2 Samuel 6: The Ark comes to Jerusalem

Outline

• The ark of the covenant
• The God of the covenant
• The king of the covenant

Introduction

The domestication of God, familiarity with God, trivialising God, underestimating God, these are the sins of our ignorant and sinful hearts. The holiness of God is something we will always insult by our conceptions, our worship and our actions. Until we see Him and are worshipping in a perfected state we will always fall short of the glory He deserves. 2 Sam. 6 is a chapter which shows David and Israel doing the same thing. They made light of God, they did not fear Him and obey His word, and there were consequences.

2 Sam. 6 is an important chapter not only for the lessons it teaches us but because it is a major turning point in the history of Israel. One of the important things that was going to result from the Conquest of Canaan was a chosen place where God would insist that all Israel offer their sacrifices and celebrate the 3 annual feasts perpetually. Deut 12:2-7, ‘You shall surely destroy all the places where the nations whom you shall dispossess served their gods, on the high mountains and on the hills and under every green tree. You shall tear down their altars and dash in pieces their pillars and burn their Asherim with fire. You shall chop down the carved images of their gods and destroy their name out of that place. You shall not worship the LORD your God in that way. But you shall seek the place that the LORD your God will choose out of all your tribes to put his name and make his habitation there. There you shall go, and there you shall bring your burnt offerings and your sacrifices, your tithes and the contribution that you present, your vow offerings, your freewill offerings, and the firstborn of your herd and of your flock. And there you shall eat before the LORD your God, and you shall rejoice, you and your households, in all that you undertake, in which the LORD your God has blessed you.’ These chapters in Samuel are bringing to a head many of the things begun under Joshua. Defeating the Canaanites, enthroning a king, establishing a central place of worship, these are all brought together in David’s reign.

The moment of the ark heading to Jerusalem is the coming together of many things and the climax of many years of expectation. The fact that God ruins the parade is underlined all the more for this fact. Today as we consider this event we want to look at the ark, God’s holiness and king David in this event.