We are going to read about the Ark of God in 2 Sam 6. It has been a long time since we read about it in 1 Sam 7.
• It was after the period of Judges, before Israel demanded for a King.
• 1 Sam 7:1 “So the men of Kiriath Jearim came and took up the ark of the LORD. [from the land of the Philistines]. They took it to Abinadab's [Levite] house on the hill and consecrated Eleazar his son to guard the ark of the LORD.”
• It has been there since, and now that David has settled down in his palace, he decided to bring the Ark to Jerusalem.
• The Ark was important because it represented God’s presence with His people throughout their journey into the Promised Land.
Read 2 Samuel 6:1-7
The idea was good and noble, but David did not pay attention to the specific instructions that God had given with regard to the handling of the Ark.
• This is important because the Ark depicts the presence of God, and a HOLY God.
• There is nothing mysterious about the Ark. It is a chest made of acacia wood.
See God’s instructions to Moses regarding the Ark - Exo 25:10-22
10 "Have them make a chest of acacia wood--two and a half cubits long, a cubit and a half wide, and a cubit and a half high. 11 Overlay it with pure gold, both inside and out, and make a gold molding around it. 12 Cast four gold rings for it and fasten them to its four feet, with two rings on one side and two rings on the other. 13 Then make poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold. 14 Insert the poles into the rings on the sides of the chest to carry it. 15 The poles are to remain in the rings of this ark; they are not to be removed. 16 Then put in the ark the Testimony, which I will give you.
17 "Make an atonement cover of pure gold--two and a half cubits long and a cubit and a half wide. 18 And make two cherubim out of hammered gold at the ends of the cover. 19 Make one cherub on one end and the second cherub on the other; make the cherubim of one piece with the cover, at the two ends. 20 The cherubim are to have their wings spread upward, overshadowing the cover with them. The cherubim are to face each other, looking toward the cover. 21Place the cover on top of the ark and put in the ark the Testimony, which I will give you. 22There, above the cover between the two cherubim that are over the ark of the Testimony, I will meet with you and give you all my commands for the Israelites.
That’s where God meets Moses. It is upon the Ark that we see His tangible PRESENCE and He is HOLY.
• Remember when Moses first saw the burning bush in the wilderness, and he wanted to go near, God spoke from within the bush and told him to take off his sandals, “for the place where he is standing is holy ground”. (Exo 3:5)
• The presence of God makes it holy. The Ark therefore is sacred.
• In 2 Sam 6:2 the author says David “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.”
Only the Levites are allowed to carry the Ark, and more specifically, only the Kohathites clan within the Levite tribe are assigned to do it (Num 4).
• Notice in Exo 25:14-15 “Insert the poles into the rings on the sides of the chest to carry it. 15The poles are to remain in the rings of this ark; they are not to be removed.” It was made to be carried! That’s the safest way to transport it!
• God said in Num 4:15 “…when the camp is ready to move, the Kohathites are to come to do the carrying. But they must not touch the holy things or they will die.”
• The Levites were specifically taught to “distinguish between the holy and the common, between the unclean and the clean…” (Lev 10:10)
2 Sam 6:7 “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.”
• The focus here is NOT about God’s judgement or lack of mercy. It was the presence of SIN before a HOLY God. It was “an irreverent act”!
• It was a lack of honour. It was the lack of respect for what is holy. It’s his sin that caused it.
• God did not spring a surprise. He said it (in Num 4:15). God is being consistent.
• You play with fire, and you will get burnt. Don’t blame the fire; it’s its nature to burn. You touched it.
In fact, this disrespect did not start with Uzzah “holding the Ark”; it started with David making a cart to transport it.
Respect God’s holiness!
It reminds me of an incident in college where some students who were preparing for a chapel service, and decided to put a projection screen onto the communion table. They wanted the screen to be placed higher.
They were harshly reprimanded by the principal, and he almost wanted to ban the use of the projection screen in the chapel for good.
There is nothing mysterious about the communion table, but since it has been set aside for a sacred use like remembering the Lord, then keep it special and sacred.
It’s like using a cloth to wipe your face, and then using the same cloth to clean the table or mop the floor.
COME CLEAN WITH REVERENCE FOR GOD
Psalm 24:3-6
3 Who may ascend the hill of the LORD? Who may stand in his holy place?
4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to an idol or swear by what is false. 5 He will receive blessing from the LORD and vindication from God his Saviour. 6 Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek your face, O God of Jacob.
Matt 5:8
8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
God’s holiness is not an obstacle; it is His nature, and it is good!
• We are called to be like Him. “Be holy, because I am holy.” (cf. 1 Pet 1:15)
Heed God’s Word. Do it God’s way. Everything will be fine.
• Today God invites us into His presence, through Christ. It is possible, by the grace of God, through faith in Jesus.
• Don’t play games with Him. We confess and repent of our sin. We come before Him in worship, we honour His presence with clean hands and pure hearts.
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David’s initial reaction was anger and fear.
• “What is this? I’m doing a good thing here, why this harsh judgement? I don’t want to have the Ark anymore. Don’t bring it back!”
• That’s the same mistake people makes today, when they misunderstand what God is doing, or misread what is happening, usually because of their ignorance.
Read 2 Samuel 6:8-12
The truth is, where the Lord is, blessings flow! Of course, He is the source of true blessings. The presence of God has always been a blessing to Israel.
• God is consistent. If we honour Him, He will honour us. If we do things right, we are going to enjoy the fruits of a righteous living.
• Don’t cut Him off. That’s a very foolish thing to do. We are called to…
DRAW NEAR WITH HOLY FEAR OF GOD
Not the fear of God as in being afraid of Him. Fear as in great respect for God.
Heb 10:21-22 “… since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.”
Don’t keep God at a distance.
• For the 3 months that the Ark was with Obed-Edom, God blesses him and his entire household.
• The blessings were so tangible and obvious that everyone can see them. And the news got to David.
• Is the Ark of God a curse or blessing? Is the presence of God in our lives a bane or a blessing?
David recognised his mistake and went immediately to get the Ark of God back again. But this time around, he learnt his lesson and did it right.
• 2 Sam 6:13 mentioned that the Ark was being carried this time. And after they had taken the first six steps, David offered sacrifices, giving God due honour.
• We have greater details in 1 Chron 15.
1 Chron 15:2 Then David said, "No one but the Levites may carry the ark of God, because the LORD chose them to carry the ark of the LORD and to minister before him forever."
1 Chron 15:13-16 13It was because you, the Levites, did not bring it up the first time that the LORD our God broke out in anger against us. We did not inquire of him about how to do it in the prescribed way." 14So the priests and Levites consecrated themselves in order to bring up the ark of the LORD, the God of Israel. 15And the Levites carried the ark of God with the poles on their shoulders, as Moses had commanded in accordance with the word of the LORD.
16David told the leaders of the Levites to appoint their brothers as singers to sing joyful songs, accompanied by musical instruments: lyres, harps and cymbals.
The whole chapter of 1 Chron 15 is dedicated to this event.
CONCLUSION
God is holy. That’s His nature. That’s good. There’s nothing wrong with His holiness. What is really wrong is our sinfulness.
• God’s desire is for us to draw near, not to stay away. He is the source of our blessings.
• COME CLEAN with God, give Him reverence. DRAW NEAR to God with holy fear. Then we will experience His presence and blessings.
Sin needs to be dwelt with. Jesus paid the price for sin.
• Put your trust in Jesus as your Saviour and receive the forgiveness of your sin.
• The only way we can approach God is to have our sin dwelt with, and we can only do it in the way He prescribed – through faith in Jesus Christ, His Son.
