DAVID’S SECOND ATTEMPT

By seeking God in prayer and fasting, Israel’s new King was preparing for another attempt to bring the Ark into the center of The City of David. David’s second attempt was quite different from the first try.

When David was told how Obed-Edom had been blessed by the presence of the ark in his home, he was encouraged. This news found him excited and ready to act. He wanted to go back to the house of Obed-Edom, retrieve the ark, and bring it into a newly and carefully prepared location within The City of David. 

This wasn’t something done on a whim. David had been very disturbed and concerned by the death of Uzzah. He realized he had not put enough time and preparation into the bringing of the ark to a new home. The interim of time after Uzzah was killed and resting the Ark with Obed-Edom was about three months. In these months David spent a great amount of time in prayer, meditation and study. He was consulting with God about where he had gone wrong the first time they tried to bring the Ark to The City of David.

CAREFUL PREPARATION

This time David meditates on the scriptures for months. He also seeks help and advice from Israel’s elders. In all of this new study, David came to understand the Ark must be transported by a Levite, specifically a Kohathite. (1 Chronicles 15:2,15.)

He knew specific requirements from God, such as the fact that the Ark had to be carried upon the shoulders of the Levites. No one was to touch the Ark. David now understood to use specifically designed and consecrated poles inserted into rings for transporting. This time, all is done exactly as God’s laws for the wilderness tabernacle had previously commanded.

There is one important thing worshippers of today can learn from David’s experience in the second attempt to transport the Ark to Jerusalem. Sometimes God allows new things in order to help us to grow and transform further into His Holy Will. This time God allows the transport of the Ark to Jerusalem. It is a great and important mile-marker in the communications of mankind and God. The extravagant praise and worship of David and his men in this movement are appropriate and well received.

FOLLOWING GOD’S REQUIREMENTS

However, even in such times as this, certain aspects of God’s requirements for worship never change. What God has already declared as holy will always remain holy. Therefore, we must always conduct worship remembering to respect God’s ways over our ways. God has given us the details He requires for worship. They are recorded in the Torah.

When David first became King of Israel, he was required to read and meditate upon two scrolls. The first scroll contained the law. The second scroll contained the words of the Prophets of Israel. These were reserved and given to each new king in order to guide them and give them the wisdom needed to rule the nation. Both scrolls served as foundational for David’s leadership and decision making. The scrolls put an emphasis on obedience to God’s laws and the keeping of His covenant with Israel.

David had the heart of a priest, but not the proper training for the priesthood. His education in this area has begun. God is beginning to show him some important new requirements. The first of these requirements are reverence, respect and blind obedience. The blind obedience had been a part of David’s heart from the very beginning, but in this second attempt to move the Ark, David learns more about the protocol for reverence and respect for things that are holy.

Once David learns what God wants, he becomes passionate about obeying these things. He happily returns to retrieve the Ark, being very careful to include the reverence and respect that God has required of him.

MANY SACRIFICES

Again, there is great rejoicing in the procession that is formed to bring the Ark to it’s new home.  This time David was very respectful. He was careful to offer a bull and a fattened calf for every six steps taken by the men carrying the Ark.  Anything sinful that had accidentally and unintentionally remained among those in this crowd of transporters and celebrators would be covered from the numberous sacrifices they made along the way. God was graceful to the people. He showed mercy and kindness to those who transported the Ark. They proceded slowly and carefully with all honor and respect for the holiness of the Ark.

The rhythm of the procession was six steps and rest, six steps and rest, six steps and rest. The pattern of their steps and actions makes me think of the pattern of God’s work of the creation. There were six days of creating, then a day of rest. God had given this pattern from the beginning of time. From that moment on for any follower of God there would be six days for working then stopping to rest on the Sabbath, the seventh day. And this was probably in the thoughts of the on-lookers as they observed the slow progression of the Ark toward Jerusalem.

KEEPING GOD’S SET PATTERN

On each Sabbath mankind would obediently bring their sacrifices so that they could appear holy before a forgiving and merciful God. This was what it took in those days for God to come close to mankind. They must stay clean and holy for Him to dwell within their midst. This was the protocol and the pattern.

Every six steps they rested and made another offering to God. Then they started forward again, six more steps. David was honoring God’s set patterns. He was keeping God’s time in this procession that corresponded to God’s appointed times of the Sabbath. David was remaining true to the things written in the Torah which God had commanded Moses to record.

It surely seems this should be the pattern observed by God’s people today. Will we humble ourselves and remember God’s set patterns as David did? If we expect and desire for God to dwell among us, this would be a good first-step forward.

REMAINING TRUE TO TORAH

How do today’s believers measure up in this regard? Are we keeping God’s set times in an appropriate, respectful and honoring-to-God way? How many churches are doing this? Have we changed and rearranged God’s patterns a bit to fit our own desires? That is the lesson that David learned in the first attempt to transport the Ark. God is not happy when we rearrange and substitute our ways over His ways. Perhaps God was trying to establish this mind-set from the very beginning of His new throne in Jerusalem. It was important that all things be done properly in this new beginning of the communications between God and mankind.

I like to wonder about the mind of God and His thoughts during all of this period of history. Was He thinking that mankind was finally beginning to make progress toward being allowed a way back into the Garden which he had been cast out of so long ago? Isn’t that the ultimate progression which David must have desired to accomplish for his nation? What an honorable desire for a King to have. Oh that all Kings could think this way.

TEN THOUSAND WAYS

Looking at the distance from Obed-Edom’s house and Jerusalem, this would mean the joyfull procession took about 30,000 steps to bring the Ark into Jerusalem. If they took 30,000 steps and stopped every six steps, that distance would require at least 5,000 sacrifices. There was an ox and a fattened calf offered each time. That would actually make a doubled total of 10,000 sacrifices.

Does this seem like too much to you? Not to David! He loved God that much. Every time I think of these 10,000 sacrifices David offered before the Lord that day, a powerful worship song by Matt Redman comes to mind. I’ll post the link here: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=worship+song+using+10%2C000. This song does seem to convey the extravagant worship style of King David. It relates to the fact that there is no limit to the number of sacrifices he felt inclined to offer to God in honor of all that God had done for him and the nation of Israel. Here we should note this should also be the beat of every heart for worship today.

A WORSHIPFUL PROCESSION

One admirable and unique characteristic of David’s personality is the way he chose to include worship in practically everything he did. His worship typically included music. David organized a grand and very musical procession for the moving of the Ark. This carefully planned procession was full of talented young men playing many musical instruments. They were accompanied by professional dancers and well-trained singers. The crowds on the sides of the highways joined in with their dancing, singing and celebrating the coming of the Lord’s throne to a home in Jerusalem.

As the Levites carried the Ark, David danced with all of his might. Out of respect for God as the true King, David disrobed from his royal garments. He clothed himself in the linen garments of the ordinary priests and an ephod (2 Samuel 6:14.)

Many of the people of Jerusalem had never seen or participated in this type of worship. It was totally uninhibited. You could say that David’s worship was “all in.” He held nothing back. There could be no doubt to anyone looking on that David was worshipping God with all of his might. All of his actions signified to the people standing by that David had a heart totally surrendered to God, so much so that he had removed the royal garments of a King as he came before the Lord. The message to Israel was that their King followed THE King of all Kings.

RESPECT FOR GOD AS KING

Instead of his royal robes, David donned the linen garments of the common priests. He wore them shamelessly as he danced before God. This King became as an ordindary servant maybe hoping for every man of Isreal to realize that they would need to be the priest of their own household. This white linen garment would have been clean and spotless, without blemish signifying that each man should live holy before God so that each household of Israel would be blessed by God.

David employed the ephod to insure God’s will would always be followed by this newly united nation. It was worship in the purest form employing all of the symbolism that God had established many years ago. Because David’s worship was genuine and true, the common people could see their King’s total adoration for God. They might be compelled to follow this example.

DAVID LIVES HIS TRUE IDENTITY

David’s heart for God was unmistakable. This made his faith very public. The King of Jerusalem revealed his true identity as they carefully and respectfully transported the ark to Jerusalem with great joy. People noticed that it was more important for David to be known as a child of God than to be known and honored as their royal King. Because of this abundant worship from David the nation regained its proper priorities. The curse they had put themselves under by making Saul their King instead of God was beginning to be reversed. It was a great and wonderful day. Israel, under David’s headship was now begining to turn away from man’s ways and once again remember God’s ways.

Yes, David had made human mistakes. This we already know from his first attempt to move the ark which was discussed in a previous lesson. He had not been transporting the place of the Presence of God properly. If Israel was to regain her glory before God she had to place God in the highest position above everything else. David had humbled himself since that first time of trying to bring God’s throne closer to earth. He had learned what God desired and commanded. David had sincerely repented of his wrong actions. Every step David took on this day honored God. Each step taken by this anointed King was noticed, respected and followed by the citizens of the nation.

THE KING SETS AN EXAMPLE

All of those past mistakes were behind him. Now, David was able to experience the true joy that comes from complete and proper worship. There is nothing like it. All of Israel was unified under One True God as the Ark of the Covenant that was God’s throne on earth transported forth. The people were once again being faithful to the Shema. They could say the prayer’s words, “Hear O Israel, The Lord Our God is One” and its truth was once again evident in their streets as well as their hearts. The heart leading the way was the heart of King David.

THE OPIUM OF THE PEOPLE?

David’s only motives for bringing up the Ark were to worship and to please God. However, it can be noted that less sincere men ruling other nations during those times were constantly using religion and worship in order to unite their countries.

It has been said that religion is the opium of the people. Often citizens of a country will do more for their country’s cause in the name of religion than they will do for ordinary reasons. However, let’s not accuse David of this. This day of transporting the Ark to Jerusalem was merely a natural result of his extravagant worship. David’s worship was real. He sincerely worshipped God in spirit and truth.

TWO BECOME ONE AGAIN

The people saw David’s genuine and sincere praise of God. Israel responded in a favorable way. David’s worship brought the two divided sides of Israel together again. Two parts of the nation who had been separated became one again. (The theology of the theory of 1-2-1 plays out here.)

This new worship exemplified David’s great leadership. He was teaching his people the one most important thing they could ever do to bring Israel success and joy. He wasn’t making speaches; he was living his faith out before them in his actions and deeds. David’s main goal for Israel was for the nation to worship God with joy and abandonment. He clearly understood that God always inhabits the praises of His people.

For too long a divided nation had not worshiped their God together. Now they were one nation under God again. This happened through David leading the nation in the worship of The One True God. It appeared at this point that nothing would be impossible for them.

WHAT DAVID DID NEXT

This accomplishment of unification was more complex than it might appear on the surface. We will cover more of those details in our next lessons. There was one thing that David did with the bringing forth of The Ark into the Tabernacle of David which no King had ever done before. Not even Moses had been led to do what David did next.

These important details will require a whole new lesson. Be sure to join us next Thrusday for how this transpired. There are a few other parts of the story we need to cover first.

UNIFIED WORSHIP OF A NATION

Here I must pause to consider what happens with a nation that begins its reign in unity with worship to God done in spirit and truth. We of today’s church could learn so much from this example. Have we followed up on this great and tremendous example of David? If we truly want peace on earth, and for all men to unite under God, this type of worship is what is needed and desired.

Are we there yet? I fear we have a long way to go. Let’s note that this extravagant worship was the whole secret to David’s close relationship with God. We are later told in the scriptures that David employed 4,000 singers and musicians to sing and play in the Tabernacle of David. They performed music 24/7 without a break. The worship right outside of the palace of David never stopped. David’s heart was all about coming closer to God, being intimate with the Creator, and worshipping in spirit and truth. This type of worship was something God had shared with David all the way back to the time when he was a lonely shepherd boy. It was at a very early age that David reached out to God as a child to a Father.

MORE CAREFUL PREPARATIONS

The scriptures tell us that David prepared a place for the tent which would hold the Ark. That is such an understatement. Everything about the ruins discovered from The Tabernacle of David shows us the careful preparation that went into the place where this Ark was going to be located.

Today we know there are excavation sites in Jerusalem which have uncovered where they think this tent was located. The location is very close to the Gihon Spring which is only steps away from where of David’s palace was built.

If you have a chance to study this history, please look into the archeological digs and the facts they reveal to us. This is amazing history. I think it could be one of the most important pieces of history ever discovered. Everything already discovered indicates careful and thoughtful consideration went into the structure that held the tent of The Tabernacle of David. This wasn’t just a tent thrown over some land. It was a planned and structured location with a thoughtfully layed-out foundation. The inside is structured with doors and storage rooms and altars. This structure’s layout was very carefully designed.

A PLACE OF GREAT HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE

I find this timing of the finding of the place where the Presence of God resided during the days of the life of David to be a very intersting coincidence for our present generations. Think on that again. Wouldn’t you be honored to stand in that particular spot on the earth? Can you imagine how much went on there? Can our minds even begin to conceive what glory was revealed there?

Old Jewish commentaries ponder these times of worship at The Tabernacle of David. They speak of stories of David planting his sword in the ground near the Ark and actually laying down underneath the Ark. If these stories are accurate (it is impossible to know) I suppose David was cured by God from his fear of the Ark. All that was left was a holy and burning fear of reverence and adoration.

So, what did God show David in order that he could finally transport the Ark in a proper way to this very properly prepared new dwelling? Again, we must read 1 Chronicles to get the whole story. 2 Samuel does leave out many details.  

A NEW HOME FOR THE ARK

Next week we will look further into this new placement of the Ark. We want to see how its presence affected worship in Jerusalem. Was David’s Kingdom about to be blessed as Obed-Edom’s home had been blessed? The Tabernacle of David allowed for a whole new way of worship. We want to explore this more.

PRAYER: Father, like David, many of us have come to you seeking the love of a Father. We have been cast out of our family house. For years most of us have lived in the fields of this world. Now you have taken us under your wings, like the protective movements of a Mother hen, You have covered us with your chesed love. We now live safely within the folds of your sheep. You have adopted us and called us your own. May we bow before you always in constant love and adoration. Please continue to teach us, as you taught David. May we grow ever closer and closer to you as you show us your loving kindness and mercy. Amen