II Samuel 6: Going To Extremes

II Samuel 6 is all about the Ark of the Covenant, and the effect that it has on David and his people.

With Jerusalem established as his capital, David has an idea: Let's bring the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem!  David and his team get to work to turn that vision into a reality.  They load up the Ark on a new cart and lead a procession toward Jerusalem, all the while singing and and dancing before the Lord with all their might.

Then tragedy struck.  The oxen pulling the cart stumbled, shaking the Ark.  Uzzah, who was walking along behind the cart, put out his hand to steady the Ark, in inadvertently touching it.  Immediately, God's anger burned against Uzzah and struck him down.

David has two reactions to this mysterious event: anger and fear.  The Bible says that "David was angry because the Lord had burst forth with an outburst against Uzzah" (vs. 8).  We also read, "David was afraid of the Lord that day; he said, 'How can the ark of the Lord come into my care?'" (vs. 9).  (I have found that when God has acted in a way in my own life that I did not understand, I have often reacted with these same two emotions: anger and fear.)

David decides that he cannot risk bringing the Ark into Jerusalem.  Instead he takes it to the house of a man named Obed-Edom, a Gittite (meaning from Gath of the Philistines!)  But rather than a curse breaking out against Obed-Edom, his household is blessed in every way.  So David changes his mind once again and decides that the Ark really should come to Jerusalem after all (vs. 12).

This time, the procession is in a fervor!  Every six paces, an offering is made.  David himself wore an ephod and leaped and danced before the Ark as it made its way into the city.

There was, however, one person displeased at David's display of uninhibited worship.  His wife, Michal, Saul's daughter, cattily tells David that he had disgraced himself with way that he was carrying on before the Ark.  David refuses to accept her rebuke, however, telling her that he is prepared to make himself even more contemptible for the Lord's sake.  Apparently God took David's side in this argument, for the Bible pointedly notes that Michal was never given the blessing of having children, implying that it was for her negative attitude about David's unfettered spirit in worship (vs. 23).