Serve the Holy God with Reverence

Hey, hey, good morning, good morning. Welcome to Coffee and Devotions. This morning we're going to be at 2 Samuel chapter 6, the first, what is it, sorry, the first 11 verses. We're going to be talking about David bringing the ark up to Jerusalem.

So let's have some coffee, we'll pray, and we'll find out kind of what starts with good intentions and ends in a very disastrous way.

Let's pray. Father, we thank you for giving us your word. We thank you for blessing us with having time this morning to read it, and we pray that we would understand it, and we pray that you would please help us to know what it means, but also what it means for our lives. In Jesus' name, amen.

Here we go. 2 Samuel chapter 6, the first 11 verses. Now I'm going to let you know, tomorrow we're going to do 1 Chronicles chapter 13, where it has a parallel of this.

For the sake of time, I'm going to split those into two days. Let's go ahead and read.

Again, David gathered all the choice men of Israel, 30,000, and David arose and went with all the people who were with him from Bali, 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.

So they set the ark of God on a new cart, and brought it out of the house of Aminadab, which was on a hill.

And Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Aminadab, drove the new cart, and they brought it out of the house of Aminadab, which was on a hill, accompanying the ark of God.

And Ahio went before the ark. Then David and all the house of Israel played music before Yehovah on all kinds of instruments of firwood, and on harps, on stringed instruments, on tambourines, on cistrums, and on cymbals.

And when they came to Nachun's threshing floor, Uzzah put out his hand to the ark of God, and took hold of it, for the oxen stumbled.

Then the anger of Yehovah was aroused against Uzzah, and God struck him there for his error.

And he died there before the ark of God, 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.

David was afraid of Yehovah that day, and he said,

How can the ark of Yehovah come to me?

So David would not move the ark of Yehovah with him into the city of David.

But David took it aside into the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite.

The ark of Yehovah remained in the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite three months.

And Yehovah blessed Obed-Edom and all his household.

We need to ask ourselves our three questions.

A. What is this about?

B. What's the best verse to summarize this?

And C. What are we called to do?

So, A. What is this about?

This is David. He's calling together all the choicemen of Israel.

He says, Hey, I want to bring the ark of God.

And they're like, Yeah, let's go do it, man.

Let's let it go.

And it gives us a description of this in verse 2.

Whose name is called by Hashem, by the name.

And so, his name is called there.

And his name is Adonai Taba'ot, right?

The Lord of hosts, the Lord of armies, who dwells between the cherubim, right?

This is God's throne.

And so, they have this plan, right?

They're going to bring the ark.

They're going to bring it into the city of David, into Jerusalem, into the fortified area of the city there.

And they're going to...

But how they do it is important here.

They take the ark, and they treat the ark almost like an idol.

They put it on a cart.

They strap some oxen to it, and they carry it along the way.

This is disregarding the Torah entirely.

This is not how the ark was supposed to be carried about.

This is how the Philistines took care of the ark, right?

They're the ones who put it on a cart with some new cows, or some cows who had not weaned their calves yet.

And they're the...

No, this is not the way the Lord had said, right?

There were the gold rings and the acacia wood poles that were overlaid in gold,

and they were put on the priest's shoulders, and there were only certain people who were allowed to do this.

And there were people who weren't allowed to do it at all, right?

So if the Korathites were going to even be the ones burying, carrying the ark, right?

They couldn't even look at it.

It was supposed to be covered over in all the tabernacle.

None of this is right.

None of this is the way it's supposed to be.

And what happens as they're going along the way?

The oxen stumbles.

And as it holds out its hands...

And this is one of those areas where I find R.C. Sproul to be very helpful in his holiness of God,

Uzzah thought that he was cleaner, more holy, than the dirt.

Uzzah was most likely a Korathite, right?

He should have known...

Korathite, sorry.

He should have known that he was not allowed to touch the ark.

And yet, he does.

And the Lord strikes him dead.

Now, David responds with fear and anger.

He wanted to do something sincerely.

He wanted...

He thought this was a good thing, right?

Bring the ark in.

We want to inquire of the ark.

We haven't been able to do that since King Saul.

And yet, he's angry.

I think this is a very helpful thing as we think about our own hearts and almost like we...

Oh, I can't believe the Bible would even say that somebody...

David was angry at the Lord.

Yeah.

Not everything that the Lord does pleases us in the moment.

And yet, this is what David does.

And so, he doesn't even bring the ark in.

He just...

Or, stop this whole thing.

Stop.

Even though there's singing and there's dancing.

It's like Psalm 150, right?

There's cymbals and there's harps and there's flyers.

Nope.

Stop.

It goes into this guy's house.

The Gittite.

Interestingly,

Tabernacle's not there.

Showbread's not there.

We don't know about the lampstand.

None of that stuff that we know of is there.

And yet, the Lord blesses his home.

Even though he's not a Levite.

The Lord is still

superseding all this.

Apparently, he needed to teach David some things about

how he would be treated.

So, what's the best verse to summarize all of this?

Well, in my mind,

I would underline verse 1.

Or, sorry, verse 2.

And David arose and went with all the people

who were with him from Baal-Juda

to bring up the ark of God

whose name is called by the name

the Lord of Hosts

who dwells between the cherubim.

Right?

That's kind of what this is about.

They're bringing up the ark.

What are we called to do?

Seek calling.

Right?

God is holy.

He's not like us.

And yet, he has condescended to know us.

He is gracious and he is kind.

But he's not a trinket or a totem.

God won't permit or put up with us

treating him like some type of idol.

And I hope that's not the way that you follow the Lord of Hosts

who has command over the legion of angels, Jesus.

Is your relationship with Jesus,

is my relationship with Jesus

casual

or

do we follow him

reverently

seeking to obey his commands

out of a heart of love for him

because he has so loved us?

Do we revere the Lord?

Do we trust him?

Do we walk in his ways?

Let's pray.

Father, we need your spirit

to be able to walk in your ways.

You know that we are prone to err.

Lord, not a single one of us

is better than Uzzah.

Maybe that's what makes it hard

to hear this story.

Lord, we know that we have transgressed,

that we have failed,

that we haven't done

what is right.

Father, forgive us of our sins

and help us, Lord,

to serve you

with reverence

and truth.

Also with grace and love.

In Jesus' name we pray.

Amen.

Well, may the Lord bless you

as you seek to serve him,

to love him,

and to walk in his ways.

I'll see you next time.

Bye.