“A Model Of Worship”
TEXT: 2 Sam 6:12-23 (KJV)
12 And it was told king David, saying, The LORD hath blessed the house of Obededom, and all that pertaineth unto him, because of the ark of God. So David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obededom into the city of David with gladness.
13 And it was so, that when they that bare the ark of the LORD had gone six paces, he sacrificed oxen and fatlings.
14 And David danced before the LORD with all his might; and David was girded with a linen ephod.
15 So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the LORD with shouting, and with the sound of the trumpet.
16 And as the ark of the LORD came into the city of David, Michal Saul’s daughter looked through a window, and saw king David leaping and dancing before the LORD; and she despised him in her heart.
17 And they brought in the ark of the LORD, and set it in his place, in the midst of the tabernacle that David had pitched for it: and David offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the LORD.
18 And as soon as David had made an end of offering burnt offerings and peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the LORD of hosts.
19 And he dealt among all the people, even among the whole multitude of Israel, as well to the women as men, to every one a cake of bread, and a good piece of flesh, and a flagon of wine. So all the people departed every one to his house.
20 Then David returned to bless his household. And Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David, and said, How glorious was the king of Israel to day, who uncovered himself to day in the eyes of the handmaids of his servants, as one of the vain fellows shamelessly uncovereth himself!
21 And David said unto Michal, It was before the LORD, which chose me before thy father, and before all his house, to appoint me ruler over the people of the LORD, over Israel: therefore will I play before the LORD.
22 And I will yet be more vile than thus, and will be base in mine own sight: and of the maidservants which thou hast spoken of, of them shall I be had in honour.
23 Therefore Michal the daughter of Saul had no child unto the day of her death.
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Introduction:
This passage of scripture describes a defining moment in King David’s
life.
It is the story of passionate worship.
As we take just a moment to look back at the history of the Ark of the Covenant, we can certainly understand why David was so excited and so moved to worship with all that is with him.
You see the Ark of the covenant represented God’s Presence.
Everyone knew that the Ark of the Covenant was more than just a gold box, it had no power within itself, but it represented the presented the presence of the Lord of all the earth.
It had but out of Israel’s midst for quite some time, it had been away from Jerusalem the capital city.
It had been stolen by the Philistines.
They had kept it in their possession for 7 months.
During those seven months the Ark of the Covenant proved to be embarrassingly powerful to humiliate both the people and their gods.
So they call in their spiritualist to find a way to get this ark out of their land and back into Israel’s possession.
They build a new cart and hook it to 2 animals and send it on its way.
The ark of the covenant comes to rest in the road at Beth-she-mesh.
There people are busy working in the fields but as they look up and see the ark of the Lord, they stop and begin to worship and rejoice.
Several people are then slain because they want to see what is in the ark and they open it up to take a look.
You see this ark represents God’s Presence and one cannot come in to God’s presence without preparation being made, one cannot touch God in the flesh and live.
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It is then brought nto the home of Abinadab where it will rest for nearly 50 years.
But David sees the need to bring back God’s Presence to the capital
City.
He wasn’t satisfied that the Ark of the Lord was just inside the boarder, he wanted God to be at the heart of his nation.
(1) They quickly build a new cart to carry the ark on.
This new cart represents man trying to come before God
on his own terms.
They had good intentions but they had not given due concern to
The holiness of the ark.
The ark was fitted by rings and poles indicating that it was to be
carried on the shoulders of the priest.
(2) In their hast they forgot to properly prepare, they placed the Ark
on this new cart driven by animals, they are moving along, playing
Music, singing, dancing etc….
Then they come to the threshing floor of Nacon and suddenly the
rejoicing turns to morning as the cart hit’s a rock and the ark
shifts to one side.
When ever you attempt to carry God around on your terms, He will
always get dislocated from you!
(3) As the ark shifts two men in charge of steadying the ark, one of
them reaches out and places his hand on the ark, immediately he
falls dead.
Flesh cannot touch God’s holiness and live!
(4) David became angry at the Lord’s intervention for a time.
(5) The ark is left at the home of Obed-edom.
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For the next 3 months God very generously blesses the home of
Obed-edom.
David hears of this and knows that he must bring the Glory and the Holiness of God back to the capital city.
(6) So they research God’s Word concerning the transportation of the
Ark, they carefully prepare the priest to carry the ark.
(7) The day has arrived they have returned to Obed-edom’s to remove
the ark and bring it back to Jerusalem.
(8) The priest carry the ark upon their shoulders, they carry the ark six
Paces and then they sit it down and offer sacrifices to the Lord.
You see death is always required in order to move into God’s
Presence.
(9) Finally they near the city of Jerusalem and they weight of the
occasion suddenly strikes the heart of King David,
I see Him as he looks into the eyes of the people who line the streets, they are there to witness this great event, the returning
Of God’s presence to their city, to their nation’s capital.
I can see the people overwhelmed by the moment, some are weeping, some are laughing, rejoicing, singing, applauding,
*David himself is suddenly overwhelmed by the thought that finally after all of those years, the Ark Of God is back in the capital city.
The people had played around and lost the Ark years ago, but now it
was back!
*David forgets about the dignity of being a King
*It is shouting time- God’s Presence has been longed for and now it
is here!
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*David overwhelmed by the Spirit of God and by His emotions cuts lose and begins to dance with all of his heart before the Lord.
I. It Was A Bold Display Of Passion
A. David danced as a result of his deep passion for God’s presence.
1. It was not to put on a show
2. it was not to satisfy the bystanders,
3. His actions were not for pleasing man, but rather pleasing God.
B. David’s love for God caused him to dance.
1. He loved God thankfully!
2. He loved God thoroughly!
C. David was not embarrassed to worship God before anyone!
D. It is refreshing to see leaders to day who openly speak of their
dependence and reliance upon God.
II. David Had A Burning Desire To Please God
A. Heartfelt worship pleases the Heart of God.
1. Real worship must flow from the heart.
John 4:24 (KJV)24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
B. Holy Worship pleases the heart of God.
1. We must maintain a spiritual and scriptural balance to our worship.
2. If our goal is to entertain others or to be entertained by others,
our worship will be in vain.
3. Holy worship is scriptural worship.
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4. Holy worship is spirit led and spirit motivated.
C. Humble worship pleases God.
1. 14 And David danced before the LORD with all his might; and David
was girded with a linen ephod.
2. David had removed his usual kingly attire and put on the linen
robe of a priest.
3. He was expressing his reliance upon God before all of the people.
4. David wasn’t worried about looking like a king, he was busy being
a worshiper.
III. David’s Wasn’t Concerned With Public Perceptions
A. David’s worship was marked by his unashamed devotion.
B. He wasn’t concerned about protecting his dignity.
C. David just cut loose and worshiped in undiminished delight.
Gary Smith, Senior Pastor
Lexington Church Of God
11280 Hwy 101
Lexington Al. 35648
Smith686@MSN.com
