Bringing the Ark Home - The Books of 2 Samuel & 1 Chronicles

In this Bible Story, we learn about David returning the Ark of the Covenant home to the people of Israel. However the revelry was quickly replaced by fear as Uzzah was struck down when he touched the ark. When the ark finally returned to Israel, David leaped for joy and danced among the people. He took off his kingly robes, which angers his wife. However David would not be embarrassed to show his love for God. This story is inspired by 2 Samuel 6 & 1 Chronicles 13, 15-17. Go to BibleinaYear.com and learn the Bible in a Year.

Today's Bible verse is 2 Samuel 6:16 from the King James Version.

Episode 99: With the battles of the Philistines now won, David sought to bring the Ark of the Covenant to Judah. Uzzah and Ahio carried the Ark on an ox-driven cart. But as they were on their way, the cart hit a bump and the Ark almost fell. Uzzah instinctively reached out to catch it, but this was not for him to do and so he died. David, furious and confused, kept the Ark at the home of Obed-Edom for three months. Then David sought again to move the Ark to Jerusalem, this time seeking God and offering sacrifices as he went. As the Ark entered the gates, all of Israel celebrated with loud shouts and dancing! All except Michal.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Let us pray. As the ark of the Lord came
into the city of David. Michael, Saul's daughter looked through
a window and saw King David leaping and dancing before
the Lord, and she despised him in her heart. Second
Samuel six, sixteen, Dear God, as the story of David

(00:22):
in Second Samuel six and First Chronicles thirteen fifteen seventeen
falls on my ears, I will pick up where David
left off. Then praise you God, whenever I get the chance.
I refuse to treat your presence as common and ordinary. Instead,
I will honor each moment I get to stand in

(00:43):
your presence in my prayer time. I will make sure
that I am uninterrupted and that you get all of
my attention as I pursue you and your heart. Lord.
When I worship, I am serving all opposing forces. Notice
that the present of God is with me and before me.

(01:05):
Like David, I will be unashamed to worship and praise
you for who you are and all that you've done.
I will not be like Michael, who was worried more
about image than authenticity. I declare that I will not
focus on appearance more than substance. I will remain a

(01:26):
worshiper because the one I praise has done great things
and is worthy of it all. In Jesus name, Amen,
thank you for praying with me today. Continue listening for
an incredible Bible story brought to you by Bible in

(01:47):
a Year dot.

Speaker 2 (01:48):
Com bringing the r Home.

Speaker 3 (02:00):
In our last story, we met the Mighty Men of David.
Their character, skill, and devotion separated them from the rest
of the soldiers of Israel, and David relied on them
as he took back Israel from the Philistines.

Speaker 2 (02:14):
Now we see David's.

Speaker 3 (02:16):
Mission to successfully carry the Ark of the Covenant back
into Israel, which proves to be a daunting task since
the holiness of God is not to be handled. Lightly
inspired by the Book of Second Samuel, Hello.

Speaker 4 (02:32):
I'm pastor Jack Graham with today's episode of the Bible
in a Year podcast. In yesterday's story, we heard about
David's Mighty Men, how they mirrored his own devotion, bravery, courage,
and commitment. These men strengthened David and helped him to
win many victories in the name of the Lord God.
Israel was on a winning streak, defeating Philistine's left and right,

(02:56):
but David still knew something needed to be set right.
The Ark of the Covenant was not in Israel, where
it belonged, and in today's story we'll see how David
sets this difficult task of moving the arc. It is
no simple task or a safe one. The ark was
representative of God's glory on earth, and as David and
the people will learn, God's holiness is not something to

(03:20):
be approached casually. So let's listen to today's reading.

Speaker 3 (03:25):
Now, the battle against the Philistines had been won, the
dust of war and strife had begun to settle, and
it was time for the Ark of the Covenant to
come home to the people. David knew this took precision
and a great deal of tact. Many stories had been
told of men and women dying in attempts to handle

(03:46):
the Ark, and David had no intention of losing lives
in the attempt of something holy. David arose early in
the morning with thirty thousand hand picked men. A holy
and fierce procession of warriors trailed the Ark of the
Covenant as priests began to carry it. Uzar and Ohio,
two of the priests, carried the cart on an oxen

(04:08):
carriage with great trepidation. David brought out his lyre and
many members of the group began to play behind them.
As the group grew more comfortable, all the men and
women surrounding the ark broke out into song. Flutes, harps, liars,
and drums played into the air. David led the congregation
and worship, and they sung praises to God for his

(04:30):
great faithfulness. David was elated to lead his people in
this way. David would often forget that before he was
a warrior or king, he was a musician and worship leader.
His heart was warmed by the opportunity to lead the
people in song. The celebration continued as Uza and Ohio
drove the cart into the city. As they were on

(04:51):
their way, a bump in the road lifted the carriage
and the ark began to slide off. Uzar reacted quickly
and kept the ark from crashing to the g David
stopped playing as he watched Uzzah holding the ark. Hussar
turned to David with a grave look in his eye.
Before David could say a word, Huzzar fell to the
floor and died. David rushed to Uzzah, his lifeless body

(05:15):
lay in his arms. David was filled with anger and confusion.
How could the Lord kill a man trying to save
the ark from falling, David thought to himself. He looked
behind him to see the people weeping over Uzzah's death.
David remained silent, although his anger towards God ran deep.
He did not understand his ways or why a righteous

(05:36):
man would die needlessly. David drew a deep breath to
calm himself and had the Ark of God brought to
a house nearby. He kept the Ark at the home
of Obediedom, a Levite who lived on the outskirts of Israel.
Thered was kept safe and Obed's household became blessed because
of the Lord's presence. David was told of Obed's household

(05:59):
and how the glow glory of God fell upon them
in a new and exciting way. David's anger subsided, and
he gave in to the confusing nature of God. The
Lord had delivered him time and time again, and he
was not about to question how to handle the holiness
of God's presence. David brought the Ark back to Jerusalem,
and the entire city rejoiced in its return. David's joy

(06:21):
could not be contained. He danced and leapt with joy
in the courtyard of his home. David cast off his
royal robes and danced among the people as one of them.
David danced without inhibition, embarrassing his wife, Mihao, who watched
from the window. How could a king make such a
fool of himself, she thought. She despised David's immodesty and

(06:43):
made it very clear to him she was displeased. The
ark made its way through the city. David had pitched
a tenth for the ark, according to the law of Moses.
He brought offerings before the Ark and blessed the people
in the name of the Lord. All of Israel, men,
women and children feasted and danced in celebration. God's presence

(07:04):
had returned.

Speaker 2 (07:05):
It marked a new era of.

Speaker 3 (07:07):
Peace for the people of Israel. For so long they
had lived under the shadow of Saul. The darkness in
his heart had seeped into the city, and hopelessness filled
the air. But now the Lord's joy was renewed in
their hearts. David looked upon his people as a shepherd
who had just fed his sheep. He was truly content

(07:27):
and blessed to be a part of what God was doing.
The sun began its descent, and the people made their
way back into their homes. David, still humming to the
tune of worship songs, opened the doors of his chambers
and began to undress for bed. David's wife, Mihaw was waiting.

Speaker 2 (07:44):
Up for him.

Speaker 3 (07:45):
She sat in the corner of the room, arms folded in,
eyes piercing. David looked at her, confused as to why
she looked so bleak on such a joyous day.

Speaker 2 (07:55):
Ah, the mighty.

Speaker 3 (07:56):
King of Israel, she said, with sarcasm in her voice. Oh,
how he honored himself today, removing his kingly robes and
dancing like a commoner. David looked at his wife, knowing
she was the daughter of Saul and expected a different
type of king. He gave a slight sigh and said,
for the Lord, I will become as undignified as necessary.

(08:20):
I will celebrate, even if it makes me despised in
your eyes. Mihau's words bothered David, yet he would not
allow them to rob him of joy. He was going
to be a different type of king, a king that worshiped,
a king that would kneel down into the muck and
mud to fight alongside his soldiers, a king that would
strip naked before God, a king that would sing loudly,

(08:44):
raise his hands, and humble himself before the One True God.

Speaker 4 (08:52):
We opened today's story with a defeated enemy. The Philistines
had been driven out soundly defeated because God gave David
and his army's many victories. This was no accident. David
consistently sought God and his favor, and God gave him
victory after victory. But David was well aware that the

(09:12):
symbol of God's presence with them, the Ark of the Covenant,
was not where it belonged. It belonged to Israel, but
David knew that moving it would be no simple task.
Mishandling the Ark was spelled death, as it had been
for men and women in the past who handled the
ark incorrectly. David knew he needed to be careful, but
he also was in a hurry to get the ark

(09:34):
back to Israel. So rather than call on the levies
to carry the ark on their shoulders using wooden pulls
as God commanded, David summoned two priests to carry the
ark on an ox pulled cart. He also gathered thirty
thousand warriors to form a procession to protect the Ark
on its journey from the house of Abenna Dab, whose

(09:55):
sons were going to guide the cart to Israel. David
the former musician and went with the people, playing the
harp and leading the people in worship. His intentions were
pure and his heart filled with the joy of the Lord.
But then along the way the oxen stumbled. Uzah, who
was next to the cart, pulled out his hand and
touched the ark, afraid it would fall over. But touching

(10:17):
God's holy presence was a clear violation of God's law,
and God struck this man dead immediately. Though his intentions
were good, he had grown too casual around the Ark
and failed to show God the reverence that is required.
It was a reminder that God's holiness is serious. But
David was angry and didn't understand why God would do that,

(10:40):
So he left the Ark at the home of a Levite.
God blessed that home, and after some time David resolved
again to take the Ark to Israel. This time, the
Levites bore the Ark all the way to the city
of David. David, along with all the people, was ecstatic,
rejoicing before the Lord. He threw off his kingly robes
and danced without inhibitions. He wasn't dancing for appearances or

(11:04):
for pleasure, but for his God. His wife Michael saw him,
and she was embarrassed. She chastised him when he got home,
but David didn't care. In Second Samuel six point twenty one,
we hear his response, and David said to Michael, it
was before the Lord who chose me above your father
and above all his house, to appoint me as a

(11:24):
prince over Israel, the people of the Lord, and I
will celebrate before the Lord. God deserves our praise and
our worship, even when it is exuberant and enthusiastic. That's
what David understood as he danced without inhibition or fear
of embarrassment. He was dancing before and for Almighty God,

(11:45):
because the ark was finally home where it belonged. David
was a king who waited on God and worshiped him
without reservation, and who led the people to do the same.
This was the king that God had chosen, the man
after God's own heart. And next time we'll meet a
new prophet who will help guide this godly king in

(12:07):
God's Way. Lord, we truly do worship you with all
of our hearts. We are unashamed to offer you our
praise and adoration. Help us, like David always to give
our very best to you with joy and excitement and
great love in Jesus' name. Amen. Thank you for listening

(12:29):
to today's Bible in a Year podcast. I'm pastor Jack
Graham from Dallas, Texas. Please download thepray dot com app
and make Bible study and prayer a priority in your life.
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(12:51):
visit Jack Graham dot org. God bless you