I Chronicles
13
The opening verses of this chapter explain and amplify the
compressed announcement
of II Samuel 6:1, “Again, David gathered together all the
chosen of
thousand.” And the remaining verses (6-14) correspond to II Samuel 6:2-11.
1 “And
David consulted with the captains of thousands and hundreds,
and with every leader.” There can be little doubt that the captains of thousands
and
hundreds... with every
leader,
here spoken of, represented what had
become by this time a confirmed institution, although in embryo,
dating
from the time of Moses at least (Numbers 31:14; Deuteronomy 1:15; Judges
20:7;
II Chronicles 20:21).
2 “And
David said unto all the congregation of
unto you, and that it be of the LORD our God,
let us send abroad
unto our brethren every where, that are left in
all the
Some think that this phrase points to the destruction that
had been widespread
by
the Philistines -“and with them
also to the priests and Levites which
are in their cities and suburbs, that they may gather
themselves unto us:”
3 “And let
us bring again the ark of our God to us:” - It
had been removed
from Shiloh (Joshua 18:1) at the instance of “the elders of
when they were hard pressed and smitten by the Philistines (I Samuel 4:1-4);
there it was taken by the Philistines (Ibid. vs.11, 22), and
hurried from
to
Ekron and on to Bethshemesh
(Ibid. ch.5. l, 8,10; 6:9-13) -“for
we inquired
not at it in the days of Saul.” The allusion
may be considered delicately worded,
but
an inexpressible pathos and unmeasured
condemnation must be imagined
as
clinging to this sentence, illustrated further by Ibid. ch.7:2; 28:6,15-16;
here
ch.10:14.
Revival of Religion (vs. 1-3)
The resolve to fetch back the ark of God was a sign of
reviving interest in
religion, of a more lively desire for the Divine favor, and of a
deeper sense
of
the importance of observing religious ordinances. As the symbol of the
Divine presence, as the depository
of mementos and pledges of Jehovah’s
authority and mercy, the ark
was held sacred by the Hebrew people. Its
proper position was in the most holy place of the tabernacle. It
was justly
felt to be a national calamity when the ark was taken by the Philistines in
battle. That it was allowed to
remain after its restoration at Kirjath-jearim
for seventy years was culpable negligence, which was significant of
religious indifference. The
newly elected king was acting rightly as the
human head of the theocratic kingdom in advising that the almost
forgotten
ark
should be brought up with joyful solemnities to
resolution, supported by the sympathy and cooperation of the people,
was
indicative of a revival of religion. The incident suggests several highly
important lessons.
It is always unjustifiable
to attribute specified individual instances of calamity
to the intentional interposition of a retributive
time, THE WORLD IS UNDER
A RIGHTEOUS RULER, and
communities as well as individuals are subject to His sway. NATIONAL
VICES and CRIMES have unquestionably a tendency to
produce
NATIONAL TROUBLES and DISASTERS. Sin cannot go
unpunished; a nation suffers
when a nation errs.
capacity can err, WHY CAN IT NOT IN
THE SAME CAPACITY
REPENT? David reminded the chiefs that, as a people,
nquired at
the ark in the days of Saul. Thus he quickened the conscience
of the community. Insensibility to sin is of all sins the worst. To
recognize and confess, to mourn and to forsake sin, is the indispensable
condition of acceptance and of REFORMATION. “If we confess our
sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to
cleanse us
from all unrighteousness” (I John 1:9)
REPRESENTATIVES OF A NATION TO CONSULT WITH A
VIEW TO UNITED REVIVAL.
David consulted every leader and
referred the matter to all the
congregation. In a theocracy, no doubt, action
was possible which would be impracticable in a nation where
great diversity
of opinion and practice prevails. (But had the nation followed God’s
will laid out in the Bible, WE WOULD NOT BE SO DIVERSE!
Remember that we have choices and the Greek word for “choice” is
“heresy”. The Greek word for heresy is ai[resiv - hah’ee-res-is; -
a choosing, choice – then
that which is chosen, and hence an opinion,
especially a self-willed opinion, which is substituted for submission to the
power of truth and leads to division, the formation of sects and finally,
APOSTASY FROM
GOD! Such
a man is a living lie against the truth.
(Think of the origins, influences and roles of PRO-CHOICE and the
AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION in the
CHOICE – a la – HERESY
– CY -2009) But
how obviously appropriate
is it that religious societies and their leaders — the devout, the
wise, the
experienced — should take counsel with a view to religious revival and
reform!
PRACTICAL ACTION, The
people were not brought together merely to
“talk
over” the existing state of things. They were summoned under the
king’s leadership to act, and they did act.
(What are called “resolutions” at
religious meetings are often misnamed; it is sometimes the case that
those
who pass them never dream of exerting themselves to carry them
into
effect.) IF RELIGION IS TO BE
REVIVED AND THE LAND TO
BE PURGED OF INIQUITY, if the favor of God is to be recovered
and the honor of God
to be sought, IT MUST BE BY UNITED
EFFORT AND ACTION! Each godly person must ask, “What
can I do towards such an end?” True acknowledgment of God is not
merely verbal, it is practical. When all
the people, repenting of sin, turn
unto the Lord, He too will turn
them again unto Himself, and AND
THEY SHALL BE
SAVED!
4 “And all
the congregation said that they would do
so: for the thing was right
in the eyes of all the people.”
Politics and Morals (v. 4)
David no sooner set before the people their duty with
regard to the ark
than they immediately resolved to act in accordance with his counsel. The
chronicler explains why they did so; he tells us, in language
remarkably
dignified and simple: “For the thing
was right in the eyes of all the people.”
THROUGH INATTENTION. The ark seems to have been overlooked
during the years it remained at Kirjath-jearim:
“We
inquired not at it in the
days of Saul.” It is
singular that nations sometimes connive at great
national sins, that national conscience seems to slumber. How
otherwise
can we account for the prevalence of war, of slavery, of
cruelty to
prisoners, abortion, pornography, the drug culture and other evils,
which
have disgraced civil and Christian communities?
NATION — WHAT IS RIGHT? It is too common to
ask the people —
What is customary and in
accordance with precedents? What is expedient?
What will contribute to national
fame? But nations as well as individuals
are under the government of a righteous moral Ruler and King.
And there
is one question which those who would elevate and guide a
nation should
ever raise — What is right?
RESPONDS TO THE REVELATION OF RIGHT. Let not the multitude
be flattered; they are prone to bow before the furious gust
of passion; yet,
when the impulse of prejudice or anger is past, they are
capable of proving
themselves amenable to higher motives. Great acts of justice and
self-sacrifice
have, in such cases, been performed by a morally awakened
society. If “the thing be right in the eyes of all the people,” then there may
be witnessed magnificent displays of heroism and
unselfishness. Then is the
adage true, Vox populi vox Dei. (the voice of the people is the voice of God)
LEADS TO NATIONAL ACTION. “All the congregation said that
they would do so.” Feeling must lead to corresponding achievement, or it is
mere worthless sentimentality. A people’s protest is good, but
a people’s
action is better still.
5 “So
David gathered all
thousand men (II Samuel 6:1-2) -“from Shihor of
this Shihor is from root rj}v; meaning “to be turbid” or “black” (so Latin melo,
from the Greek; Virgil, ‘Georg.,’ 4:278, 291; Catullus, 67:33). There can
surely be little doubt that it is the river
comparison of the following passages: — Joshua 13:3; Isaiah 23:3;
Jeremiah 2:18.
Though others, quoting Joshua 13:3 and 19:26, and
interpreting Shihor generically
as
applicable to any dark, turbid stream, make it the modern Wady
el-Arish,
However, the parallel, I Kings 8:65, does not necessarily
dissever the lj"n"
from
rh"n;
of
unto the entering of Hemath,”- i.e. the way to Hamath (Hebrew, tm;j];
Numbers 34:7-8). Hamath was one of
the great cities of the
This valley is watered by the Orontes, the
for
its abundant spring (situate immediately north of the source of the
Leontes), which won for it the name, among all the other springs
of
of
“The Spring,” and remarkable for “the length of its course, the volume
of
its waters, and the rich vegetation of its banks.” It is the one of the
four
rivers which take their rise beneath the heights of the
three, viz. the Jordan, the Leontes or
modern Litany of Phoeicia, and the
Abana or modern Barada of
mountain stream. This river was to the ancient Romans “the
representative
of
the
region formed the chief point of contact between this part of
the
West” (Stanley’s ‘Sinai and Palestine,’ pp. 414, e,f,
edit. 1866). The
skirted by the hills separating the Leontes
from the
to
the
23:33) lies on the east bank of the
Baal-bek, or Baal-gad. The people of Hamath
were of the race of Ham, of
the
descendants of
as
of Phoenician origin - “to bring
the ark of God from Kirjathjearim.”
6 “And
David went up, and all
(see Joshua 15:9-11; I Samuel 4:7; II Samuel 6:2; where the name
is spelt with a
final yod instead of he). A third name of this same place, Kirjath-baal, is found
in
Joshua 15:60; 18:14. Probably the present ‘Arma,
a ruin (i.q. Kirjatharim,
Ezra 2:25) on the brink of the
Joshua 9:17-27 how the men of Kirjath-jearim had been made by Joshua “hewers
of wood and drawers of water for the congregation, and for
the altar of the
Lord.” Hither to this Kirjath-jearim the ark had been conveyed from Bethshemesh
(I Samuel 7:1-2), and here it “abode” long time, “for it was twenty
years.” Perhaps
the word “abode” in
this passage may be equivalent to abode unmoved (I Samuel
14.18-19). For
though the chronology from the death of Eli, through the remainder
of Samuel’s career and of Saul’s, seems almost hopelessly
uncertain, yet it would
appear certain that the interval exceeded twenty years, to the
time that David now
takes in hand to bring home, as it were, the ark - “which
belonged to
to bring up thence the ark of God the
LORD,” - Though the Authorized
Version of this passage is better and cleverer than that of
the parallel (II Samuel 6:2),
yet
it is left somewhat obscure. The comma should follow the name God. Jehovah
sitting upon the cherubim then follows as a clause in apposition,
while the
last three words (as the name is called, rather than whose name)
state that
clause to contain “the Name of the
Lord” (Deuteronomy
10:8; 31:9;
I Samuel 4:4; 5:3; 6:8) - “that dwelleth between the cherubims, whose
name is called on it.”
7 “And
they carried the ark of God” - the Authorized
Version of the parallel
“they set” But the verb
is the Hiph. of bk"r;, a word carrying more of majesty in
its use
(Deuteronomy 33:26; Job 30:22; Psalm 18:11; 68:33; Isaiah 19:1) - “in a
new cart” -
The stress laid on the newness of this
cart, the term being twice repeated
in
the parallel passage, may justly remind of Mark 11:2; Matthew 27:60 (see
‘Speaker’s
Commentary’ on II Samuel 6:3) - “out of the house of Abinadab:” - There is no
mention of Abinadab that would indicate
that he still lived, even when twenty years
before, the ark was placed in his house. Eleazar
was his eldest son (I Samuel 7:1),
and
was “sanctified to keep the ark of the
Lord” -“and Uzza and Ahio drave
the cart.” Uzza and Ahio were
possibly sons of Eleazar, and not sons of Abinadab,
and
Eleazar’s younger brothers. The Septuagint translates
Ahio, and accordingly reads,
“Uzza and his brethren
drave the cart.”
8 “And
David and all
the
Piel of qjc, the root of which, from the simplest meaning of “to laugh”
(and with the two appropriate
prepositions used for laughing with an expression
of
derision or contempt), through the two further meanings of “sporting” and
“jesting,” passes to the
signification of dancing” (I Samuel 18:7; Jeremiah 31:4).
Its deepest idea seems to be “to make merry,” and to savor
of the very same
ambiguity attaching to that idiom with ourselves. The parallel of
this passage exhibits
“before the Lord” - “with
all their might,” - See the evident mistake of
the
parallel (“on all manner of instruments made of firwood,”
literally, with all firwoods)
through similarity of the Hebrew characters - “and with singing, and with harps,
and with psalteries, and with timbrels, and with
cymbals, and with trumpets.”
Of the five names of musical instruments, the same in
number in both passages, the
first three are the same in the Hebrew, but these last two are
different words, -
cymbals and trumpets - twOrx]xOj}b"W μyiT"l]xim]biW here for μyilxl]xb]W
μy[ni[n"mbiW A
variation of this particular kind again indicates with some
decisiveness the different character and the number of the sources from
which
the
writers of the Books of Samuel and those of Chronicles took.
The Joy of Religion (v. 8)
The natural and fitting expression of the kingly and
national gladness in the
restoration of the sacred ark was, “Playing
before God with all their might,
and with singing, and with harps, and with psalteries, and
with timbrels,
and with cymbals, and with trumpets.” The three kinds of musical
instruments are here indicated — those producing sound by wind,
by the
vibration of strings, and by the clanging together of
metals. The mission
of music and song
is to find expression for man’s gladness
and joy. It is
as
natural to sing as to laugh. (I spent the day in
and
he sang all the way down and all the way back.
He is 2 yrs old and 3 mos.
- CY – 2012) Man has wonderfully developed the
faculties of music and song,
and now it is one of our chief modes of expressing human
emotions, and of
relieving them by expression. It is as truly one of the great forces
for
exciting and stirring emotion, as is well shown when it is
necessary to raise
the
martial spirit of a nation. The very wonderful fact that God has
hidden powers of music in things without life; and that when they
are used,
in right
distinctions or properties of sound, they discourse what we know
— what meets, interprets, and works our feeling, as living and
spiritual
creatures is A TREMENDOUS DISCOVERY! When God told man to
discover the secrets of the earth – “subdue it” – Genesis 1:28 – it did not
take man very long to discover music – “Jubal: he was the father of all
such as handle the harp and organ” - Ibid. ch. 4:21 – Unfortunately in
the Pre-Flood world, The idea of shutting God out is behind the devising
of the harp and organ. Metal tools and implements of all kinds were
available
to
produce creature comforts as well as musical instruments to stimulate the
emotional and aesthetic senses – sadly, in the 21st century, musical
instruments are often prostituted to sensual stimulation
as well - although
these
can
be used for good purposes - they can just as easily be used as a means of
REBELLION AGAINST
GOD - witness MTV and
other examples - the
latter seems to have been their effect and perhaps
their purpose, among the
descendants of Cain.
How carefully this (musical) part of the worship was
ordered in the temple service
of
chorus of singers and of players on instruments were arranged,
one to answer to
another in the deep wail of grief or penitence, the soft
response of love, the lively
sweep of festive gladness, or all to flow together in choral
multitudes of praise, that
might even shake the rock of
power there may be in music, as an instrument of reliction, let him ask
what effect the songs of this one singer (David) have had, melted into
men’s hearts, age after age, by music, and made in that manner
to be their
consecrated and customary expressions of worship. (Then there is the
subliminal effect. In the late
1960’s, Bro. Marion Duncan, our pastor,
from the pulpit which I have been blessed to use the last 41 years, said
that in music, there is a beat which can psychologically break down the
individual and implant ideas against their will. While not comprehending this
idea fully, I totally agree since, in those days, I caught myself humming
the tune
of
a beer commercial which sponsored radio sports news, which I listened to
every morning on the way to school. I have never tasted any form of alcohol, as
a
beverage in my life. When I was twelve
years old, I made a vow, and I
could take you to within 100 yards of where the vow occurred
[providing
that the Somerset-Pulaski County, Kentucky, airport has not bulldozed
the
field into oblivion]. Since it was on a
slowly sloping hillside, it probably
is
still in existence, but why I would unconsciously hum that jingle is beyond
me! - CY – 2012)
reasonableness of the songs and joy of
Egyptian bondage and delivered
from their raging foes. Much more is joy
and song right and natural as our response for redemption from penalty,
and deliverance from evil. It can only be
a distorted religion that fits with
melancholy. “The joy of the
Lord is our strength” (Nehemiah 8:10);
and
with “joy we draw
water from the wells of salvation.”
(Isaiah 121:3)
In the New Testament we are
encouraged to speak “to
one another in
psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody
in our hearts to the Lord” (Ephesians
5:19). If any “are merry,
we
should sing psalms” (James 5:13).
Modern religious life makes music
and song essential features, and these do much towards preserving a healthy
tone in our PIETY! This may be applied to PRIVATE DEVOTION
which is greatly
aided by hymn and song. Music is a very attractive feature
of public worship.
JOY. What could David
have done else, or so well, in uttering his over-
Charged feelings? Music at once
soothes and gives adequate expression. A
man can put his very heart into a song, and ease and quiet his
intense
emotions by so doing. Estimate the influence of song: it
o
uplifts;
o
brightens;
o
aids feeling;
o
comforts.
(In modern times who has ever watched a Bill and Gloria
Gaither special and not
been greatly blessed? – CY – 2012) True hearts may even find “songs
in the
night”
and even in prison!
Holy Mirth (v. 8)
To some minds the two ideas, holiness and mirth, do not
seem to
harmonize. Whether because goodness is sometimes associated with
austerity, and religious observances with dullness, or because mirth
is
sometimes associated with sensual indulgence and profanity; the fact
is that
to
many minds there appears a mutual repugnance between the two.
OF HOLY MIRTH. General rejoicing should not take place only when
temporal deliverances or material prosperity have been experienced.
When
God shows His mercy towards a
people, in conferring upon them spiritual
privileges, then should they show forth His praise, and make a joyful
noise
unto the Lord.
and people rejoiced together, and if all orders and ranks are
alike indebted
to God’s goodness, all should alike join in His service and
praise.
Widespread is the
beneficence of the heavenly Father; let all the
children give thanks, and be joyful before the Lord
the King.
CONJOINED AND CORDIAL SERVICES OF MUSIC AND SONG.
Such utterance of mirth is
natural, is in accordance with the constitution
God our Maker has given us. It
is scriptural, for both under the old
covenant and the new, vocal praise was practiced by the saints of
God. It is
acceptable: “By Him therefore
let us offer the sacrifice of praise to
God continually, that is the fruit of our lips giving thanks to
His
name. ……..with such
sacrifices God is well pleased”
(Hebrews
13:15-16). It is an anticipation of heaven, where
the praises of the redeeming
God are
universal and perpetual.
9 “And
when they came unto the threshingfloor of Chidon,” - For Chidon,
the parallel place
in II Samuel 6 :6 has Nachon; possibly these
are two names
of
the same place, or one form is a corruption of the other; but there is nothing
to
determine for us which. Owing
to the meaning of Nachon being “prepared,”
the
version of
Targum agrees, and (for this Chronicles passage) the Joseph Targum gives ˆQ"t"m]
rt"a}. The threshing-floor was a circular plot of hard
ground, from fifty to
one
hundred feet in diameter, on which the oxen trampled out the grain.
Threshingfloors evidently often became landmarks, and helped to designate
places (Genesis 50:10; II Samuel 24:16) - “Uzza put forth his hand to hold
the ark; for the oxen stumbled.” In the parallel
place the Authorized Version
renders “shook it.” The Hebrew verb is the
same (fm"v;) in
both places. Its
elementary meanings are “to strike” and “to throw down.” Perhaps the
meaning
is
near the Vulgate rendering, calcitrabant,
and equivalent to the rendering,
became restive.
10 “And
the anger of the LORD was kindled against Uzza, and
He
smote him, because he put his hand to the ark:
and there he died
before God.”
There seems some little uncertainty as to
why Uzza was to
blame in a desire that would appear both praiseworthy and
instinctive, to
steady the ark or save it from actually falling. Uzza was probably not a
priest or Levite, and it is so distinctly said his sin consisted
in putting
his
hand to the ark, that perhaps the
direction of Numbers 4:15 may be
sufficient account of the matter. Special
injunction had been given
(Exodus 25:14-15) that the poles with which to bear it
should not be
taken out of the rings, but be always stationary there. If we
suppose that it
was
not a question of the ark being absolutely overthrown, but simply of its
riding unsteadily, his presumptuousness would not have the
further defense
of
an instinctive impulse.
Warnings Against
Irreverence (vs. 9-10)
The incident here recalled to mind is one full of
difficulties. Uzza seems to
have been struck dead for what was, in intention, an act of consideration
and
care for the safety of the ark. To human view his sin does not readily
appear, and some explanations are necessary in making it clear. Uzza’s
death was not, mainly, a judgment on Uzza,
but a lesson, taught in a very
solemn manner, to David and the people. They had not been
associated
with the ark for a long
time, and so may have lost some of the due
solemnity of feeling
concerning it. By the Mosaic rules, the
ark was on no
account to be touched by human hands. It would not have needed any
steadying if, in obedience to the Law,
it had been carried by poles on the
priests’ shoulders. (ch. 15:15, Exodus 25:14; Numbers 4:15; 7:9). So God
permitted this one man’s death to teach the solemn lesson of reverence. The sin
was
really David’s in neglecting the due order and regulations, but it pleased God
that he should receive his warning through the suffering of another. One
tradition
says that Uzza was struck by a lightning flash;
another represents his death as
occasioned by the withering of his hand and arm. “We cannot fully
explain this
judgment from the side of Uzza. We must
add that man, in life and in death, may be
used by God to teach His lessons and accomplish His work; and Uzza, in his
sudden death, was God’s appeal to a king (and to a nation) who
had
forgotten His holy Law, and were ‘following
the devices and desires of
their own
hearts.’ That which was a judgment to Uzza was a merciful call
to
repentance and right-heartedness given to king and people.
IRREVERENCE.
Some pride themselves on freedom from forms. But
while it is quite conceivable that overdone forms may crush out
spiritual
life and feeling, it is even more likely that a despising of
religious forms
may lead to undue
familiarity with God’s Name, and sanctuary, and
worship, and sacraments.
If to some it may seem that undue attention to
ritual is replacing a true reverence by a mere formalism, to others
it appears
that the age is singularly and perilously irreverent, and
sorely needs again
the warning of Uzza’s death.
WAY. A lesson which
every age and every individual needs to learn. David
made the very common mistake of trying to do God’s work in his
own
way. He must be impressively shown that the fully obedient
spirit waits on
God to know
the how as well as the what. It not only says, “What
wouldst
thou have me to do? “but also, “How
wouldst thou have me do it?”
To win willingness to take God’s
way is often, as with David, the issue of
humiliating failures; and it is precisely the lesson which
life-failures are
designed to teach.
IMPRESSED. Our
Lord taught us that we must not venture to convict
public sufferers of special sins bringing on them judgment (Luke
13:1-5).
God often teaches the mass of
men by His dealings with a few. The
victims of so-called accident vicariously suffer for the good of
others.
Illustrate by those who die of
diseases caused by neglect of sanitary laws.
They awaken attention to
existing evils, and are the means of saving men.
Uzza really saved the judgment that must have fallen on David and the
nation if they had KEPT ON ACTING IN THIS SELF-WILLED
WAY!
Severity of Judgment (v. 10)
To understand this narrative it is necessary to bear in
mind the character of
the
older dispensation. It was an economy in which persons, things, and
places were set apart as holy, doubtless in order to instill into
the minds of
the
people ideas of spiritual purity and consecration. The ark was a holy
thing, in a sense in which nothing material is holy under the
Christian
dispensation. (“God is a Spirit
and they that worship Him must
worship Him in spirit and truth”
(John 4:24). But there are principles
which underlie these ceremonial appointments and provisions,
which are
deserving of our serious and discriminating attention.
Ø
A serious offence. When Uzza put forth his hand and touched the ark,
though he did so only for the security of the sacred chest, he
incurred the
Divine
displeasure. His act was one of officiousness;
it was not
his
Business to interfere with the apparatus of Divine worship. He was
guilty of irreverence; for he showed that he did not stand in awe of the
symbol of the Divine presence. And we may discern even profanity in
his conduct; it was only for the chosen tribe to minister in
connection
with the sanctuary and what it contained, and although the ark
was in
transit to its resting place, its safe conduct should have been
left to the
Levites.
Ø
A severe punishment. “The Lord smote him… there he died before
God.” The
penalty seems at first view disproportionate. Yet it was both
what might have been anticipated and what was necessary to
produce a
wholesome impression. That it did produce awe and trembling there
can
be no question. The severe judgment tempered the national
rejoicing and
even altered the purpose of the king as to the residence of the
ark of the
Lord.
with the general lesson of:
Ø
God’s displeasure
with disobedience. The Scriptures are full of
lessons illustrating this principle; they begin on its first page
and continue
to its last. There is a more special lesson, viz.:
Ø
That unspiritual men should not
meddle with spiritual things. In
carnal and worldly motives should not be allowed to intrude and
to
influence their affairs. Let those be clean who bear the vessels of
the
Lord. The profane cannot with impunity discharge sacred
functions.
Let sinners spared by
Divine mercy adore the forbearance and loving-
Kindness of the Lord, and “seek Him whilst he may be found, and
call upon Him whilst he is near.” (Isaiah 55:6)
11 “And
David was displeased,” - The Hebrew root. (hr;j;) betokens a mixture
of
anger and grief. It is the word used of Jonah in Jonah 4:1,9, and perhaps our
English word “vexed” or “hurt,” would convey its meaning - “because the
LORD had made a breach” - literally, had broken forth a breaking forth
on
Uzza; i.e. had
fiercely broken forth on Uzza. There are many exactly
analogous uses of both verb and noun in the Hebrew -“upon Uzza:
wherefore
that place is called Perez-uzza
to this day.” This phrase, also found in
the
parallel place, indicates the lapse of time from the historical point of
time to the point of record.
12 “And
David was afraid of God that day, saying, How shall I bring
the ark of God home to me?” 13 So David
brought not the ark home to
himself to the city of
the Gittite. 14
And the ark of God
remained with the family of Obededom
in his house three months. And the LORD
blessed the house of Obededom,
and all that he had.” Obed-edom the Gittite. That Obed-edom is called “the
Gittite,” i.e. of Gath-rimmon, a
Levite city of
indicate that there was another Obed-edom,
from whom to distinguish him. Such a
one
would appear readily to offer in the name of Obed-edom,
son of Jeduthun, a
“Merarite Levite” (ch. 15:18-24; 16:5,38; 26:4-15).
But the difficulty occurs that
an
expression in this last quotation seems to identify him with the Obed-edom of <
II Samuel 6:11; and the last sentence of our next verse. If
they are one and the
same, it has been suggested that marriage might account for the Merarite living in a
Kohathite city (see ‘Speaker’s Commentary’ on II Samuel 6:10).
Obededom’s blessing
(v. 14)
The subject introduced here is “God
in the home, God cherished in the
home, and God blessing the home.” God was pleased to teach
symbols, by incidents, by personal experiences, and
by actions, as well as
by
words. There is given a picture of Obed-edom’s
home, and we see that
God’s cherished presence is assured blessing for the heart
and the home.
REALIZED. Man can be, and know that he is, THE
OF THE LIVING
GOD! The possibility of this is the assurance
given us in THE INCARNATION
OF CHRIST! God can dwell
with men; for He has dwelt in the “Man
Christ Jesus.”
fearing the Divine removal, prays, “Take
not thy Holy Spirit from me”
(Psalm 51:11). We cherish the Divine
indwelling by:
Ø
daily openness;
Ø
dependence; and
Ø
prayer;
but especially by daily
following, in simplicity and loyalty,
the consequent
inward Divine leadings.
CHRISTIANITY, It is THE PRESENCE OF JESUS CHRIST
and
from the records of His earthly life we know what an INFINITE
HELP THAT
PRESENCE CAN BE! Our Lord promised, “I will
come to him, and sup with him” (Revelation 3:20), and He left
this last
assurance, “Lo, I am with
you alway, even unto the end of the
world.” (Matthew 28:20)
BENEDICTIONS.
It does not ensure freedom from care, but it does our
sanctification through the care. We cannot be alone in any
trouble. It
brings a gracious actual reward of
Ø
soul-prosperity;
Ø
family peace and success.
Let us plead for
the recognition of God in the home, by maintaining
the habit of family prayer.
Household Blessing (v. 14)
“Prosperity,” says Lord Bacon, “is the blessing of the old
covenant,
adversity of the new.” Certainly Old Testament Scripture abounds in
instances of temporal abundance, fertility, and happiness,
represented as
proofs of the favor of the Most High. In the text Obed-edom is recorded
to have received the ark into his house, and with it to
have received an
abundant blessing upon himself and upon all that pertained to
him.
us, a regard for
what was God’s. But this was doubtless an expression of
regard for God Himself.
The Divine Searcher of hearts and Judge of all
sanctions this principle; and although we can
give nothing, SAVE OUR
HEARTS to God (“My son, give me thy heart.”- Proverbs
23:26), we
can give to His people much that is acceptable to Him. Our Lord Jesus often
puts this motive before His disciples. What we do we are to do for His
sake;
and what we do to His people we are deemed to do for Him. (Matthew
25:
40,45) Still, as in the olden days, God honors those
that honor Him.
(I Samuel 2:30)
blesses in themselves — in their own persons. He enriches them
with
spiritual knowledge; He reveals to them His favor;
He fits them for His
service. He bestows upon them relative blessings. As God blessed the
house of Obed-edom, so there is no
more delightful way in which He
reveals his favor to His people than by visiting in mercy those
most dear to
them — encompassing them with the protection of His providence,
and
bringing them to a knowledge of his grace and love. He blesses them
in
their possessions; sometimes, according to the Hebrew saying, “in their
basket and their store”
(Deuteronomy 28:5), but always by granting them
grace to make a sanctified use of all they have. Let all unite
in the prayer,
“God be merciful
unto us, and bless us, and
cause His face to shine
upon us!” (Psalm 67:1)
house of Obed-edom three months, and “the Lord blessed the house
of Obed-edom, and all that he
had.” Why was this? Obed-edom was a
Levite. He had been prepared of God to minister before it. None but a
prepared heart can enjoy Christ. The ark was at home with
Obed-edom, and he with it.
So it is always with Christ and His people. But
God not only blessed Obed-edom and his family; the significant words are
added, “and all that he had.” Everything went right
with Obed-edom, in
his house, his family, his duties, his joys, and his sorrows, BECAUSE THE
right with you? Because Christ has not his right place in your heart?
in your affections? In your home? in your duties? and in all you have?
Let Christ be in
all, and
then it
cannot but be with you as it was with
Obed-edom, “the Lord blessed
his house, and all that he had.”
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