Ushering In God's Presence

Restoring the Glory in the House

Theme:

Text: 2 Samuel 6:1-8

2Sa 6:1-8 Again David gathered all the choice men of Israel, thirty thousand. (2) And David arose and went with all the people who were with him from Baale Judah to bring up from there the ark of God, whose name is called by the Name, the LORD of Hosts, who dwells between the cherubim. (3) So they set the ark of God on a new cart, and brought it out of the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill; and Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, drove the new cart. (4) And they brought it out of the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill, accompanying the ark of God; and Ahio went before the ark. (5) Then David and all the house of Israel played music before the LORD on all kinds of instruments of fir wood, on harps, on stringed instruments, on tambourines, on sistrums, and on cymbals. (6) And when they came to Nachon's threshing floor, Uzzah put out his hand to the ark of God and took hold of it, for the oxen stumbled. (7) Then the anger of the LORD was aroused against Uzzah, and God struck him there for his error; and he died there by the ark of God. (8) And David became angry because of the Lord's outbreak against Uzzah; and he called the name of the place Perez Uzzah to this day.

Introduction

The ark was a piece of the worship system in Israel. God gave Moses instructions in Exodus 25 on how to build the ark. This ark was designed to be a place where God would meet with the priest. They would offer up the sacrifice of atonement and the Lord would speak to the priests.

Obliviously this came to represent the presence of the Lord. As the Israelites would go through the wilderness they would carry the tabernacle and the ark. This was God would meet the people. When they settled in the land of Canaan Jerusalem became the center for worship.

Purpose of the Ark

Exo 25:22 "And there I will meet with you, and I will speak with you from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim which are on the ark of the Testimony, about everything which I will give you in commandment to the children of Israel.

The Diming of a Vision

By the time we get to 1 Samuel we have been throughout the judges. Here we see about seven cycles of events. First the people would draw away from the Lord, then there would be judgement, finally the people would cry out for deliverance and then God would send a judge to deliver them.

Each time they would pull away father and father. Just a side note: if you are going through this cycle in your life a warning is that each time you try to get back it is harder. Don’t think it is going to get any easier. The enemy will attack you more especially with your mistakes of the past and each time you have more baggage to get rid of.

By the time we get to 1 Samuel we read a sad commentary of the conditions of the time.

1Sa 3:1 Then the boy Samuel ministered to the LORD before Eli. And the word of the LORD was rare in those days; there was no widespread revelation. 2 And it came to pass at that time, while Eli was lying down in his place, and when his eyes had begun to grow so dim that he could not see, (3) and before the lamp of God went out in the tabernacle of the LORD where the ark of God was, and while Samuel was lying down,

There was no vision or revelation in the land. People were not hearing from the Lord. As almost a play on words we read that Eli’s (the high priest) eyes were dim (seems not only physically but also spiritually as we see from his son’s Hophni and Phinehas who were taking advantage of the people and Eli turned a “blind eye” to them.)

But also the light was about to go out around the ark. The light should never go out around the ark. Yet the Lord will only tolerate sin for so long.

Thank the Lord that He raises up a Samuel who will begin to bring restoration to the Lord.

Capturing of the Ark

Yet it has to get worse before it gets better

1Sa 4:1-22 And the word of Samuel came to all Israel. Now Israel went out to battle against the Philistines, and encamped beside Ebenezer; and the Philistines encamped in Aphek. (2) Then the Philistines put themselves in battle array against Israel. And when they joined battle, Israel was defeated by the Philistines, who killed about four thousand men of the army in the field. (3) And when the people had come into the camp, the elders of Israel said, "Why has the LORD defeated us today before the Philistines? Let us bring the ark of the covenant of the LORD from Shiloh to us, that when it comes among us it may save us from the hand of our enemies." (4) So the people sent to Shiloh, that they might bring from there the ark of the covenant of the LORD of hosts, who dwells between the cherubim. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God. (5) And when the ark of the covenant of the LORD came into the camp, all Israel shouted so loudly that the earth shook. (6) Now when the Philistines heard the noise of the shout, they said, "What does the sound of this great shout in the camp of the Hebrews mean?" Then they understood that the ark of the LORD had come into the camp. (7) So the Philistines were afraid, for they said, "God has come into the camp!" And they said, "Woe to us! For such a thing has never happened before. (8) "Woe to us! Who will deliver us from the hand of these mighty gods? These are the gods who struck the Egyptians with all the plagues in the wilderness. (9) "Be strong and conduct yourselves like men, you Philistines, that you do not become servants of the Hebrews, as they have been to you. Conduct yourselves like men, and fight!" (10) So the Philistines fought, and Israel was defeated, and every man fled to his tent. There was a very great slaughter, and there fell of Israel thirty thousand foot soldiers. (11) Also the ark of God was captured; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, died. (12) Then a man of Benjamin ran from the battle line the same day, and came to Shiloh with his clothes torn and dirt on his head. (13) Now when he came, there was Eli, sitting on a seat by the wayside watching, for his heart trembled for the ark of God. And when the man came into the city and told it, all the city cried out. (14) When Eli heard the noise of the outcry, he said, "What does the sound of this tumult mean?" And the man came quickly and told Eli. (15) Eli was ninety-eight years old, and his eyes were so dim that he could not see. (16) Then the man said to Eli, "I am he who came from the battle. And I fled today from the battle line." And he said, "What happened, my son?" (17) So the messenger answered and said, "Israel has fled before the Philistines, and there has been a great slaughter among the people. Also your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead; and the ark of God has been captured." (18) Then it happened, when he made mention of the ark of God, that Eli fell off the seat backward by the side of the gate; and his neck was broken and he died, for the man was old and heavy. And he had judged Israel forty years. (19) Now his daughter-in-law, Phinehas' wife, was with child, due to be delivered; and when she heard the news that the ark of God was captured, and that her father-in-law and her husband were dead, she bowed herself and gave birth, for her labor pains came upon her. (20) And about the time of her death the women who stood by her said to her, "Do not fear, for you have borne a son." But she did not answer, nor did she regard it. (21) Then she named the child Ichabod, saying, "The glory has departed from Israel!" because the ark of God had been captured and because of her father-in-law and her husband. (22) And she said, "The glory has departed from Israel, for the ark of God has been captured."