LESSON 7: David and the Ark of the
Covenant, His Family, and War with Philistia (1 CHR. 13-14)
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.[1]
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.[2]
Not only
was Jerusalem to be the capital of the kingdom, it was to be the center of
religion. David now sought to bring the ark back to the people of God. He
consulted with his officers and resolved to restore the ark to its rightful
place. The ark had always been sacred. It was from between the two cherubim on
the ark that Jehovah had promised to commune with his people (Exo. 25:21-22).
This sacred object was carried around the walls of Jericho. Later the ark was
carried into battle, and the Philistines captured it, carried it through their
cities, and even placed it in the temple of Dagon, the god of the Philistines.
Later the inhabitants of Beth-shemesh looked into the chest and the Lord smote
them with a great slaughter (1 Sam. 6:19). After this incident the ark was
moved to Kirjath-jearim and placed in the house of Abinadab. Here it stayed and
was forgotten for fifty years. During the days of Saul, they "inquired not
at it" (1 Chr. 13:3).[3]
The
village where the ark was located is called by various names in the
Bible record. Baalah, Kiriath-jearim, Kiriath-baa1 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.[4]
The moving
of the ark must have been a momentous occasion, for David took thirty thousand
of his chosen men to accompany the ark as it was moved back to its rightful
place. The Word of God had been explicit concerning the handling of the ark. It
was to be covered, staves were to be inserted in its rings, and it was to be
carried on the shoulders of the sons of Kohath (Num. 4:5-6, 15; 7:9). Kohath
was a son of Levi and the head of the Kohathite family (Gen. 46:11; Exo.
6:16-18). Not only did David fail to carry the ark on the staves borne upon the
shoulders of the priests, but he had it placed on a cart, clearly violating the
command of Exodus 25:14-15.
Two sons
of Abinadab (Uzza and Ahio) walked beside the cart as the ark was being moved.
As the oxen stumbled Uzza sought to steady the ark and was immediately struck
dead because of his error (2 Sam. 6:6-11). This so startled David that the ark
was placed in the house of Obed-edom for three months and God blessed him and
all that he had. There was a need for David to examine himself and make sure
that he was following God's desire.[5]
CHAPTER 14
1 Chr. 14
deals with the period associated with the possession of the city of Jerusalem
(cf. 2 Sam. 5:11-25). There is no record that David had had any association
with the king of Tyre previous to the opening verses of 1 Chronicles 14. When
David made Jerusalem his capitol, Hiram sent to him a great company of workmen
and materials with which to build David's house (2 Sam. 5:11). Later he also
befriended Solomon, and provided supplies and men for the building of the
temple (2 Chr. 2:3-16). As David saw this contribution, he also felt that God
was blessing him as the king of Israel. The providence of God is ever present
in the lives of those who love and honor Him.[6]
The text
says that David "took more wives at Jerusalem" (1 Chr. 14:3-7). 1
Chr. 3:1-4 lists the children born to him at Hebron, and now we read that he
took more wives at Jerusalem and he begat more sons and daughters. It is
interesting to notice that, with his rise in power, David sought to satisfy
himself with this sin. It cannot be successfully argued that God approved of
David's actions. God had already given a law concerning adultery (Exo. 20:14;
Lev. 20:10). Neither this law, nor any others, was set aside to give special favor
to David. This is clear in the teaching of 2 Sam. 12:1-14. God did not approve
of David's having multiple wives (Gen. 2:23-24; Matt. 19:4-9).[7]
In 1 Chr.
14:8-17 we learn that David's rise to power brought dismay to the Philistines.
After Isbosheth's death they had taken a firm grip on the central area of
Palestine. As David had consolidated all Israel they must have felt threatened
by this one ruler. They knew that if they could destroy David they could
continue to dominate Canaan. With this intent they went up against the army of
David.
David
inquired of God, "Shall I go up against the Philistines?" It is clear
that David had a great dependency upon the counsel of God, and God assured the
victory for Israel. But again, we read in 1 Chronicles 14:13 that the enemy
came up against David, and once again David inquired of God concerning the
strategy for victory. God gave instruction and victory was assured. We must be
impressed with the fact that on two occasions a battle was to be fought, and
that on each occasion God gave specific instructions. These directives were
followed and victory was the result.
Throughout
the Word of God instruction is given. These instructions must not be altered or
canceled. For example, Noah built an ark to save his family. Gen. 6:22 states,
"Thus did Noah: according to all that God commanded him, so did he."
Man is blessed as he walks in God's way (Ps. 128:1; 25:4; Prov. 14:12).[8]
[1] Robert E.
Black. The Books of Chronicles in
Bible Study Textbook Series. Joplin, MO: College Press, 1991.
[2]
Pfeiffer, Charles F.,
The Biblical World, Baker Book House, Grand Rapids, MI, 1966, pp.
309-323.
[3]
Toney L. Smith. “The Early Days of David’s Reign” in Studies in 1, 2 Kings and 1, 2 Chronicles. Ed. By Dub McClish,
Denton, TX: Valid Publications, Inc., 1993.
[4]
Pfeiffer, Charles F.,
The Biblical World, Baker Book House, Grand Rapids, MI, 1966, p.
16
[5]
Toney L. Smith. “The Early Days of David’s Reign” in Studies in 1, 2 Kings and 1, 2 Chronicles. Ed. By Dub McClish,
Denton, TX: Valid Publications, Inc., 1993.
[6]
Ibid.
[7]
Ibid.
[8]
Ibid.
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