Before the Lord
Before the Lord
2 Samuel 6:9-23
9 And David was afraid of the Lord that day, and he said, “How can the ark of the Lord come to me?” 10 So David was not willing to take the ark of the Lord into the city of David. But David took it aside to the house of Obed-edom the Gittite. 11 And 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.
12 And 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. 13 And when those who bore the ark of the Lord had gone six steps, he sacrificed an ox and a fattened animal. 14 And David danced before the Lord with all his might. And David was wearing 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 horn.
16 As the ark of the Lord came into the city of David, Michal the 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. 17 And 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 peace offerings before the Lord. 18 And when David had finished offering the burnt offerings and the peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord of hosts 19 and distributed among all the people, the whole multitude of Israel, both men and women, a cake of bread, a portion of meat, and a cake of raisins to each one. Then all the people departed, each to his house.
20 And 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' female servants, as one of the vulgar fellows shamelessly uncovers himself!” 21 And David said to Michal, “It was before the Lord, who chose me above your father and above all his house, to appoint me as prince over Israel, the people of the Lord—and I will celebrate before the Lord. 22 I will make myself yet more contemptible than this, and I will be abased in your eyes. But by the female servants of whom you have spoken, by them I shall be held in honor.” 23 And Michal the daughter of Saul had no child to the day of her death.
9 And David was afraid of the Lord that day, and he said, “How can the ark of the Lord come to me?” 10 So David was not willing to take the ark of the Lord into the city of David. But David took it aside to the house of Obed-edom the Gittite. 11 And 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.
12 And 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. 13 And when those who bore the ark of the Lord had gone six steps, he sacrificed an ox and a fattened animal. 14 And David danced before the Lord with all his might. And David was wearing 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 horn.
16 As the ark of the Lord came into the city of David, Michal the 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. 17 And 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 peace offerings before the Lord. 18 And when David had finished offering the burnt offerings and the peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord of hosts 19 and distributed among all the people, the whole multitude of Israel, both men and women, a cake of bread, a portion of meat, and a cake of raisins to each one. Then all the people departed, each to his house.
20 And 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' female servants, as one of the vulgar fellows shamelessly uncovers himself!” 21 And David said to Michal, “It was before the Lord, who chose me above your father and above all his house, to appoint me as prince over Israel, the people of the Lord—and I will celebrate before the Lord. 22 I will make myself yet more contemptible than this, and I will be abased in your eyes. But by the female servants of whom you have spoken, by them I shall be held in honor.” 23 And Michal the daughter of Saul had no child to the day of her death.
Enjoying God's Presence
Today we encounter the iconic image of David escorting the Ark into Jerusalem, worshipping with abandon. What is it teaching us?
The Uzzah incident scares David: “How can the ark come to me (9)?” So he parks the Ark at the house of Obed-Edom, a convert from Gath, and David goes home angry. But after three months, David hears an amazing report. It seems that Obed-Edom tore open his Bible, learned how to treat God’s Ark, and followed the Book to the letter. And God then poured out blessing on this faithful Gentile. “Have you heard about Obed-Edom?” the report goes. “He looks 15 years younger. He got a big promotion at work. He and his wife are on a second honeymoon, and his kids all made the honor roll!”
This news brings David to his senses. He thinks, “I didn’t like what God did in Uzzah’s life, so I got mad and backed away. But maybe God wasn’t the problem. Maybe I need to change, learn, and mature. As I look back on my life, I deserve for God to smite me like Uzzah. Instead, he’s poured out his blessing on me, like Obed-Edom. So I won’t waste another minute watching others enjoy God’s presence while I pout alone in Jerusalem. I’m going back to the Ark!”
The Uzzah incident scares David: “How can the ark come to me (9)?” So he parks the Ark at the house of Obed-Edom, a convert from Gath, and David goes home angry. But after three months, David hears an amazing report. It seems that Obed-Edom tore open his Bible, learned how to treat God’s Ark, and followed the Book to the letter. And God then poured out blessing on this faithful Gentile. “Have you heard about Obed-Edom?” the report goes. “He looks 15 years younger. He got a big promotion at work. He and his wife are on a second honeymoon, and his kids all made the honor roll!”
This news brings David to his senses. He thinks, “I didn’t like what God did in Uzzah’s life, so I got mad and backed away. But maybe God wasn’t the problem. Maybe I need to change, learn, and mature. As I look back on my life, I deserve for God to smite me like Uzzah. Instead, he’s poured out his blessing on me, like Obed-Edom. So I won’t waste another minute watching others enjoy God’s presence while I pout alone in Jerusalem. I’m going back to the Ark!”
Humble Considerations
The whole experience brings David to a humble, joyful posture before God. He now not only transports the Ark in the reverent way God commanded—he goes over the top! He stops every six paces to offer a sacrifice. He’s declaring, “we are sinners who don’t deserve God’s presence, but God has supplied atonement by the sacrificial blood!” David is so humbled before God that he removes his crown and royal robes. He wears a simple linen ephod, just like the little boy Samuel wore to serve God in the tabernacle (1 Sam 2:18). In the presence of God, no one is a king, celebrity, or big shot. We’re all sinners saved by grace, little children rejoicing before our Father in heaven.
Authentic Worship
This brings us to David’s passionate expression: leaping, whirling, and dancing with all his might before the ark! We don’t have to do all of that in worship; passion takes many forms. But if we pour all of our zeal into work, sports, money, and politics, while our hearts are cold on Sunday mornings, that is a problem. This attitude places us in league with Michal, who watches David from the window in embarrassment. Michal is Saul’s daughter, and, like Saul, provides a foil for David’s authentic love for God. Saul had been religious: he went to the tabernacle, participated in the sacrifices, and did all the churchy things expected of him. But it was all a lot of formal ritual, ceremony, and appearance to Saul; God was never personal to him. The same is true for Michal, which is why David’s passion embarrasses her. She scolds her husband when he gets home: “All the peasants were gawking at you! Act like a king for goodness sake!”
Rejoicing in God's Goodness
How does David reply? “I wasn’t thinking about how I looked to the servants, or about my position as king. I was before Yahweh! He’s the only reason I am a king! He chose me, elevated me, and has endured with me all these years. When I come before him, I’m just a servant, humbly rejoicing in God’s goodness.” If the queen holds David in contempt for passionately worshipping his God, that’s her problem. Judging by God’s response, this kind of attitude is a problem (23). Has your relationship with God grown distant? Is your worship mainly about appearance and respectability before men? With critiquing fellow worshipers (John 12:1–8)? Or can it be said that “you love much, because you were forgiven much (Luke 7:47)?”
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Article by Eric Smith
Senior Pastor, Sharon Baptist Church
Senior Pastor, Sharon Baptist Church
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