Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Good Intentions Not Optional

Reflections on 2 Samuel 6:12-19
Use the frame on the left to read these Scriptures.

Good intentions are not sufficient, as David learned when he tried to bring the ark of the Lord to Jerusalem the first time. Neither are good intentions optional. Thus, David put his good intentions to work again when he saw that God blessed the house of Obed-Edom where David had left the ark after Uzzah died. He was assured that God would bless all Israel as he had Obed-Edom, if the ark was brought to Jerusalem, so David resolved to bring it to Jerusalem in accordance with the instructions God had given Moses. This time, David would be well informed in addition to being well intentioned.

AN HONOR GUARD. Again, an honor guard accompanied the ark. This time it included priests, Levites (1 Chronicles 15:14), and the elders of Israel as well as the commanders of the army (1 Chronicles 15:25). Thus, the procession resembled the procession of the Israelites as they traveled from one place to another in the wilderness (Numbers 10:17-28). This would be the ark's final journey.

CONSECRATED LEVITES. This time, David did not transport the ark of the Lord on a new cart. Instead, David consecrated Levites to carry the ark (v. 13). Neither the oxen nor the cart were Levites. Uzzah and Ahio may not have been a Levites either. Levites alone were to carry the ark (1 Chronicles 15:2, 12-13), and they "carried the ark of God with the poles on their shoulders, as Moses had commanded in accordance with the word of the Lord" (1 Chronicles 15:15; Numbers 4:15; 7:9; Exodus 25:13-14). The priests, who had also consecrated themselves, offered sacrifices after the Levites had carried the ark six steps.

WHOLEHEARTED CELEBRATION. In his enthusiasm for the Lord, David appointed some Levites to sing, and others to play musical instruments (1 Chronicles 15:16, 19) so that the procession was accompanied "with rejoicing" (v. 12), with dancing (v. 14), and "with shouts and the sound of trumpets" (v. 15). The people's hearts overflowed with heartfelt joy and thanksgiving.

A PREPARED TENT. In addition to discovering that the ark was to be carried by Levites, David also learned that the ark was kept in a tent. Accordingly, he pitched a tent for it in Jerusalem before it arrived (v. 17; see also 1 Chronicles 15:1). The tent that originally housed the ark had for years been in Shiloh, but Shiloh was apparently destroyed by the Philistines (Jeremiah 7:12-14) after they captured the ark. The tent and its furnishings that survived the destruction at Shiloh were transferred to Gibeon, and David assigned Zadok to serve as priest there (see 1 Chronicles 16:39-40; 21:29). Sacrifices continued to be offered on the altar at Gibeon until an altar was built in Jerusalem. Meanwhile, the ark of the Lord had traveled to Philistia and then back to Kirjath-jearim, where it had been neglected for years. David prepared a new tent for the ark in Jerusalem because God had told David that he had chosen Jerusalem as the place for his Name (Deuteronomy 12:1-7; 2 Kings 21:7-8). In all David did, he showed great respect for the will of God.

OFFERING AND BLESSING. David purchased burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. The people shared in the feasting and fellowship. David blessed the people in the name of the Lord and provided a generous gift of food to each one attending the celebration. This time the journey of the ark was not aborted by a tragic death. Rather, the journey was completed, and the lives of the people were blessed by God's bountiful favor.

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