David and the Ark of the LORD David: A Man after God’s Own Heart Series [20] 2 Samuel 6:1-23 © August 13, 2017 Pastor Paul K. Kim 2

THE RETURN OF THE LOST ARK OF THE LORD Its purpose: It is a wooden chest overlaid with pure gold that contained the two tablets of (aka other names) where the LORD met with Moses for Israelites (“mercy seat”). It meant very the presence of the LORD.

* Source: ESV Study Bible Illustrations

THE RETURN OF THE LOST ARK OF THE LORD Its purpose: It is a wooden chest overlaid with pure gold that contained the two tablets of (aka other names) where the LORD met with Moses for Israelites (“mercy seat”). It meant very the presence of the LORD. Its reason: The ark was lost because of Israel’s misuse of it as amulet in a battle against the Philistines, who sent it away after several traumas. Its importance: It was greatly important for David to bring back to Jerusalem to acknowledge the presence of the LORD among them. Its danger and joy: The ark’s danger affected the people of Israel as well as the Philistines; but the ark’s joy brought worship & celebration.

DAVID’S TWO ATTEMPTS OF BRINGING BACK THE ARK OF THE LORD First Attempt: Failure and Death of Uzzah (6:1-11)  1 David again gathered all the chosen men of Israel, thirty thousand.  2 And David arose and went with all the people who were with him from  Baale-judah to bring up from there the ark of God, which is called by the name of the LORD of hosts who sits enthroned on the cherubim. 3 And they carried the ark of God on a new cart and brought it out of the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill. And Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, were driving the new cart, 4 with the ark of God, and Ahio went before the ark. 5 And David and all the house of Israel were celebrating before the LORD, with songs and lyres and harps and tambourines and castanets and cymbals. 6 And when they came to the threshing floor of Nacon, Uzzah put out his hand to the ark of God and took hold of it, for the oxen stumbled.  7 And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Uzzah, and God struck him down there because of his error, and he died there beside the ark of God. 

DAVID’S TWO ATTEMPTS OF BRINGING BACK THE ARK OF THE LORD First Attempt: Failure and Death of Uzzah (6:1-11) 8 And David was angry because the LORD had broken out against Uzzah. And that place is called Perez-uzzah to this day. 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. (vs. 1-11) The Mosaic law clearly spelled out the proper ways of carrying the ark (Ex. 25:12-14; 1 Chron. 15:12–15), which accentuate God’s holiness. Along with the elders, David didn’t bother to find out God’s way to carry. Uzzah’s death shows that God is not manageable by human standard; it points to the true God who teaches the world the essence of the gospel.

DAVID’S TWO ATTEMPTS OF BRINGING BACK THE ARK OF THE LORD Second Attempt: Success and Joyful Worship (6:12-23)  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 arkof 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.

DAVID’S TWO ATTEMPTS OF BRINGING BACK THE ARK OF THE LORD Second Attempt: Success and Joyful Worship (6:12-23)  18 And when David had finished offering the burnt offerings and the peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of he 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. 

DAVID’S TWO ATTEMPTS OF BRINGING BACK THE ARK OF THE LORD Second Attempt: Success and Joyful Worship (6:12-23) 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. (6:12-23) This time around, David followed God’s commands in the way he brought back the ark (and applies also atoning sacrifice before the LORD). The result is a joyful celebration and worship dancing before the LORD because of the presence of the LORD brought shalom and joy to them. Michal’s critical spirit was a contempt for David’s freedom to be humble before the LORD, which resulted in a fruit of her spirit as a woman.

LESSONS FROM THE STORY OF DAVID AND THE ARK OF THE LORD Lesson #1: The danger of the ark of the LORD reveals holy God who is not like any other gods/religions.  11 “Who is like you, O LORD, among the gods?     Who is like you, majestic in holiness,     awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders?” Exodus 15:11 God is NEVER manageable by human good will or method. The uniqueness of God of the Bible is that He is NOT like us; God teaches about holiness throughout the OT (external) and the NT (internal). We are to surrender to sovereign holy God in humility and reverent fear of the LORD in all ways, realizing that God is holy.

The Presumptuous Sin of Uzzah Surely Uzzah’s reaction was reactive. He did what any pious Jews would do to keep the ark from falling in the mud…He stretched out his hand and put it squarely on the ark, steadying it in place lest it fall to the ground. An act of holy heroism? No! It was an act of arrogance, a sin of presumption. Uzzah assumed that his hand was less polluted than the earth. But it wasn’t the ground or the mud that would desecrate the ark; it was the touch of man. The earth is an obedient creature. It does what God tells it to do. It brings forth its yield in its season. It obeys the laws of nature which God has established. When the temperature falls to a certain point, the ground freezes. When water is added to dust, it becomes mud, just as God decided. The ground doesn’t commit cosmic treason. There is nothing polluted about the ground. God did not want his holy throne to be touched by that which was contaminated by evil, that which was in rebellion to him, that which by its ungodly revolt had brought the whole of creation to ruin and caused the ground and the sky and the waters of the sea to groan together in travail waiting for the day of redemption. ― R. C. Sproul

LESSONS FROM THE STORY OF DAVID AND THE ARK OF THE LORD Lesson #2: God’s holiness is an essential part of the gospel that necessitates God’s sovereign grace and mercy for our salvation.  10 … “None is righteous, no, not one; 11  no one understands; no one seeks for God. 12 All have turned aside; together they have become worthless;     no one does good, not even one” … 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God Romans 3:10-12, 23 God’s holiness demands perfect righteousness; EVERYONE falls short. This means before we know about grace and mercy, we must know the implication of God’s holiness on our depravity. Then, only then, will we turn to God’s mercy and grace with full graitutde and humility without a tinge of self-righteousness.

LESSONS FROM THE STORY OF DAVID AND THE ARK OF THE LORD Lesson #3: The joy before the ark of the LORD is also available for us Christ-followers who is given access to the grace of God’s presence. 1 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Through him we have also  obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Romans 5:1-2 The joy of the LORD is with those who have access to God’s presence and shalom; in Christ we have this access! Joyful worship can be real and possible even for today. It frees us from all other concerns and experience the joy of the LORD!

THREE PRACTICAL QUESTIONS FOR OUR EVERYDAY LIFE In what ways will you surrender all of your presumptuous efforts to manage holy God? What would it mean for you to acknowledge your desperate need for God’s sovereign grace and mercy for your salvation? What is your first step toward experiencing the joy and freedom with God’s presence as David was joyful and free before the LORD?