1 Chronicles 13:1-14

LESSON SIX 13-14

DAVID AND THE ARK OF THE COVENANT DAVID'S FAMILY WAR WITH PHILISTIA.
6. THE ARK AND OBED-EDOM (Chapter 13)

INTRODUCTION

David's desire to make Jerusalem a holy city is now evident, so the ark was brought to Jerusalem. The Philistines were never victorious in their encounters with David. Their gods failed them and they fled before the mighty invisible army of Jehovah.

TEXT

1 Chronicles 13:1. And David consulted with the captains of thousands and of hundreds, even with every leader. 2. And David said unto all the assembly of Israel, If it seem good unto you, and if it be of Jehovah our God, let us send abroad everywhere unto our brethren that are left in all the land of Israel, with whom the priests and Levites are in their cities that have suburbs, that they may gather themselves unto us; 3. and let us bring again the ark of our God to us: for we sought not unto it in the days of Saul. 4. And all the assembly said that they would do so; for the thing was right in the eyes of all the people. 5. So David assembled all Israel together, from the Shihor the brook of Egypt even unto the entrance of Hamath, to bring the ark of God from Kiriath-jearim. 6. And David went up, and all Israel, to Baalah, that is, to Kiriath-jearim, which belonged to Judah, to bring up from thence the ark of God Jehovah that sitteth above the cherubim, that is called by the Name. 7. And they carried the ark of God upon a new cart, and brought it out of the house of Abinadab: and Uzza and Ahio drove the cart. 8. And David and all Israel played before God with all their might, even with songs, and with harps, and with psalteries, and with timbrels, and with cymbals, and with trumpets.

9. And when they came unto the threshing-floor of Chidon, Uzza put forth his hand to hold the ark; for the oxen stumbled. 10. And the anger of Jehovah was kindled against Uzza, and he smote him, because he put forth his hand to the ark; and there he died before God. 11. And David was displeased, because Jehovah had broken forth upon Uzza: and he called that place Perezuzza, unto this day. 12. And David was afraid of God that day, saying, How shall I bring the ark of God home to me? 13. So David removed not the ark unto him into the city of David, but carried it aside into the house of Obed-edom the Gittite. 14, And the ark of God remained with the family of Obed-edom in his house three months: and Jehovah blessed the house of Obed-edom, and all that he had.

PARAPHRASE

1 Chronicles 13:1. After David had consulted with all his army officers, 2. he addressed the assembled men of Israel as follows: Since you think that I should be your king, and since the Lord our God has given his approval, let us send messages to our brothers throughout the land of Israel, including the priests and Levites, inviting them to come and join us. 3. And let us bring back the Ark of our God, for we have been neglecting it ever since Saul became king. 4. There was unanimous consent, for everyone agreed with him. 5. So David summoned the people of Israel from all across the nation so that they could be present when the Ark of God was brought from Kiriath-jearim. 6. Then David and all Israel went to Baalah (i.e., Kiriath-jearmin) in Judah to bring back the Ark of the Lord God enthroned above the angels. 7. It was taken from the house of Abinadab on a new cart. Uzza and Ahio drove the oxen. 8. Then David and all the people danced before the Lord with great enthusiasm, accompanied by singing and by zithers, harps, tambourines, cymbals, and trumpets.

9. But as they arrived at the threshing-floor of Chidon, the oxen stumbled and Uzza reached out his hand to steady the Ark. 10. Then the anger of the Lord blazed out against Uzza, and killed him because he had touched the Ark, And so he died there before God. 11. David was angry at the Lord for what he had done to Uzza, and he named the place The Outbreak Against Uzza. And it is still called that today. 12. Now David was afraid of God and asked, How shall I ever get the Ark of God home? 13. Finally he decided to take it to the home of Obed-edom the Gittite instead of bringing it to the City of David. 14. The Ark remained there with the family of Obed-edom for three months, and the Lord blessed him and his family.

COMMENTARY

Having explained how David had become commander-in-chief over the great army of Israel and how he had been duly anointed king over a great united kingdom, the historian now turns to David's establishment of Jerusalem as a holy city.[28] David demonstrated wise leadership when he counseled with properly constituted officers who represented the people. As early as Moses-' day responsible men had been selected to help Moses bear the burdens of leadership (Exodus 18:13-27). This probably was the historical basis for the Sanhedrin, or the high court of the Jews, which continued to function in the days of Jesus-' earthly ministry. David spoke also to the whole assembly of Israel and took the people into his confidence. His government was not to be that of an autocrat or a tyrant. Moreover, he was concerned about the will of God. If it be of Jehovah our God, we will bring the ark of God into Jerusalem. David knew the failures of Saul's kingship. He wanted to build the nation of Israel on the solid foundation of seeking out and doing God's will. If Jerusalem is to be the capital, then David thought that the center of worship should be located there. He had to be certain that Jehovah was directing any action he might take. Consideration was given to the priests and Levites. These had been appointed to sacred service by Jehovah. The ark of the covenant would immediately concern these religious leaders so they are specifically invited to this national gathering.

[28] Pfeiffer, Charles F., The Biblical World, pp. 309-323.

The ark of the covenant had been in the tabernacle at Shiloh for years (Joshua 18:1). In the days of Eli and Samuel the Philistines captured the ark of the covenant. The power of Jehovah through this scared chest wrought havoc in the cities in Philistia (1 Samuel 4:1-4; 1 Samuel 4:11; 1 Samuel 4:22; 1 Samuel 5:1-10; 1 Samuel 6:9-13). Plagued by their idolatry and superstition, the Philistines suffered greatly before they decided to relinquish the ark and send it back with golden tumors and golden mice. The ark came back to Bethshemesh in Judah. The people of Judah were so glad to see it, but in their rejoicing they dared to become too familiar with it. A great slaughter followed (1 Samuel 6:19). The ark was then taken to the house of Abinadab in Kiriath-jearim, a village just west of Jerusalem. The ark remained there, separated from the tabernacle, until David's day. To this place David brought all Israel so that the ark might be brought into Jerusalem. In the meantime, after the ark had been removed from the tabernacle at Shiloh, the tabernacle had been moved to the village of Nob on the outskirts of Jerusalem. The ark and the tabernacle would never be re-united until they were both brought into Solomon's Temple.

A great assembly was called together for this sacred occasion (1 Chronicles 13:5). The record in 2 Samuel 6:1-2 number thirty thousand of the chosen men of Israel. The term Shihor according to Gesenius is from a root meaning turbid or black. The River of Egypt, the modern Wady el-Arish, marked the southwestern boundary of Palestine. It flowed into the Mediterranean south and west of the Brook Besor and the Cherethite country south of Philistia, The Nile also is on occasion referred to as Shihor. The intention of the author here is to indicate the all-inclusive character of the assembly as people came from the farthest boundaries on the south and west to the farthest boundaries in the north. Hamath was about three hundred miles to the north from Jerusalem on the Orontes river in Syria. This must have involved sending runners to these distant places with summons for all Hebrews to attend this sacred meeting.

The village where the ark was located is called by various names in the Bible record. Baalah, Kiriath-jearim, Kiriath-baal all refer to the same place. At one time this must have been a center of Baal worship. Kiriath means city of or village. Kiriath-jearim signifies a village of forests. The exact location is not known, but it is generally located about eight and one-half miles north of Jerusalem.[29] The account we are now studying assigns the village to Judah. In earlier times it was named in connection with Gibeon and other Hivite villages.

[29] Pfeiffer, Charles F., The Biblical World, Baker Book House, Grand Rapids, Mich., 1966, p. 16.

The combination of the terms God and Jehovah in this particular order is rare in the Scriptures. The Hebrew names involved are Elohim (God) and Yahweh (Jehovah). Elohim is used over two thousand times in the Old Testament and presents God as the all-powerful Creator and Sustainer. Yahweh was the name God chose for Himself when He sent Moses into Egypt to deliver Israel. By this term God is designated as the only existent deity who is in covenant relationship with His people. The Hebrews who loved God held His name in highest reverence. On occasion they feared even to attempt to pronounce His name Yahweh lest they blaspheme His name by mispronunciation They coined another term, Ha-shem or Shem, which they used in reference to Him. This term is used in 1 Chronicles 13:6 and is translated the Name. The focal point of God's glory was between wings of the cherubim just over the ark of the covenant. There seemed to have been no lack of reverence for God on David's part on this occasion. No explanation is given as to why Kohathite Levites were not designated to carry the ark on their shoulders as they had done by divine appointment in the days of Moses and Joshua. Had this been done at this time, the accident involving Uzza would have been avoided. No charge is brought against David in this matter. The new cart would seem to be a poor substitute for personal attention by the priests. The fact that the cart was new is probably emphasized to clarify the point that the cart was built especially to bear this holy treasure. Abinadab lived in Kiriath-jearim and had graciously consented to provide a place for the ark of the covenant through several years after it had been returned from Philistia. Uzza and Ahio (2 Samuel 6:3; 2 Samuel 6:6) were sons or grandsons of Abinadab. Eleazar was Abinadab's eldest son (1 Samuel 7:1). Uzza and Ahio were charged with the responsibility of managing the oxen and the cart with its precious cargo. It was a happy day, a time for laughing, rejoicing, singing. The songs were accompanied with a full orchestration of musical instruments. David led in all of the religious exercises of the day.

The death of Uzza very abruptly ended the ceremonies of what had been a very happy occasion. As the procession moved up the road toward Jerusalem everything was in good order until they came to the threshing floor of Chidon (Nacon2 Samuel 6:6). The two names most likely refer to the same place. A threshing floor would measure from fifty to one hundred feet in diameter and would be located so as to take advantage of the wind in separating the grain from the straw. Places of importance were often designated by familiar objects such as great rocks, trees, or as in this instance, a threshing floor. It may be that the procession stopped at this place for rest or worship. While they waited, the oxen shook the cart. Instinctively, Uzza reached out with hand to try to avert the disaster of the ark's being thrown to the ground.[30] Uzza's action caused his death. Staves were to remain in the ark at all times so it could be put on priests-' shoulders at a moment's notice and lead the line of march as Israel came to Canaan. Whether or not these handles were in the ark just now is not known. They were in the ark when it was later put in the Oracle in Solomon's Temple. Most likely, Uzza was not a priest. His action was one of undue familiarity with the most sacred vessel known to the Hebrews. Jehovah struck him down. What happened here should underscore God's attitude toward anyone who would profane sacred things. David's laughter turned to anger and grief. David was displeased with the whole turn of events. It would appear that he came dangerously close to passing judgment on Jehovah's action. If he was about to do this, he soon recovered, because the word says (1 Chronicles 13:12), David was afraid of God. He reverenced God and knew he had to accept what had happened. The threshing floor was then named Perez-uzza, or the breach of Uzza, because God's wrath had broken through on Uzza that day. David then decided not to attempt to take the ark into Jerusalem at this time. He may have thought that Uzza's death was God's way of telling him that the time was not yet right for this move. He found a man, Obed-edom the Gittite, who lived nearby and who would receive the ark into his house.[31] In this matter Obed-edom was taking considerable risk. The wrath of God could break out upon him. This great assembly broke up and everybody returned to his own place unsatisfied with regard to the disposition of the ark. Periodically in the days that followed David checked with Obed-edom. The ark remained in his house for three months. During this time Jehovah blessed the house of Obed-edom. There is no indication that David suffered any other reverses for not bringing the ark into Jerusalem. However, when it was apparent that the presence of the ark in a house did not bring death, David resumed his plans to bring the ark to the capital city.

[30] Spence, H. D. M., The Pulpit Commentary, I Chronicles, p. 196.

[31] Elmslie, W. A. L., The Interpreter's Bible, Vol. III, p. 394.