II Samuel Chapter 6
Please read: II Samuel 6 –
We humans often feel that God is not fair, but seldom look at the whole picture, the picture that God sees. And true, we cannot see all that God sees, but we know that He is trustworthy. In the case of Uzzah touching the ark of the covenant and God striking him dead; we naturally think it’s unfair. David thought it was unfair and the Bible even tells us that he got angry with God. God is a big God. He can handle our anger towards Him. He just does not want us to stay in that anger, but to let go of it and trust Him once again.
God had already given laws concerning the ark of the covenant and the people knew they were not to touch it. It doesn’t seem fair for Uzzah since he was trying to prevent it from falling off the cart that wobbled. But God is more than capable of keeping His ark from falling.
Michal, David’s first wife, was not very happy with the behavior of the king. But then again, she probably was not very happy with him to begin with. She had been pulled away from her second husband to be one of David’s many wives. The fact that her husband ran after her crying when David’s men delivered her to him, would indicate they probably loved each other. She was not happy about her situation and found it easy to criticize the actions of God’s anointed king, the king of Israel.
Let's Reflect
1. There were a great number of people who went with David in procession to bring the ark of the covenant back to the city of David. Where had the ark been all this time?
2. According to verse 5 what was the mood of the procession of people as they walked with the ark of the covenant?
3. When Uzzah died, the Bible says that David became angry with the LORD and he also became fearful of Him. What did David say he was afraid to do?
4. The ark was left at the home of Obed-edom, of the tribe of Levi, for three months. What did David hear about the household of Obed-edom?
5. David would go and get the ark but this time he would do it right and seek the LORD’s guidance. I Chronicles 15:11-15 tells us that David asked the priests to prepare themselves and to carry the ark with poles on their shoulders. David and the people once again celebrated as they walked carrying the ark to the city of David. He even did something extra this time. What was that?
6. David gave gifts to the people who were with him. What gifts did he give?
7. Where did David put the ark of the covenant when he got it home?
8. Michal made fun of David and what follows definitely sounds like a marital argument. You could say that David’s words put her in her place. She had been wrong to criticize the king. What does the Bible say happened to her?
