BOLDNESS PUNISHED

The people of Beth Shemesh were cutting grain in the field. They greatly rejoiced when they saw the covered ark of God coming on the wagon. They knew that God had brought the ark back. The cows pulled the wagon to a large stone and stopped. The Levites took the ark off the wagon. They also took out of the wagon the offering the Philistines had sent. Then the Levites offered the wagon, the cows, and the gift from the Philistines as a burnt offering to the Lord. The leaders of the Philistines returned to Ekron and found the plague had stopped.SRme 1.829

Only a sacredly appointed high priest could look upon the ark without its cover. Anyone else who tried to look at the uncovered ark died. Looking at the ark was as though they were looking at God Himself.SRme 1.830

The people of Beth Shemesh were curious about the ark. They wanted to know what caused the ark to do great things. They believed the ark itself had this power. They did not give God the honor for the power that came from the ark. So the people uncovered the ark to satisfy their curiosity. They looked into the ark's secret places. The idolatrous Philistines had not dared to remove the ark's cover. The angels who cared for the ark killed more than fifty thousand of the people of Beth Shemesh.SRme 1.831

The people of Beth Shemesh became afraid of the ark. They said, "'Who can stand before the Lord, this holy God? Where can we send him [ark] to get him away from us?'SRme 1.832

"They sent messengers to the people of Kirjath Jearim to say, 'The Philistines have returned the Lord's Covenant Box. Come down and get it [ark]'" (1 Sam. 6:20, 21, TEV). The people of Kirjath Jearim brought the ark of the Lord to the house of Abinadab. They chose Abinadab's son for the sacred work of caring for the ark.SRme 1.833

For twenty years the Israelites remained under the power of the Philistines. The Philistines greatly humbled the Israelites. Finally the Israelites turned away from their sins. Samuel prayed for the Israelites and God was merciful to them.SRme 1.834

The Philistines again made war with Israel. This time the Lord worked a miracle for Israel and the Israelites overcame their enemies.SRme 1.835

The ark of God remained in the house of Abinadab. Later, when David became king, he gathered thirty thousand chosen men of Israel to bring the ark to Jerusalem. The men brought the ark out of the house of Abinadab and put it [ark] on a new wagon. Uzzah and Ahio, sons of Abinadab, drove the wagon while David and the Israelites played different kinds of musical instruments before the Lord.SRme 1.836

"As they came to the threshing place of Nacon, the oxen stumbled, and Uzzah reached out and took hold of the Covenant Box [the ark]. At once the Lord God became angry with Uzzah and killed him because of his irreverence. Uzzah died there beside the Covenant Box" (2 Sam 6:6, 7).SRme 1.837

Uzzah had become angry with the oxen because they stumbled while pulling the ark. He put his hand on the ark of God. In this way Uzzah showed he did not trust God to take care of the ark. The angels who went with the ark struck Uzzah dead because of his lack of patience and reverence for God.SRme 1.838

"Then David was afraid of the Lord and said, 'How can I take the Covenant Box [the ark] with me now?' So he [David] decided not to take it [ark] with him to Jerusalem; instead, he turned off the road and took it [ark] to the house of Obed Edom, a native of the city of Gath" (2 Sam 6:9, 10).SRme 1.839

David knew he was a sinful man. He was afraid he might do something wrong as Uzzah did and show disrespect for God. David did not want God to become angry with him. So the ark was left in the house of Obed Edom for three months. The Lord blessed Obed Edom and all the people in his house. God wanted to teach His people a lesson. The ark brought terror and death to people who sinned against the commandments that were in the ark. But the ark was a blessing and strength to those who obeyed God's commandments.SRme 1.840

All that Obed Edom had and did prospered because of the presence of the ark of God. When King David heard of the blessing Obed Edom received from having the ark, he was eager to bring the ark to his own city. King David humbly made everything right between himself and God. He set himself apart for this holy work. David commanded that all the powerful men in the kingdom should not do any worldly business. Nothing was to keep their minds from sacred things. They were to get ready for the work of bringing the ark to Jerusalem.SRme 1.841

So David "got the Covenant Box [the ark] from Obed's house to take it to Jerusalem with a great celebration. . .They brought the Box and put it in its place in the Tent that David had set up for it [the ark]. Then he offered sacrifices and fellowship offerings to the Lord (2 Sam 6:12, 17).SRme 1.842