The Ark Finds a Home in Jerusalem

Linen Cloth from Qumran Probably Used to Cover Scrolls

Powerful reading this morning for me - hope I can share in a way that does justice to it!  So very many jump-off points.  Oh - to stay focused!  Pray with me?

Dear Jesus - You are truly worthy of all praise.  I praise You today that You invite all of us to get into the ark while there is time.  Help me see with Your eyes today and I claim the promise You have given that Your WORD will not return to You void.


In the Bible, there are many symbols used and there are reasons the Bible was written this way - a topic for another day.  :-)  Today I'm going to utilize 3 symbols that I hope are pretty familiar to all Bible students:  Jesus, His bride the church, and the marriage of Jesus to His bride.  So:  Jesus, marriage, woman.  We see these symbols throughout the book of Revelation.  However, in today's topic we will transition to 'types' or 'symbols' of these 3.

Today's topic:

• David - type of Jesus
• Michal - David's wife, type or symbol of the church as the bride of Jesus
• Marriage - David had many wives besides Michal.  The Christian church as the bride of Jesus is comprised of multiple denominations.

Back Story/Context:
These verses are each found at the end of the chapter recounting David's success at bringing the ark of the covenant from Obededom's home into Jerusalem.  David had humbled himself before God after his anger at the death of Uzzah during the previous attempt to move the ark.  And now - with the assurance God was with him, his humility and joy knew no bounds.

2 Samuel 6:16-17 and 1 Chronicles 16 recount the back story (NASB):
¹⁶ Then it happened as the ark of the Lord came into the city of David that Michal the daughter of Saul looked out of the window and saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord; and she despised him in her heart.

¹⁷ So they brought in the ark of the Lord and set it in its place inside the tent which David had pitched for it; and David offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord.

Now here we are going to 1 Chronicles 16 to get more details about what David actually did when the ark arrived in Jerusalem:

16 And they brought in the ark of God and placed it inside the tent which David had pitched for it, and they offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before God. ² When David had finished offering the burnt offering and the peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord. ³ He distributed to everyone of Israel, both man and woman, to everyone a loaf of bread and a portion of meat and a raisin cake.

⁴ He appointed some of the Levites as ministers before the ark of the Lord, even to celebrate and to thank and praise the Lord God of Israel: ⁵ Asaph the chief, and second to him Zechariah, then Jeiel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Mattithiah, Eliab, Benaiah, Obed-edom and Jeiel, with musical instruments, harps, lyres; also Asaph played loud-sounding cymbals, ⁶ and Benaiah and Jahaziel the priests blew trumpets continually before the ark of the covenant of God.

⁷ Then on that day David first assigned Asaph and his relatives to give thanks to the Lord.

Psalm of Thanksgiving

⁸ Oh give thanks to the Lord, call upon His name;
Make known His deeds among the peoples.
⁹ Sing to Him, sing praises to Him;
Speak of all His wonders.
¹⁰ Glory in His holy name;
Let the heart of those who seek the Lord be glad.
¹¹ Seek the Lord and His strength;
Seek His face continually.
¹² Remember His wonderful deeds which He has done,
His marvels and the judgments from His mouth,
¹³ O seed of Israel His servant,
Sons of Jacob, His chosen ones!
¹⁴ He is the Lord our God;
His judgments are in all the earth.
¹⁵ Remember His covenant forever,
The word which He commanded to a thousand generations,
¹⁶ The covenant which He made with Abraham,
And His oath to Isaac.
¹⁷ He also confirmed it to Jacob for a statute,
To Israel as an everlasting covenant,
¹⁸ Saying, “To you I will give the land of Canaan,
As the portion of your inheritance.”
¹⁹ When they were only a few in number,
Very few, and strangers in it,
²⁰ And they wandered about from nation to nation,
And from one kingdom to another people,
²¹ He permitted no man to oppress them,
And He reproved kings for their sakes, saying,
²² “Do not touch My anointed ones,
And do My prophets no harm.”
²³ Sing to the Lord, all the earth;
Proclaim good tidings of His salvation from day to day.
²⁴ Tell of His glory among the nations,
His wonderful deeds among all the peoples.
²⁵ For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised;
He also is to be feared above all gods.
²⁶ For all the gods of the peoples are idols,
But the Lord made the heavens.
²⁷ Splendor and majesty are before Him,
Strength and joy are in His place.
²⁸ Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the peoples,
Ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
²⁹ Ascribe to the Lord the glory due His name;
Bring an offering, and come before Him;
Worship the Lord in holy array.
³⁰ Tremble before Him, all the earth;
Indeed, the world is firmly established, it will not be moved.
³¹ Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice;
And let them say among the nations, “The Lord reigns.”
³² Let the sea roar, and all it contains;
Let the field exult, and all that is in it.
³³ Then the trees of the forest will sing for joy before the Lord;
For He is coming to judge the earth.
³⁴ O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good;
For His lovingkindness is everlasting.
³⁵ Then say, “Save us, O God of our salvation,
And gather us and deliver us from the nations,
To give thanks to Your holy name,
And glory in Your praise.”
³⁶ Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
From everlasting even to everlasting.

Then all the people said, “Amen,” and praised the Lord.

Worship before the Ark

³⁷ So he left Asaph and his relatives there before the ark of the covenant of the Lord to minister before the ark continually, as every day’s work required; ³⁸ and Obed-edom with his 68 relatives; Obed-edom, also the son of Jeduthun, and Hosah as gatekeepers. ³⁹ He left Zadok the priest and his relatives the priests before the tabernacle of the Lord in the high place which was at Gibeon, ⁴⁰ to offer burnt offerings to the Lord on the altar of burnt offering continually morning and evening, even according to all that is written in the law of the Lord, which He commanded Israel. ⁴¹ With them were Heman and Jeduthun, and the rest who were chosen, who were designated by name, to give thanks to the Lord, because His lovingkindness is everlasting. ⁴² And with them were Heman and Jeduthun with trumpets and cymbals for those who should sound aloud, and with instruments for the songs of God, and the sons of Jeduthun for the gate.

⁴³ Then all the people departed each to his house, and David returned to bless his household.

Wow - amazing event - serious party.  And here we pick up the story in 1 Samuel 6 verse 18-22:

¹⁸ When David had finished offering the burnt offering and the peace offering, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord of hosts. ¹⁹ Further, he distributed to all the people, to all the multitude of Israel, both to men and women, a cake of bread and one of dates and one of raisins to each one. Then all the people departed each to his house.

²⁰ But when David returned to bless his household, Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David and said, “How the king of Israel distinguished himself today! He uncovered himself today in the eyes of his servants’ maids as one of the foolish ones shamelessly uncovers himself!” ²¹ So David said to Michal, “It was before the Lord, who chose me above your father and above all his house, to appoint me ruler over the people of the Lord, over Israel; therefore I will celebrate before the Lord. ²² I will be more lightly esteemed than this and will be humble in my own eyes, but with the maids of whom you have spoken, with them I will be distinguished.” ²³ Michal the daughter of Saul had no child to the day of her death.
1 Chronicles 15:29 recounts this as just 1 verse and the sequence also born out in the account in 1 Samuel would seem to imply that Michal did 2 things:  1-she despised him in her heart, 2-she managed to hold onto that anger throughout the festival of praise to meet David upon his return with unbridled rage.

²⁹ It happened when the ark of the covenant of the Lord came to the city of David, that Michal the daughter of Saul looked out of the window and saw King David leaping and celebrating; and she despised him in her heart.

 Oh - this story is rich!  There is MUCH personal application I see for myself.  How about you?  I imagine your head is spinning with the awesomeness of this manna!  But - trying to contain myself - back to the point.  The points that struck me so forcibly this morning are:

• Jesus IS returning the ark of the covenant to His people today.  He is restoring it to the central position it SHOULD occupy.  This move is increasing with power.
• There are those within His bride (the church) who have not the appropriate appreciation for this work.  Am I one of them?
• If I am one of those within the church who cannot appreciate the beauty, the majesty, the praise due the law of God - I will find myself unable to bear fruit.

Dear Jesus - Help me to always keep in the front of my mind the reality which is that You have long extended Your message of mercy to this earth.  You first gave Noah the message of 'get into the ark of safety'.  You detailed the message during the Exodus to Moses and the Israelites.  You were born in fulfillment of the message prophecies.  And in 1844 after all the elements of the sanctuary - torn down during the 'dark ages' had been restored except the Most Holy Place and the Ark - many in Your worldwide church heard the message to return to the safety of the Most Holy Place and the Ark!   We praise You all the elements of the sanctuary have been restored.  That which was lost has been found.  Time is running out for this old world.  Fill me with Your Spirit that I always desire to bring others into the safety of the ark...