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February 4, 2024
- By Ed Powell
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"He and all his men set out from Baale of Judah to bring up from there the ark of God....They set the ark of God on a new cart." 2 Samuel 6:2,3
David vowed, "I will allow no sleep to my eyes, no slumber to my eyelids, till I find a place for the Lord, a dwelling for the Mighty One of Israel." He was resolved to establish a resting place for the ark of God where Jehovah could be celebrated and worshiped. David acted with a full heart, with deep sincere longings after God, but his hopes were soon dashed to the ground. David had ignored the definite instructions about moving the ark. It was to be "carried upon the shoulders of the sons of Kohath," not on a new cart pulled by oxen. God's judgment fell upon Uzzah, when he sought to steady the ark and God smote him.
When David sought to move the ark of God, nothing is said of David "seeking the Lord." This was a very solemn and sacred occasion that must be observed by the explicit directions God had given. Should we wonder at what follows? If God's blessing is not sought, how can it be rightly expected? If prayer does not precede our best actions, what will they amount to? If, in any of our ways, God does not have "preeminence," we should not be surprised if they lead to disaster. David's desire was holy, his purpose was pure, his objective to honor God was proper, but he went about it in the "ways of man" rather than following the "precepts of God," and the results were devastating. It is not sufficient to have a worthy purpose and a proper spirit; the "work of God and our walk with God" must be done in "God's prescribed way." Anything other than that is but the expression of "self-will."
David realized that proper preparation must precede holy activities. Isaiah said. "Be ye clean that bear the vessels of the Lord." David is conscious of and acknowledges his past failures. "The Lord our God made a breach upon us for that we sought him not after due order." "And it was so, that when they that bare the ark had gone six paces, he sacrificed oxen and fatlings. And David danced before the Lord with all his might." Hezekiah had the same experience when he took the throne and immediately sought to cleanse the house of God. After everything was cleansed, repaired, and put in its proper place, "Hezekiah gave the order to sacrifice the burnt offering on the altar. As the sacrifice offering began, singing to the Lord began also, accompanied by trumpets."
How symbolic, how instructive, how true this scene. Before we can experience the presence and power of the hand of God in our lives, we too must take our place, "identifying ourselves with the Lamb upon the altar," who was "made sin" for us, who today is the "burnt offering" that is sufficient for our cleansing and reconciliation. When self-will and sin are placed upon the altar and consumed by the cleansing fire of God, the "song of the Lord" will begin in our lives, resounding with the trumpets of God! Just prior to entering Jerusalem, David cried out, "Lift up your heads, O you gates, be lifted up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. Who is he, this King of Glory? The Lord Almighty, He is the King of Glory!"(Psalm 24:7,10).
© 2007 by Ed Powell. Used by permission.
This page was reprinted by permission from: http://litmin.org/dare.php?date=2024-02-04
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