1 Chronicles 13:14

And the Lord blessed the house of Obed-edom, and all that he had.

The selection of the house of Obed-edom

Why was the house of Obed-edom selected for the three months’ sojourn of the ark? The choice of the ark’s resting-place was David’s first-fruits of repentance. He was terrified at the judgment upon their act of disobedience to the law, which enjoined that none but the Levites of the family of Kohath should bear it, and that upon their shoulders, too; and they at once retraced their steps, so far as they could by conveying the sacred emblem to the house of Obed-edom, the Gittite, that is of Gath. This city was distinguished from several other towns of the same name by the addition of Gath-rimmon (Joshua 24:21). It was not only one of the cities of the Levites in general, but of the Kohathites in particular, the very family to whom was specially assigned the post of “bearing the ark upon their shoulders.” From 1 Chronicles 15:18 we find that Obededom was actually one of the “porters” employed to bear upon their shoulders, instead of in a cart, after the manner of the idolatrous Philistines, the sacred symbol of the presence of the Lord of hosts on the occasion of its final translation to Jerusalem. (Joseph B. Owen, M. A.)

The house of Obed-edom

I. The service which Obed-edom rendered.

II. The spirit in which he performed the service.

III. The reward which he gained.

1. A personal blessing.

2. A social blessing.

3. An extensive blessing.

None suffer whose guest is the ark of God. Piety is the best friend to prosperity. (J. Wolfendale.)

Churches blessing or a curse

I. What was this ark of God?

1. It was a sign of the covenant God had made with His people.

2. It was a record of God’s dealings with them under all their rebellions.

3. It was an instrument of communion between Him and them.

II. How was this ark to be treated, and what was the consequnce of its presence?

1. See what it was amongst the heathen (1 Samuel 5:4; 1 Samuel 5:11).

2. See what it was amongst God’s own people, when they made themselves like unto the Gentiles and learned their works (1 Samuel 6:19; 1 Samuel 7:8). In the sight of these judgments we may plainly see that the mere having among them the appointed sign and instrument of God’s presence was no blessing, but the having it for a lawful use, and the treating it after a godly manner. God’s ark was a blessing where it was duly prized; its presence was a blessing or a curse according to the character of those it visited.

III. Those churches which adorn our land are the signs of God’s presence, as the ark was of old. What blesses any district as thus bringing home to it the presence of God? What is the effect on ungodly and irreverent men of seeing and attending churches? It brings down on them God’s heavy judgments. (Bishop Samuel Wilberforce.)

The blessing of God upon those who honour His institutions

The ark was a small elegant chest, which contained the two tables of the law--the Hebrew Bible--written by the finger of God. This was probably the first alphabetical writing in the world. Though the Egyptians and other heathen nations used to employ hieroglyphics, to record past events, and denote the actions and intellectual and moral qualities of men, yet they were totally ignorant of letters which compose words and sentences by their particular sounds. Obed-edom knew that the ark contained the written Word of God, and esteemed it, as David did, “better unto him than thousands of gold and silver.” The subject is that God will bless those families who treat His Word with proper respect. I shall show:

I. That they ought to treat it with proper respect. Observe--

1. That every family ought to have the Word of God in their house.

2. Parents should read it seriously every day in their families.

3. The Bible ought to be read in a family with a view to understand it.

4. The Bible is to be read and heard in a family with a sincere desire and intention to do whatsoever God has commanded.

II. That if they do read and hear the bible with such proper respect God will bless them.

1. Because such pious families are the preservers of the Word of God.

2. Because they lay the greatest check and restraint upon every species of irreligion and impiety. No evil practices can be found in any family who daily read and love and obey the Bible.

3. God will bless pious families because they are the important instruments of promoting and transmitting pure religion from generation to generation.

Improvement.

1. It is the wisdom as well as duty of every family to pay a cordial and sacred regard to the Bible.

2. Those families that neglect these duties have reason to expect the frowns of Heaven upon them.

3. If those families only are religious who pay proper respect to the Word of God, then there is ground to conclude that there are many families in this place who are not religious.

4. How important it is that heads of families should be truly religious.

5. The great criminality of irreligious children who have been religiously educated. (N. Emmons, D. D.)

The house of Obed-edom

The ark was the symbol of God’s presence. Every truly Christian household now had the blessing that so enriched the home of Obed-edom. The subject is--Religion in the home.

I. It is a power of fulfilment. Religion is the sole power of fulfilment in regard to the very purpose and idea of home. A house may be full of persons who are very dear to each other, very kind to each other; full of precious things--affections, hopes, living interests; but if God is not there as the Ruler and Father of the house, the original and true idea of home will not be realised; vacancy and need will still be at the heart of all. Good things will grow feebly and uncertainly, like flowers in winter, trying to peep out into the sunshine, yet shrinking from the blast. Evil things will grow with strange persistency. Little things will produce great distresses. It will be as when a man of ingenuity tries in vain to put together the separated parts of a complicated piece of mechanism. He tries it this way and that, puts the pieces into every conceivable mode of arrangement, then at last stops and says, “There must be a piece wanting.” Home without the Divine presence is at best a moral structure with the central element wanting.

II. It is a principle of harmony. Religion is the only principle of harmony in the endeavour after this highest and best home life. It supplies the missing element which unites and quickens all the rest. It conducts its progress as a regulative force. It is hot contended that the principle bears all its proper fruits, and that every Christian home is a scene of unbroken harmony. Some Christian homes are very peaceful. One enters them with the same kind of soothed and comforted feeling with which a traveller, after a toilsome walk over the breezy hills, comes down on a little placid lake, hardly ruffled by the breeze, and fringed with freshest green. Others again are more troubled. But we must not hastily conclude that the uniformly placid house is really further advanced in the harmonies of Christian living than some others which are less serene. It may be so; but it may also be quite the reverse. Sometimes the jarrings are brought out just by the endeavours after the higher harmonies. Failures are more apparent if the efforts are high. The dearest harmonies in all the social life of men are sounding only in the Christian home; and those imperfections of which some make so much, and of which no one ought to make too little, are, after all, but like the flitting shadows of a sunny day--but like the chafing of the stream as it rushes against the rocky barrier on its passage to the peaceful plains which it will fertilise, or to the depths of ocean where it will rest.

III. Religion in the house is a source of prosperity. Life in the present day is more complex; it has greater interests, heavier tasks and higher prizes. The Lord still blesses the house of Obed-edom and all that he has.

1. Character.

2. Plans of usefulness.

3. Controversies with evil principles and with evil men.

4. Reverses. A thoughtful, earnest man now feels himself connected with politics--law--battles--civilisation--churches--religion--life in all its phases. He has some stake, some property in all these things, and in proportion to the earnestness and greatness of his mind, he will feel that these are the real interests of his life, for which he needs “blessing” from the Lord.

IV. Religion in the house of a good man, is likely to be a legacy to his children. In the piety of the living, and in the laws of Christian family life, he makes provision for what we may call the transmission of religion to those who shall come after. In the rule of their house, and in the spirit of their life, godly parents are casting the forms which will be peopled and animated with the future “families of Israel.” (A. Raleigh, D. D.)