September 9

2 Samuel 6 How many men should it have taken to move the ark a mere 8 miles? David calls in 30,000 choice men. Obviously so many are needed only to make the event more glorious. But David failed to review the Scripture to see how the ark should be transported. After all, the Philistines a few decades earlier had transported ark using a cart. Why would the Israelites have to do any differently? Uzzah instinctively reached out to steady the ark when the oxen stumbled. God killed him instantly. The Geneva Bible has this footnote for verse 7, “Here we see what danger it is to follow good intentions, or to do anything in God’s service without his express word.” The “express word” at a minimum in this case would have been for the Levites to carry the ark on their shoulders using the poles provided.(Ex. 25:13,14 & Num. 4:5,6) God was reminding David at this point that the unholy cannot come in contact with the Holy without penalty. The ark, more than any other physical thing, represents death for sin and mercy for those who are found in Jesus. David was angry and left the ark with Obed-Edom, the Gittite. A Gittite is a resident of Gath, the Philistine city from which came Goliath and to which David had attached himself for the last 1.5 years when he was running from Saul. For whatever reason Obed was now living close to where Uzzah was killed. One can almost hear the thinking in David’s mind, “Well if God is going to kill people for just touching his ark, I’ll just leave it in the house of this Philistine. I let him be the one who gets killed or plagued.” Apparently Obed had some respect for the ark. God dramatically blessed the household of Obed-Edom. The blessing was great enough that everyone else recognized it. Hmm. . . . When David learns of the blessing, he chooses to bring the ark into the City of David. This time he gets it right. And for good measure, he takes of his kingly robes and puts on priestly robes. He leads the people in joyful celebration and dancing in the procession. Michal, a king’s daughter, is incensed. Notice that she did not even bother to be part of the joyful procession. She observed it through a window. There she saw her husband, dressed in priest’s clothing whirling around and dancing for joy! How could he ever trade the glory of a king for a mere priest! She meets him at home with scathing sarcasm, “How glorious was the king of Israel today, uncovering himself today in the eyes of the maids of his servants, as one of the base fellows shamelessly uncovers himself!” According to the King James Bible Wordbook, “Base is an adjective, used in the archaic sense of low in rank or position, lowly, humble.” Like her father Saul, she had a greater concern for the glory of the role of King than for the glory of the Lord. David is unabashed. “I will be much more undignified than this!” Michal lost the blessing of enjoying the glory of God. She also lost the blessing of having children. I wonder how many times I have lost out on the blessing of God because I/we was/were more concerned with my/our own glory than the glory of God. Hmmm. . . Lord, help me to always be unabashedly undignified in seeking Your glory. It really is the only thing of value! Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today! --Pastor john