In like manner you shall do with your vineyard and your olive grove. 12 Six days you shall do your work, and on the seventh day you shall rest, that your ox and your donkey may rest, and the son of your female servant and the stranger may be refreshed. 13 “And in all that I have said to you, be circumspect and make no mention of the name of other gods, nor let it be heard from your mouth. 14 “Three times you shall keep a feast to Me in the year: 15 You shall keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread (you shall eat unleavened bread seven days, as I commanded you, at the time appointed in the month of Abib, for in it you came out of Egypt; none shall appear before Me empty); 16 and the Feast of Harvest, the firstfruits of your labors which you have sown in the field; and the Feast of Ingathering at the end of the year, when you have gathered in the fruit of your labors from the field. 17 “Three times in the year all your males shall appear before the Lord God. 18 “You shall not offer the blood of My sacrifice with leavened bread; nor shall the fat of My sacrifice remain until morning. 19 The first of the firstfruits of your land you shall bring into the house of the Lord your God. You shall not boil a young goat in its mother’s milk. 20 “Behold, I send an Angel before you to keep you in the way and to bring you into the place which I have prepared. 21 Beware of Him and obey His voice; do not provoke Him, for He will not pardon your transgressions; for My name is in Him. 22 But if you indeed obey His voice and do all that I speak, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries.

Exodus 25:3–10 NKJV

3 And this is the offering which you shall take from them: gold, silver, and bronze; 4 blue, purple, and scarlet thread, fine linen, and goats’ hair; 5 ram skins dyed red, badger skins, and acacia wood; 6 oil for the light, and spices for the anointing oil and for the sweet incense; 7 onyx stones, and stones to be set in the ephod and in the breastplate. 8 And let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them. 9 According to all that I show you, that is, the pattern of the tabernacle and the pattern of all its furnishings, just so you shall make it. 10 “And they shall make an ark of acacia wood; two and a half cubits shall be its length, a cubit and a half its width, and a cubit and a half its height.

Exodus 25:10–22 NKJV

10 “And they shall make an ark of acacia wood; two and a half cubits shall be its length, a cubit and a half its width, and a cubit and a half its height. 11 And you shall overlay it with pure gold, inside and out you shall overlay it, and shall make on it a molding of gold all around. 12 You shall cast four rings of gold for it, and put them in its four corners; two rings shall be on one side, and two rings on the other side. 13 And you shall make poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with gold. 14 You shall put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark, that the ark may be carried by them. 15 The poles shall be in the rings of the ark; they shall not be taken from it. 16 And you shall put into the ark the Testimony which I will give you. 17 “You shall make a mercy seat of pure gold; two and a half cubits shall be its length and a cubit and a half its width. 18 And you shall make two cherubim of gold; of hammered work you shall make them at the two ends of the mercy seat. 19 Make one cherub at one end, and the other cherub at the other end; you shall make the cherubim at the two ends of it of one piece with the mercy seat. 20 And the cherubim shall stretch out their wings above, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and they shall face one another; the faces of the cherubim shall be toward the mercy seat. 21 You shall put the mercy seat on top of the ark, and in the ark you shall put the Testimony that I will give you. 22 And there I will meet with you, and I will speak with you from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim which are on the ark of the Testimony, about everything which I will give you in commandment to the children of Israel.

Throughout the wilderness wanderings of Moses and the Israelites, we see the people followed the Ark of the Covenant.

Numbers 10:33–34 NKJV

33 So they departed from the mountain of the Lord on a journey of three days; and the ark of the covenant of the Lord went before them for the three days’ journey, to search out a resting place for them. 34 And the cloud of the Lord was above them by day when they went out from the camp.

Numbers 10:33–35 NKJV

33 So they departed from the mountain of the Lord on a journey of three days; and the ark of the covenant of the Lord went before them for the three days’ journey, to search out a resting place for them. 34 And the cloud of the Lord was above them by day when they went out from the camp. 35 So it was, whenever the ark set out, that Moses said: “Rise up, O Lord! Let Your enemies be scattered, And let those who hate You flee before You.”

Because God’s presence dwelt within the Ark, when they followed it, it was as though God Himself led them. When the Israelites entered the Promised Land, they crossed the Jordan River, only after the priests carried the Ark into the water. When they did, the river divided and they walked on dry ground. The Ark was significant when the walls of Jericho fell.

The Ark was significant when the walls of Jericho fell.

Even though sin separated God from His people, what does the Ark tell us about God’s desire to be close to us?

How important was the Ark to the Israelites?

Story

1 Samuel 4–7 NKJV

1 And the word of Samuel came to all Israel. Now Israel went out to battle against the Philistines, and encamped beside Ebenezer; and the Philistines encamped in Aphek. 2 Then the Philistines put themselves in battle array against Israel. And when they joined battle, Israel was defeated by the Philistines, who killed about four thousand men of the army in the field. 3 And when the people had come into the camp, the elders of Israel said, “Why has the Lord defeated us today before the Philistines? Let us bring the ark of the covenant of the Lord from Shiloh to us, that when it comes among us it may save us from the hand of our enemies.” 4 So the people sent to Shiloh, that they might bring from there the ark of the covenant of the Lord of hosts, who dwells between the cherubim. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God. 5 And when the ark of the covenant of the Lord came into the camp, all Israel shouted so loudly that the earth shook. 6 Now when the Philistines heard the noise of the shout, they said, “What does the sound of this great shout in the camp of the Hebrews mean?” Then they understood that the ark of the Lord had come into the camp. 7 So the Philistines were afraid, for they said, “God has come into the camp!” And they said, “Woe to us! For such a thing has never happened before. 8 Woe to us! Who will deliver us from the hand of these mighty gods? These are the gods who struck the Egyptians with all the plagues in the wilderness. 9 Be strong and conduct yourselves like men, you Philistines, that you do not become servants of the Hebrews, as they have been to you. Conduct yourselves like men, and fight!” 10 So the Philistines fought, and Israel was defeated, and every man fled to his tent. There was a very great slaughter, and there fell of Israel thirty thousand foot soldiers. 11 Also the ark of God was captured; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, died. 12 Then a man of Benjamin ran from the battle line the same day, and came to Shiloh with his clothes torn and dirt on his head. 13 Now when he came, there was Eli, sitting on a seat by the wayside watching, for his heart trembled for the ark of God. And when the man came into the city and told it, all the city cried out. 14 When Eli heard the noise of the outcry, he said, “What does the sound of this tumult mean?” And the man came quickly and told Eli. 15 Eli was ninety-eight years old, and his eyes were so dim that he could not see. 16 Then the man said to Eli, “I am he who came from the battle. And I fled today from the battle line.” And he said, “What happened, my son?” 17 So the messenger answered and said, “Israel has fled before the Philistines, and there has been a great slaughter among the people. Also your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead; and the ark of God has been captured.” 18 Then it happened, when he made mention of the ark of God, that Eli fell off the seat backward by the side of the gate; and his neck was broken and he died, for the man was old and heavy. And he had judged Israel forty years. 19 Now his daughter-in-law, Phinehas’ wife, was with child, due to be delivered; and when she heard the news that the ark of God was captured, and that her father-in-law and her husband were dead, she bowed herself and gave birth, for her labor pains came upon her. 20 And about the time of her death the women who stood by her said to her, “Do not fear, for you have borne a son.” But she did not answer, nor did she regard it. 21 Then she named the child Ichabod, saying, “The glory has departed from Israel!” because the ark of God had been captured and because of her father-in-law and her husband. 22 And she said, “The glory has departed from Israel, for the ark of God has been captured.” 1 Then the Philistines took the ark of God and brought it from Ebenezer to Ashdod. 2 When the Philistines took the ark of God, they brought it into the house of Dagon and set it by Dagon. 3 And when the people of Ashdod arose early in the morning, there was Dagon, fallen on its face to the earth before the ark of the Lord. So they took Dagon and set it in its place again. 4 And when they arose early the next morning, there was Dagon, fallen on its face to the ground before the ark of the Lord. The head of Dagon and both the palms of its hands were broken off on the threshold; only Dagon’s torso was left of it. 5 Therefore neither the priests of Dagon nor any who come into Dagon’s house tread on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod to this day. 6 But the hand of the Lord was heavy on the people of Ashdod, and He ravaged them and struck them with tumors, both Ashdod and its territory. 7 And when the men of Ashdod saw how it was, they said, “The ark of the God of Israel must not remain with us, for His hand is harsh toward us and Dagon our god.” 8 Therefore they sent and gathered to themselves all the lords of the Philistines, and said, “What shall we do with the ark of the God of Israel?” And they answered, “Let the ark of the God of Israel be carried away to Gath.” So they carried the ark of the God of Israel away. 9 So it was, after they had carried it away, that the hand of the Lord was against the city with a very great destruction; and He struck the men of the city, both small and great, and tumors broke out on them. 10 Therefore they sent the ark of God to Ekron. So it was, as the ark of God came to Ekron, that the Ekronites cried out, saying, “They have brought the ark of the God of Israel to us, to kill us and our people!” 11 So they sent and gathered together all the lords of the Philistines, and said, “Send away the ark of the God of Israel, and let it go back to its own place, so that it does not kill us and our people.” For there was a deadly destruction throughout all the city; the hand of God was very heavy there. 12 And the men who did not die were stricken with the tumors, and the cry of the city went up to heaven. 1 Now the ark of the Lord was in the country of the Philistines seven months. 2 And the Philistines called for the priests and the diviners, saying, “What shall we do with the ark of the Lord? Tell us how we should send it to its place.” 3 So they said, “If you send away the ark of the God of Israel, do not send it empty; but by all means return it to Him with a trespass offering. Then you will be healed, and it will be known to you why His hand is not removed from you.” 4 Then they said, “What is the trespass offering which we shall return to Him?” They answered, “Five golden tumors and five golden rats, according to the number of the lords of the Philistines. For the same plague was on all of you and on your lords. 5 Therefore you shall make images of your tumors and images of your rats that ravage the land, and you shall give glory to the God of Israel; perhaps He will lighten His hand from you, from your gods, and from your land. 6 Why then do you harden your hearts as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? When He did mighty things among them, did they not let the people go, that they might depart? 7 Now therefore, make a new cart, take two milk cows which have never been yoked, and hitch the cows to the cart; and take their calves home, away from them. 8 Then take the ark of the Lord and set it on the cart; and put the articles of gold which you are returning to Him as a trespass offering in a chest by its side. Then send it away, and let it go. 9 And watch: if it goes up the road to its own territory, to Beth Shemesh, then He has done us this great evil. But if not, then we shall know that it is not His hand that struck us—it happened to us by chance.” 10 Then the men did so; they took two milk cows and hitched them to the cart, and shut up their calves at home. 11 And they set the ark of the Lord on the cart, and the chest with the gold rats and the images of their tumors. 12 Then the cows headed straight for the road to Beth Shemesh, and went along the highway, lowing as they went, and did not turn aside to the right hand or the left. And the lords of the Philistines went after them to the border of Beth Shemesh. 13 Now the people of Beth Shemesh were reaping their wheat harvest in the valley; and they lifted their eyes and saw the ark, and rejoiced to see it. 14 Then the cart came into the field of Joshua of Beth Shemesh, and stood there; a large stone was there. So they split the wood of the cart and offered the cows as a burnt offering to the Lord. 15 The Levites took down the ark of the Lord and the chest that was with it, in which were the articles of gold, and put them on the large stone. Then the men of Beth Shemesh offered burnt offerings and made sacrifices the same day to the Lord. 16 So when the five lords of the Philistines had seen it, they returned to Ekron the same day. 17 These are the golden tumors which the Philistines returned as a trespass offering to the Lord: one for Ashdod, one for Gaza, one for Ashkelon, one for Gath, one for Ekron; 18 and the golden rats, according to the number of all the cities of the Philistines belonging to the five lords, both fortified cities and country villages, even as far as the large stone of Abel on which they set the ark of the Lord, which stone remains to this day in the field of Joshua of Beth Shemesh. 19 Then He struck the men of Beth Shemesh, because they had looked into the ark of the Lord. He struck fifty thousand and seventy men of the people, and the people lamented because the Lord had struck the people with a great slaughter. 20 And the men of Beth Shemesh said, “Who is able to stand before this holy Lord God? And to whom shall it go up from us?” 21 So they sent messengers to the inhabitants of Kirjath Jearim, saying, “The Philistines have brought back the ark of the Lord; come down and take it up with you.” 1 Then the men of Kirjath Jearim came and took the ark of the Lord, and brought it into the house of Abinadab on the hill, and consecrated Eleazar his son to keep the ark of the Lord. 2 So it was that the ark remained in Kirjath Jearim a long time; it was there twenty years. And all the house of Israel lamented after the Lord. 3 Then Samuel spoke to all the house of Israel, saying, “If you return to the Lord with all your hearts, then put away the foreign gods and the Ashtoreths from among you, and prepare your hearts for the Lord, and serve Him only; and He will deliver you from the hand of the Philistines.” 4 So the children of Israel put away the Baals and the Ashtoreths, and served the Lord only. 5 And Samuel said, “Gather all Israel to Mizpah, and I will pray to the Lord for you.” 6 So they gathered together at Mizpah, drew water, and poured it out before the Lord. And they fasted that day, and said there, “We have sinned against the Lord.” And Samuel judged the children of Israel at Mizpah. 7 Now when the Philistines heard that the children of Israel had gathered together at Mizpah, the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel. And when the children of Israel heard of it, they were afraid of the Philistines. 8 So the children of Israel said to Samuel, “Do not cease to cry out to the Lord our God for us, that He may save us from the hand of the Philistines.” 9 And Samuel took a suckling lamb and offered it as a whole burnt offering to the Lord. Then Samuel cried out to the Lord for Israel, and the Lord answered him. 10 Now as Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to battle against Israel. But the Lord thundered with a loud thunder upon the Philistines that day, and so confused them that they were overcome before Israel. 11 And the men of Israel went out of Mizpah and pursued the Philistines, and drove them back as far as below Beth Car. 12 Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen, and called its name Ebenezer, saying, “Thus far the Lord has helped us.” 13 So the Philistines were subdued, and they did not come anymore into the territory of Israel. And the hand of the Lord was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel. 14 Then the cities which the Philistines had taken from Israel were restored to Israel, from Ekron to Gath; and Israel recovered its territory from the hands of the Philistines. Also there was peace between Israel and the Amorites. 15 And Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life. 16 He went from year to year on a circuit to Bethel, Gilgal, and Mizpah, and judged Israel in all those places. 17 But he always returned to Ramah, for his home was there. There he judged Israel, and there he built an altar to the Lord.

To see the significance of David’s decision to bring the Ark to Jerusalem, we need to understand where it rested for over forty years. Before Saul was king Eli, the High Priest of Israel, was responsible for the spiritual condition of Israel. It dwindled greatly under his leadership.

The Philistines fought against Israel. Hophni and Phinehas were with the Ark and they brought it into the camp. When the army saw the Ark, they shouted so loud that Philistines heard them.

The shout scared the Philistines, for they knew God was with the Israelites. However, in battle the Israelites lost and they made a foolish decision.

They Ark of the Covenant was captured by the Philistines. Hophni and Phinehas died. Word got back to their father, Eli, who was 98 years old.

When he heard about the death of his son troubled him, but when he heard about the loss of the Ark, he fell over backward and broke his neck.

At the same time his daughter-in-law, the wife of Phinehas, was pregnant. When she heard about the death of her husband, Eli, and the loss of the Ark, she went into labor.

When the baby was born she told them to name the baby, Ichabod, which means, the glory has departed from Israel.

What did it mean for the Israelites to lose the Ark of the Covenant?

How do you think the Philistines felt about having the Ark?

They took the Ark and set it before their man god Dagon. The next morning when they returned they found the statue of Dagon was on the ground, fallen on his face. They set him back up only to return the next day to find his face and hands were cut off, and his body lied face first before the Ark.

What does this say about God’s power verses Dagon’s supposed “power”?

When they priests found it, the people in they city were covered in tumors. They determined that the God of Israel could not stay in their town. They sent the Ark to Gath, the hometown of Goliath. The men of the city, both young and old were also covered in tumors.

They sent the Ark to Gath, the hometown of Goliath. The men of the city, both young and old were also covered in tumors.

After seven months, the Philistines determined to send the Ark back to the Israelites. They asked their religious leaders what to do. They decided to send an offering with the Ark to make their apologies.

They created five golden tumors and five golden mice, which symbolized the five lords or rulers of the Philistines. They dared not take the Ark themselves.

So they built a cart and placed it on there and hooked it to some calves. They decided, if they calves leave and go straight to Israel, they will know it was God’s judgment. If they do not leave, they will assume all the problems were a coincidence.

They cows left and walked straight to Beth-shemesh, a Levite city. The Levites were responsible for the spiritual matters of Israel. They rejoiced when it arrived to their town.

They took the Ark, set it near a big stone, killed the cows and offered them to God as a sacrifice. So far so good, except they made the mistake of looking into the Ark.

As a result, God killed seventy men that day for they misused and mishandled the glory of God.

The people called the men from the city of Kiriath-jearim, and requested that they come and get the Ark. They did and the Ark rested there for many years.

We will not read on, but here is where we need to notice the importance of having the right priorities. The next chapter, after ignoring the Ark for twenty years, Israel gets anxious and demands a king.

Because they Ark was not prominent, they did not focus on God to lead them, instead they took matters into their hands. They begged for a king, even though Samuel tried to dissuaded them from getting a king.

How does their desire for an earthly king reveal their lack of trust in God?

Who became their king?

If they had prioritized the Ark, the presence of God, they could have avoided the forty terrible years of King Saul’s leadership. What is worse, Saul had next to zero dealings with the Ark.

After the Ark rested in Kiriath-jearim, the next time we read about it was when David determined to move it to Jerusalem.

What does Saul’s disinterest in the Ark tell us about his relationship with God?

Why did David prioritize moving the Ark to Jerusalem?

What benefits did David see in having the Ark in the capital city?

Application

As we enter the New Year we also enter a new decade. We need to ask, what will I prioritize this year? If God is really important to me, how will I make time for Him?

Before we see how David moved the Ark to Jerusalem, we need to understand what the Ark symbolizes. When we see the Ark, we need to think the presence and power of God.

God’s presence has to be an essential fixture in our lives. To become successful Christians, His presence is nonnegotiable. Will we be like Saul and minimize the role of the Holy Spirit? Or will we live like David and decide, I have to have God’s presence.

Something we must identify, the enemy knows the importance of God’s presence. Just as the Philistines recognized the power of Ark. Therefore, Satan will do all he can to get us so busy that we minimize the role of God’s presence in our lives.

How do you define God’s presence?

Why do we need God’s presence?

How can we make time for His work in us?

What happens when we dismiss and trivialize the role of God in our lives?

Challenge

Prioritize time in God’s word and presence.

Ask the Lord for help to draw nearer to Him.

Decide to place God first in all we do this year.

Read 2 Samuel 6-7