1 Chronicles 15

David has been chosen for blessing.  It seems that all David knows since his anointing is success and exaltation.  Sure there was all that business with Saul chasing him and having to live in a cave, but it is clear from Scripture that God’s hand of protection has been constantly with him.  The end result has been military success and a secure throne. After receiving so much attention and blessing from God, he wishes to move the symbol of God’s presence and covenant closer to home, more intimate, closer to God.  But as we saw in Chapter 13, perhaps David was a little presumptuous. Perhaps being surrounded by God blessing on the right and left caused Him forget about God’s holiness which thus led him to improperly carry the ark on a cart rather than on the shoulders of the Levites.  A seemingly harmless gesture from Uzza was all that was needed to mean death.  Uzza lie dead, and the music stopped. David now confused leaves the Ark in a nearby village.

Being king of Israel meant one is to ensure that the nation remains faithful to God’s word.  God’s blessing on David’s life does not give the green light to get lazy and forget about ceremony as one might with close friends.  At least in this point of God’s salvation history, the way into God’s inner sanctum is still not open, not until Jesus comes and fulfills all righteousness.  Even though David is the “anointed one”, a figure of Christ, he himself falls short to fulfill anything the law of God might require to allow people direct unveiled contact with God’s presence.  So his frustration is apparent.  Indeed! How shall he bring the ark in?  He won’t, but he will manage to bring it into Jerusalem.  But Jesus will bring His people into the very presence of God and enable us to stand before Him unashamed and free to approach God as His own children.  Jesus is the greater King.

David does fulfill a piece of what the Anointed will ultimately do, namely executing right judgement as God had commanded  concerning the handling of the Ark(v2).  This executive role fills the void of the Judges period where in those days there was no king and everyman did what was right in his own eyes. David thus corrects their mistake and the Ark is brought into the city.  It was a thing to be celebrated for sure.  This is the ark, the one piece of furniture that represented the presence of God and the relationship of their covenant with Him.    Both the presence and covenant of God is an occasion to celebrate, thus so we do corporately in our church gatherings.  emory the background of my current reading position.

Chapter 15 lands us in a tense scene where David has been given unprecedented victory, honour, and glory as a king and military leader, but is scared to death to move the Ark of God any closer to his throne.    He’s tried once and Uzza the priest unhappily touched the ark to steady it upon it’s oxen cart (using the cart was a breach of God’s directions in and of itself).  Uzza’s doom was quick and it had David somewhat confused why God would kill one of his servants in the midst of God’s apparent blessing.

The smaller theme here is the particular observance of God’s holiness even in the midst of God’s favor and blessing.  On the Old Testament side of the cross, a small breach could mean one’s life.  There are many places in the Scriptures like this a novice in reading would not readily understand for example laws the commanded the mingling of two kinds of garments.  To live under the law would have certainly been frustrating as it was for David on this day as he was trying simply to bring the Ark of God closer to home.  The Old Testament then implies a question of tension, how are we ever going to be reconciled to this God?  Even the king who God hand picks fails in the particulars, He may just have to come a do it Himself…