Lesson 35 – The Ark Finds a Home

 

  • Reading the story

1.    The “Bible Background” (paragraphs 2&3) suggest David took two steps in his efforts to unite the tribes of Israel.  What were the two steps?

2.    Why do you think David believed the first step would foster loyalty among the northern tribes?

 

    • Making the story your own
      What is the most exuberant you have ever gotten in your worship of God?
      Do you think that it is appropriate to act as David did?  Would you ever worship God in such a fashion?

Memory verse: Psalm 147:1

“Praise the Lord!  How good it is to sing praises to our God for God is gracious, and a song of praise is fitting.”

 

Bible Background (taken from Journey through the Bible, Christian Board of Publications, 1995, p. 111)

:David has a capital city that will prove strate­gically useful in his battles with the Philistines. But how will he overcome the hostility of some of the tribes toward him and his Judean leaders? The answer clearly lies in the field of religious symbol­ism and practice. Jerusalem had been a Canaanite town for centuries; how can it become a place of importance for the tribes of Israel?

2David took two steps. They are reported in separate places, and we do not know which oc­curred first. It seems likely that the first step is that reported in our chapter, 2 Samuel 6: the bring­ing of the ark of the covenant from its longtime location in the small town of Kiriath-jearim, lo­cated about eight miles north of Jerusalem. The town is called Baale-judah in our chapter, but Joshua 15:60 makes it clear that this is a second name for Kiriath-jearim.

3The second step David took was to purchase land north of Jerusalem on which to worship God. The land purchased was a large area of exposed, flat, monolithic rock, used for a threshing floor. The grain would be placed on the rock, threshing sledges would be dragged over it to loosen the kernels of grain, and then the stalks would be thrown into the air so that other grain would be dislodged while the chaff would be blown away by the wind. Then the stalks of grain would be bundled up for forage for the animals and the grain would be collected in baskets or jars for later use. But this threshing floor would also have been widely used for religious gatherings, such as the one described in 1 Kings 22, where the kings of North Israel and Judah gathered at a threshing floor outside the gate of the northern Israelite city of Samaria and the prophets of Israel, four hundred strong, danced and chanted and received a message for the two kings.

4David's purchase of this site and the use he put it to will be discussed below. For now, however, we want to examine David's first act to make Jerusalem a strong religious center, important to all the tribes. We should recall that the ark of the covenant had been captured by the Philistines back in the days of the priest Eli. Later, it had been returned to Israel, and as the Israelites approached the ark, some of them were struck down, just as the Philistines had been when the ark moved from city to city. As a result, the Israelites had placed it at Kiriath-jearim and had left it entirely alone for years.

5The ark was a symbol of great importance, especially for the northern tribes. Shiloh had been its home for many years, before it was lost to the Philistines, and the tribes of the north had made regular religious pilgrimages to the ark there. If David could successfully move the ark to Jerusa­lem, he would have installed in his new capital a religious emblem of the greatest importance. David got everything in readiness, had the ark loaded upon a new cart, and had the priests es­cort the ark toward Jerusalem. Meanwhile, David and many people from Jerusalem sang and danced in front of the ark, rejoicing in this so-far successful effort.

6But then disaster struck. One of the priests was struck down and died, and the whole effort had to be abandoned. David and his colleagues were con­vinced that God was not willing for him, at that time, to move the ark to Jerusalem. So the ark was placed in the home of a man from Gath. In the foreigner's house all went well, so that three months later, David came again to move the ark to Jerusa­lem. This time, everything went well. The singing and dancing were enthusiastic, and David was the most vigorous and exuberant of all the dancers. What better thing could possibly happen to him than to be known as the one who had provided a new sanctuary for the great emblem of God's presence with Israel, the ark of the covenant?

7But David's wife Michal was ashamed and humiliated by David's uncontrolled dancing. She attacked him for making such a spectacle of him­self. However, David knew that he had done just the right thing in rejoicing before God, showing his delight that God had given such honor to the new city of Jerusalem and to his own household.

8The ceremony went on. The king distributed rich gifts to all the families in Jerusalem, the ark was placed in a special tent set up by David, and Jerusalem was on the way to becoming the reli­gious capital for the twelve tribes of Israel.

9Now we need to look briefly at David's second act to make Jerusalem the religious and political capital of the entire Israelite community. Accord­ing to 2 Samuel 24, David purchased the threshing floor owned by Araunah for fifty shekels of silver and built on top of it an altar to God. There he offered sacrifices, and the result was that a terrible plague that had fallen upon Israel was brought to an end. Then David probably set up the tent in which the ark was kept on the summit of this rocky spot, removed the ark to the tent, and made this site the central holy place for Jerusalem and for all the tribes. David now had a capital city, and that city was also the site of the holiest of the centers for the worship of Israel's God.

 

 Scripture

2 Samuel 6                                                                                   

 

David again gathered all the chosen men of Israel, thirty thousand. 

David and all the people with him set out and went from Baale- judah, to bring up from there the ark of God, which is called by the name of the LORD of hosts who is enthroned on the cherubim. 

They carried the ark of God on a new cart, and brought it out of the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill. Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, were driving the new cart with the ark of God; and Ahio went in front of the ark.

David and all the house of Israel were dancing before the LORD with all their might, with songs and lyres and harps and tambourines and castanets and cymbals. 

When they came to the threshing floor of Nacon, Uzzah reached out his hand to the ark of God and took hold of it, for the oxen shook it. 

The anger of the LORD was kindled against Uzzah; and God struck him there because he reached out his hand to the ark; and he died there beside the ark of God. 

David was angry because the LORD had burst forth with an outburst upon Uzzah; so that place is called Perez-uzzah, to this day. 

David was afraid of the LORD that day; he said, "How can the ark of the LORD come into my care?" 

So David was unwilling to take the ark of the LORD into his care in the city of David; instead David took it to the house of Obed-edom the Gittite. 

The ark of the LORD remained in the house of Obed-edom the Gittite three months; and the LORD blessed Obed-edom and all his household. 

It was told King David, "The LORD has blessed the household of Obed-edom and all that belongs to him, because of the ark of God." So David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-edom to the city of David with rejoicing;  and when those who bore the ark of the LORD had gone six paces, he sacrificed an ox and a fatling. 

David danced before the LORD with all his might; David was girded with a linen ephod. 

So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the LORD with shouting, and with the sound of the trumpet. 

As the ark of the LORD came into the city of David, Michal daughter of Saul looked out of the window, and saw King David leaping and dancing before the LORD; and she despised him in her heart. 

They brought in the ark of the LORD, and set it in its place, inside the tent that David had pitched for it; and David offered burnt offerings and offerings of well-being before the LORD. 

When David had finished offering the burnt offerings and the offerings of well-being, he blessed the people in the name of the LORD of hosts, and distributed food among all the people, the whole multitude of Israel, both men and women, to each a cake of bread, a portion of meat, and a cake of raisins. Then all the people went back to their homes. 

David returned to bless his household. But Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David, and said, "How the king of Israel honored himself today, uncovering himself today before the eyes of his servants' maids, as any vulgar fellow might shamelessly uncover himself!" 

David said to Michal, "It was before the LORD, who chose me in place of your father and all his household, to appoint me as prince over Israel, the people of the LORD, that I have danced before the LORD. 

I will make myself yet more contemptible than this, and I will be abased in my own eyes; but by the maids of whom you have spoken, by them I shall be held in honor." 

And Michal the daughter of Saul had no child to the day of her death. 

 

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