SUMMARY
DavidSecond king of Israel, David united the northern and southern kingdoms. More brings the ark of the covenantThe ark of the covenant was a box or chest that God commanded the Israelites to make from wood richly adorned with gold. The ark was built to contain the tablets of the covenant (the Ten Commandments). The ark served as a mobile shrine to... More, the symbol of God’s presence among them, to Jerusalem. This has the effect of making Jerusalem the HolyHoly is a term that originally meant set apart for the worship or service of God. While the term may refer to people, objects, time, or places, holiness in Judaism and Christianity primarily denotes the realm of the divine More City, Israel’s religious center, as well as David’s political capitol.
ANALYSIS
With the conquest of the Jebusites and the defeat of the Philistines, Jerusalem is now under David’s control. These military victories have paved the way for the establishment of Jerusalem as the Holy City. This is accomplished by bringing the ark of the covenantA covenant is a promise or agreement. In the Bible the promises made between God and God's people are known as covenants; they state or imply a relationship of commitment and obedience. More from its resting place in the house of Abinadab to Jerusalem.
A David moves the ark from Gibeah (vv. 1-4)
B Rejoicing (v. 5)
C Uzzah offends God (vv. 6-8)
D David brings ark to house of Obed-edom (vv. 9-11a)
E The Lord blesses Obed-edom (vv. 11b-12a)
A′ David moves the ark from the house of Obed-edom (vv. 12b-13)
B′ Rejoicing (vv. 14-15)
C′ David offends MichalYounger daughter of Saul given to David as wife More (v. 16)
D′ David brings the ark to the tent (v. 17)
E′ BlessingBlessing is the asking for or the giving of God's favor. Isaac was tricked into blessing Jacob instead of his firstborn Esau. At the Last Supper Jesus offered a blessing over bread and wine. To be blessed is to be favored by God. More (vv. 18-23)
Joy and sorrow are intermingled in the poignant episode in which Uzzah loses his life for simply preventing the ark from tipping (vv. 6-8). The point is the absolute holiness of the ark, which symbolizes the presence of the Lord. As the structural diagram above indicates, the ark is brought to Jerusalem only after David is assured of its safe transport as seen in the blessing it brings to the house of Obed-edom (vv. 9-12a). Once again, joy mixes with strong negative emotion as David’s extroverted dancing offends his wife (Saul’s daughter) Michal (vv. 14-16). All ends well, however, as David places the ark in the tent (v. 17) and asks God’s blessing (vv. 17-20). The narrator’s comment that Michal remained childless is a subtle indication of God’s rejection of her father, SaulThe first king of Israel More (v. 23).
