Call on God in Worship
2 Samuel 6:1-15 / Psalm 150
Introduction
Humorist, Erma Bombeck, reported an experience she had in church. A row or two in front of her sat a mother with a normal five-year-old boy, which means, he couldn’t sit still. As he squirmed and looked over the pew at those behind him, he was smiling. Then Erma heard the mother sternly whisper, “Stop smiling! Don’t you know that we’re in church?” (Via Cole) Today we are going to talk about worship - but not what we do in worship - how we do it! In our series of Calling on God, we have called upon Him for help, guidance, and belonging. Today we call upon Him in Worship. We are moving a few generations from the epic story of Ruth to her great-grandson, King David at the time of his life when he is moving into power as King of Israel.
2 Samuel 5:1-5 NLT
Then all the tribes of Israel went to David at Hebron and told him, “We are your own flesh and blood. In the past, when Saul was our king, you were the one who really led the forces of Israel. And the Lord told you, ‘You will be the shepherd of my people Israel. You will be Israel’s leader.’” So there at Hebron, King David made a covenant before the Lord with all the elders of Israel. And they anointed him king of Israel. David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years in all. He had reigned over Judah from Hebron for seven years and six months, and from Jerusalem he reigned over all Israel and Judah for thirty-three years.
From this account, we see several elements of calling on God in WORSHIP!
1. Celebration and Exaltation (2 Samuel 6:1-5)
2 Samuel 6:1-5 NLT
Then David again gathered all the elite troops in Israel, 30,000 in all. He led them to Baalah of Judah to bring back the Ark of God, which bears the name of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, who is enthroned between the cherubim. They placed the Ark of God on a new cart and brought it from Abinadab’s house, which was on a hill. Uzzah and Ahio, Abinadab’s sons, were guiding the cart that carried the Ark of God. Ahio walked in front of the Ark. David and all the people of Israel were celebrating before the Lord, singing songs and playing all kinds of musical instruments—lyres, harps, tambourines, castanets, and cymbals.
David always has God at the center of his heart, but he is also a shrewd king. He has designs on establishing Jerusalem as the City of David - the center of influence. He decides to bring the Ark of God to Jerusalem. This establishes Jerusalem as the center of the presence and power of God. It is a signal to all surrounding nations of God’s blessing, including military victory. It is a signal to Israel and Judah that together God will be with them. A sign to all that David is indeed the King in power. In this way, the Ark takes center stage of this celebration.
It’s an exciting celebration involving thousands to people and an enthused David. Think of all he has overcome since the day Samuel had Jesse call David in from the fields to anoint him as the new King. Years have passed… dangerous years of fleeing for his life, the loss of his best friend, and awaiting the promise of God - and now it is coming to be a reality.
We have a picture of worship as both celebration and exaltation!
Cole: David Watson, an English Anglican pastor, who wrote, “What is clear from the Scriptures is that worship should be a delight, not a duty. The great Jewish feasts were times of exuberant joy and heartfelt celebration. Some of them contained an element of sorrow and repentance for sin; but this led to the joy of knowing God’s forgiveness and mercy. They were always intended to be great and glorious festivals....Infectious joyful delight in God’s presence needs urgently to be recaptured by the church of today. (I Believe in the Church [Eerdmans], pp. 196, 197).”
Notice the intensity of this celebration - dancing, shouting, music. This is not a description of the church gathered, but it does teach us that we should celebrate all that God has done for us! Three things the Psalms tell us to celebrate:
GOD’S ACTS. Psalm 21:13 Rise up, O Lord, in all your power. With music and singing we celebrate your mighty acts.
GOD’S FAME.. Psalm 102:21 And so the Lord’s fame will be celebrated in Zion…
GOD’S NAME. Psalm 135:3 Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good; celebrate his lovely name with music.
David teaches us to worship with celebration and exaltation! But also…
2. Awe & Humility
When we are in the presence of God we have two important reactions: Awe and Humility. We are reverently in awe in the majesty and power and grace of our God! We are humbled by our own inadequate journey and the sin that so easily besets us. This is demonstrated in the episode with a man named Uzzah.
Excursus on the History of the Ark of the Covenant (Jackson, Library, Strong, Henrickson)
The Ark of the Covenant goes all the way back to the days of Moses and the tabernacle, just after crossing the Red Sea during the Exodus. Jackson: “The ark of the covenant housed a small pot of manna (Ex. 16:32-33), Aaron’s staff (Num. 17:10), and the two tables of stone containing the Ten Commandments." The Ark accompanied the Jews throughout their 40 years in the desert. It led the way at the crossing into the land of Canaan, parting the waters of the Jordan river (Joshua 3). When the Jews breached the walls of Jericho merely by circling them, blowing horns and carrying the Ark (Joshua 6). The Ark was housed at Shiloh (Josh. 18:1), and later carried to Bethel (Judges 20:27). The Jews suffered defeat to the Philistines and the Ark was captured by the Philistines. Back in Shiloh, Eli, the High Priest, immediately died upon hearing the news (I Sam. 4). The Philistines moved the Ark to different cities, but wherever the Ark was, Philistines were struck with plague. After seven months, the Philistines decided to send the Ark back to the Israelites, and it was taken back to Beth Shemesh, where the men were punished for staring disrespectfully at the Ark, and many were killed with a plague.
The Ark was transported to Kiriath Jearim where it remained for twenty years at the home of a Levite priest named Abinadab who had three sons: Eleazar, Ahio and Uzzah.Then David sent for the Ark…it was placed on a cart. This time of celebration is brought to a halt by an unexpected event.
2 Samuel 6:6-8 NLT
But when they arrived at the threshing floor of Nacon, the oxen stumbled, and Uzzah reached out his hand and steadied the Ark of God. 7 Then the Lord’s anger was aroused against Uzzah, and God struck him dead because of this. So Uzzah died right there beside the Ark of God.8 David was angry because the Lord’s anger had burst out against Uzzah. …
The death of Uzzah gave David pause, and he spent some time thinking about what to do next.
2 Samuel 6:9-11 David was now afraid of the Lord, and he asked, “How can I ever bring the Ark of the Lord back into my care?” 10 So David decided not to move the Ark of the Lord into the City of David. Instead, he took it to the house of Obed-edom of Gath. 11 The Ark of the Lord remained there in Obed-edom’s house for three months, and the Lord blessed Obed-edom and his entire household.
The death of Uzzah, at first glance, seems to be unfair. He was just trying to keep the Ark from toppling over. But there is more to that story.
*They disrespected the Ark by not carrying it as it was supposed to be carried. It was to be carried by priests on poles that were put through rings on the side of the ark. God made it very clear that this is the way to transport the ark, and had warned them that if anyone touched the ark, he or she would die (Numbers 4:15). When the ark was returned to the Israelites by the Philistines, carelessness on the part of some Israelites cost them their lives.
*They disrespected the Ark by carrying it in the back of a cart. The Ark represented the presence of God, it warranted extraordinary care. A litter is a chair or throne for a distinguished person supported by people carrying poles on each side (Lamb). This is the way royalty would be transported in the ancient world. Litters were for rulers, but carts or wagons were for things (offerings, tabernacle equipment). By placing the ark on a cart they were in essence saying the ark was just cargo.
*They disrespected the Ark in the same way that their lack of concern for their relationship with God disrespected Yahweh. The Ark is often called the Ark of the Covenant of Yahweh. Deffenbaugh: They had already lost the awe and reverence one should have for the holiness of God.
Humility - David had to halt the celebration to consider his own participation in Uzzah’s death, his feelings about it, and acknowledge God as supreme. Ultimately we do not understand God fully. As Isaiah writes in Isaiah 55:8-9, "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways ... As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts."
Faith calls us to follow into the mystery - even when we are not sure why God does what He does. We are sure that He alone has the strength and ability to make the choices He does.
We approach God with Celebration and Exaltation, Awe and Humility…and
3. Sacrifice & Joy
After the three months passed, King David heard of the blessings that Obed-edom’s household was receiving, so, “David went there and brought the Ark of God from the house of Obed-edom to the City of David with a great celebration. 13 After the men who were carrying the Ark of the Lord had gone six steps, David sacrificed a bull and a fattened calf. 14 And David danced before the Lord with all his might, wearing a priestly garment. 15 So David and all the people of Israel brought up the Ark of the Lord with shouts of joy and the blowing of rams’ horns.” (2 Samuel 6:12-15). David sacrificed an offering every six steps! That’s a lot of sacrificing!
Today we offer sacrifices in other ways.
*Joyful Praise! Hebrews 13:15 Therefore, let us offer through Jesus a continual sacrifice of praise to God, proclaiming our allegiance to his name.
*What other ways do we sacrifice in honor of our King? Money, Time, Thoughts, Energy, Words…
Following a time of introspection and consideration, David returned to celebration because his heart was centered on a God who is present, who blesses, who brings victory.
Cole: Would anyone visiting our church be able to figure out by watching us that one of the fruits which our God produces in us is great joy?
Conclusion
1. David learned to call on God in worship through celebration, sacrifice, awe, humility, and joy.
2. The last Psalm, Psalm 150, seems appropriate to end our lesson today.
Praise the Lord! Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heaven!
Praise him for his mighty works; praise his unequaled greatness!
Praise him with a blast of the ram’s horn; praise him with the lyre and harp!
Praise him with the tambourine and dancing; praise him with strings and flutes!
Praise him with a clash of cymbals; praise him with loud clanging cymbals.
Let everything that breathes sing praises to the Lord! Praise the Lord!
3. This Psalm represents a crescendo of Praise…
In God’s Sanctuary … in the sky …
For his works … for his greatness …
Instrument of praise one after the other after the other
Let everything that breathes sing praises to the Lord! Praise the Lord!
4. Ultimately this is the spirit of worship we are to have.
It is our tradition to be a little more restrained in worship than some of our religious neighbors.
Maybe we’re not the ‘frozen chosen’ we have been in the past. What are the things that cause you great excitement in your life? When your ball team wins? When there is a great plate of food set before you? When you save some unexpected money? When you get a promotion? A great cup of coffee?
All of these are legitimate reasons to be excited and celebrate - but how do we celebrate the victory of Jesus at the cross … the salvation of the sinner far away from God … the hope the remains before us no matter what we face … the Creator God who knows my name and loves for me to speak with him! When religious practices replace relationship with the Almighty, we are focused on what we have done. When we focus on what He has done, we experience celebration, sacrifice, awe, humility, and joy.
A little boy sitting in church saw a large flag bearing a number of gold stars. Turning to his father, he whispered, “Daddy, why does that flag have all those stars on it?” “To remind us of those who died in the service,” his dad replied. A puzzled look came over the boy’s face. After thinking for a few moments, he asked, “Daddy, did they die in the morning or evening service?”
Cole: I hope no one dies, either from boredom or from irreverence, in our worship services. Rather, I ask you to come to express your love to the Lord in a joyful celebration before Him in accordance with His truth. Join David in determining, “I will celebrate before the Lord!”
If anybody shouts an Amen or Praise the Lord, don’t let it scare you - join in!
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Discussion Questions
1. What do you think was the reason for David’s success as King? (See 2 Samuel 5:10) How does this inform the rest of the story we’ve read today? He had his challenges but never broke away from the Lord. How is that an encouragement to your faith journey?
2. The Ark of the Covenant plays a central role in the story of Israel. What is the primary significance of the Ark, in your opinion? Why was David trying to bring the Ark to Jerusalem? What did it symbolize for him and his people? When Nebuchadnezzar destroyed the temple in Jerusalem, the Ark disappears from history. Since Indiana Jones did not find the Ark, what do you think happened to it? Why do you think we do not have it any longer?
3. What is your takeaway from the story of the death of Uzzah? Is that something that’s hard to grapple with or do you see some distinct reasons why this happened?
4. While David was recovering from the death of Uzzah, the household of Obed-Edom was being blessed. The Ark was in his house. What do you think David gained from that news? What can we gain from that element of this story?
5. The sermon pointed our worship in six directions: celebration, sacrifice, awe, humility, and joy. Why do we sometimes struggle to experience worship in this way? If we do, how do we demonstrate those qualities? Where does personality fit in with being expressive in worship? Is pride a big factor? What factors tend to kill genuine worship? What factors enhance it?
6. How can we cultivate a heart of reverence and awe in our daily lives, not just in worship but also in our attitudes and actions? How do you recover the feelings of love for the Lord when the relationship has gone kind of flat?
7. Did you want to talk about anything else?
Next Week: Daniel will be preaching from 1 Kings 12:1-29
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Resources
Cole, Steven J. Worship - A Joyful Celebration.
https://bible.org/seriespage/lesson-7-worship-joyful-celebration-2-samuel-6
Deffenbaugh, Bob. When God Rained on David’s Parade
https://bible.org/seriespage/6-when-god-rained-david-s-parade-2-samuel-61-23
Hendrickson/Rose Publishing Chart on the Ark of the Covenant (Free .pdf)
https://www.hendricksonrose.com/stories/free-ark-covenant-echart
Jackson, Wayne. Lessons From the Ark of the Covenant.
https://christiancourier.com/articles/lessons-from-the-ark-of-the-covenant
Lamb, David T. Why Did God Smite Uzzah? (a .pdf download)
https://www.ivpress.com/.../Def.../Press-Kits/3826-press.pdf
Library, Jewish Virtual. The Ark of the Covenant.
https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/the-ark-of-the-convenant
Rose Book of Bible Charts, Maps and Time Lines. 10th Anniversary Edition. Rose Publishing, 2015.
Strong, James and John McLintock. The Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological, and Ecclesiastical Literature: Uzzah. Harper and Brothers; NY; 1880.
https://www.biblicalcyclopedia.com/U/uzzah.html
