2 Samuel 6:1-11
Little Philip was walking home in the rain with his
mother following Sunday worship. It finally
stopped raining as they rounded the corner, where
to their surprise and delight appeared a vivid
double rainbow in the sky.
“Doesn’t it look like an artist painted this
rainbow?” his mother exclaimed. “I bet God
painted this just for you!”
“Yes,” replied Philip, “God did it, and he did it left
handed.”
Confused, his mother asked him, “What makes you
say God did this with his left hand?”
“Well,” said Philip, “we learned in Sunday School
that Jesus sits on God’s right hand.”
This morning we are going to read about David
attempting to bring the ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem.
This is another one of those texts that helps us
understand that even though David is a man after God’s
own heart, he doesn’t always get things right. It’s
encouraging since we don’t always get things right either.
Let’s take a few minutes to ask God to show us the truth
from His word. Let’s ask Him to remove any distractions
and prepare us to hear exactly what He wants us to learn
this morning.
2 Samuel 6:1-5
David Seeks the Ark
David gathers 30,000 men to go retrieve the ark of the
covenant that has been in the house of Abinadab for over
50 years. Abinadab lived about 6 miles northwest of
Jerusalem. The place is called Balle-Judah, it is also
known as Kiriath-Jearim.
Why is the ark of the covenant so important?
It represents the presence of God.
Exodus 25:21-22 “And you shall put the mercy seat
on the top of the ark, and in the ark you shall put
the testimony that I shall give you. There I will
meet with you, and from above the mercy seat,
from between the two cherubim that are on the ark
of the testimony, I will speak with you about all
that I will give you in commandment for the people
of Israel.”
It contains the 10 Commandments
It is also a reminder of the covenant relationship between
God and His people.
In these verses we see what happens when we fail to
consult God before making important decisions.
David’s 2 Errors
Failed to Consult God
I Chronicles 13:1-4 describes this same story but gives
valuable insight
“David consulted with the commanders of
thousands and of hundreds, with every leader. And
David said to all the assembly of Israel, “If it seems
good to you and from the LORD our God, let us
send abroad to our brothers who remain in all the
lands of Israel, as well as to the priests and Levites
in the cities that have pasturelands, that they may
be gathered to us. Then let us bring again the ark
of our God to us, for we did not seek it in the days
of Saul.” All the assembly agreed to do so, for the
thing was right in the eyes of all the people.”
Previously David has prayed to God asking Him if he
should go up against the Philistines. God answered him
that time.
Why doesn’t David pray and seek the Lord’s guidance on
bringing back the ark of the covenant?
We must remember that the majority is not always right,
but God is always right.
Whose guidance are we seeking? God’s or mans?
David’s second error was that he:
Failed to Follow God’s Commands for transporting the
ark.
God had given Israel very specific instructions on how to
transport the ark in Exodus 25:14-15 “And you shall
put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark
to carry the ark by them, The poles shall remain in
the rings of the ark; they shall not be taken from
it.”
But this is not how Uzzah and Ahio were transporting it.
They put it on a new cart and brought it out of the house
of Abinadab.
Where would they have gotten this idea?
I Samuel 6:2,7-8 “And the Philistines called for the
priests and the diviners and said, ‘What shall we do
with the ark of the Lord? Tell us with what we shall
send it to its place.
Now then, take and prepare a new cart and two
milk cows on which there has never come a yoke,
and yoke the cows to the cart, but take their calves
home, away from them.
And take the ark of the Lord and place it on the cart
and put in a box at its side the figures of gold,
which you are returning to him as a guilt offering.
Then send it off and let it go its way.”
The cart was the Philistines idea, not God’s plan
Do you remember how much trouble the ark caused the
Philistines?
It caused them to have many tumors, it made their god
Dagon fall facedown.
When God gives us specific instructions we should always
follow them. This is why we should read and memorize
God’s word.
He provides us guidance and direction for living according
to His plan.
David and his men were celebrating before the Lord with
songs and instruments. They were celebrating before
they realized how wrong they had behaved.
2 Samuel 6:6-11
Let me ask you a question.
Is God’s Judgment too Harsh?
Some people read this section of scripture and think God
is too harsh in his punishment of Uzzah for grabbing the
ark and keeping it from falling to the ground. They argue
that his intentions were good so why kill him?
Henry Morris writes
“good intentions do not justify disobedience to God’s
Word,”
The anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzzah because
he disobeyed a direct command of God found in Numbers
4:15 and also Exodus 25:14-15 that we read earlier.
The point being, God established guidelines for the
Israelites to follow and Uzzah disregarded it.
The ESV says the anger of the Lord was kindled against
Uzzah because of his error. I like how the NASB uses
irreverence rather than error.
Because of Uzzah’s irreverence God struck him dead.
What if God didn’t punish sin?
That would mean that He isn’t just.
That would mean that there is no consequence for our
sin.
God punishes sin to show us the seriousness of it.
This makes the work of Jesus on the cross that much
more impactful.
Jesus endured God’s wrath so that those who believe in
Him would not have to. Isn’t that incredible?
The Bible tells us that David responded with two
emotions.
David’s Response to God’s Judgment of Uzzah
Anger – David’s anger was not at the Lord, but at what
happened. I presume he felt responsible because it was
his idea to go get the ark and now a man is dead.
David named the place after what happened as a
reminder of what happens when we are irreverent
towards God.
Afraid – rather than having a reverent fear of God, David
is showing a dread of God. Fear of the Lord should draw
us closer to God, not farther from Him. David is now
questioning how he can take the ark with him.
God had made it very clear that He wants our obedience.
The Bible tells us that the consequence of sin is death.
We presume on the Lord’s grace and patience when we
think we deserve anything but His wrath.
People think it is narrow minded to claim that Jesus is the
only way to heaven.
They think that as long as they have a good heart or do
enough good deeds that God should surely allow them
into heaven.
But this is not what the Scripture teaches.
The Scriptures tell us that we have all sinned and fallen
short of God’s glory. There is none righteous, not one.
But it also tells us that the gift of God is eternal life
through Christ Jesus our Lord.
Those who place their trust in Jesus and ask Him to
forgive their sin will be forgiven.
The only name by which we are saved is the name of
Jesus.
APPLICATION
Seek God’s Guidance
Strive to Obey