David And The Ark Series

February 28, 2026

According to 1st Samuel 4, the Ark was captured by the Philistines during battle. After 7 months, it was returned to Israel. However, the worship center at Shiloh had been destroyed and abandoned, so the Ark was eventually taken to Abinadab’s house at Kiriath Jearim where it resided until David decided it was time to bring it to Jerusalem.

2nd Samuel 6:1-2 and 1st Chronicles 13:1-4 tell us that the Ark was taken from Abinadab’s house and placed on a new cart (just as the Philistines had done) with his son’s, Uzzah and Ahio, guiding it – Ahio in front and Uzzah in back.

No doubt David was enthusiastic to bring the Ark to Jerusalem because the Bible tells us that he and all who were with him went before the Ark, celebrating “with all their might before Yahweh with songs and harps, lyres, tambourines, sistrums (NIV-2 Sam. 6:5) / trumpets (NIV-1 Chron. 13:8) and cymbals.”

That’s nice and all, but there are a couple of things that should immediately draw our concern.

The Ark Transportation Solution:

• David’s zeal did not make up for the fact that he had failed to follow Yahweh’s rules for the treatment of the Ark.

Numbers 4:1-20 explicitly states that the Ark – and all the furniture in the Tabernacle – were never to be touched or even seen, accept by priests directly descended from Aaron, who were to cover and prepare them to be moved.

The transporting of the Ark – and all the furniture in the Tabernacle – was the exclusive job of the Kohathite Levites – but only through the use of the poles (see Numbers 7:6-9) – failure to obey these regulations brought the death penalty.

Either David did not bother to consult the Priests or they had not bothered to correct him.

Choice of Musical Accompaniment:

What is a “sistrum”? I didn’t know either – so I investigated.

According to Strong’s Concordance:

• The Hebrew word, “menaanea” [??????????] refers to a kind of rattle or hand-held shaking instrument – commonly known as a sistrum – and this word is found in only 1 Bible verse, 2nd Samuel 6:5.

According to the “fount of all knowledge” (the Internet), a sistrum was:

• A percussion instrument in the shape of a U or a hoop – used prominently in Ancient Egypt - played primarily by women and priestesses.

• Was shaken rhythmically to invoke deity and mark festal occasions and was closely associated with religious rituals, particularly those honoring the goddess Hathor, who represented music, dance and fertility.

• Thought to have magical and protective properties and was used to ward off chaos by frightening away the god Seth, to invoke blessings, to call upon the gods, to aid in ritual healing and averting Nile flooding.

• Israel’s exposure to Egyptian culture likely familiarized them with the instrument, which was then employed selectively in royal and cultic celebrations.

The fact that the sistrum’s origins can be traced to Egyptian cultic religious rituals indicates that the line between pagan worship practices and the worship of Yahweh were blurred – at the very least.

At any rate, everyone was celebrating and everything seemed to be going well.

However, when the procession reached the threshing floor of Nacon/Kidon, the oxen stumbled and the cart wobbled.

Uzzah reached out and touched the Ark to steady it.

2 Samuel 6:7-11 – Yahweh’s anger burned against Uzzah because of his irreverent act; therefore God struck him down and he died there beside the ark of God.

David’s response was one of anger and perhaps a little embarrassment that his 1st big event had ended so disastrously.

So discouraged was David, that he abandoned his plan and left the Ark at the house of Obed-edom, where it stayed for 3 months – during which time, Yahweh blessed Oben-edom and his entire family.

1st Chronicles 14:

• Hiram, king of Tyre sent cedar logs, stonemasons and carpenters to build David’s palace.

• David took more wives and fathered more sons and daughters

• A repeat of David’s exploits against the Philistines that we covered in 2nd Samuel 5:17-25.

1st Chronicles 15 tells us that after his palace was built in the City of David, David prepared a place for the Ark – a tent.

This time David did a little research and directed that no one but the Levites were to carry the Ark. He called together the descendants of Aaron – Zadok and Abiathar – along with the Levites and said to them, "You are the heads of the Levitical families; you and your fellow Levites are to consecrate yourselves and bring up the ark of Yahweh, the God of Israel, to the place I have prepared for it. It was because you, the Levites, did not bring it up the first time that Yahweh our God broke out in anger against us. We did not inquire of him about how to do it in the prescribed way."