May 08, 2014 - Thursday

Start Time: 5:28 A.M.

End Time: 5:55 A.M.

Title: The Ark Brought to Jerusalem

Scripture: 2 Samuel 6:1 – 23

God’s Message / God’s Promise / God’s Commands:

→ David again brought together all the able young men of Israel—thirty thousand. He and all his men went to Baalah^[a] in Judah to bring up from there the ark of God, which is called by the Name,^[b]the name of the Lord Almighty, who is enthroned between the cherubim on the ark. They set the ark of God on a new cart and brought it from the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill. Uzzah and Ahio, sons of Abinadab, were guiding the new cart with the ark of God on it,^[c] and Ahio was walking in front of it. David and all Israel were celebrating with all their might before the Lord, with castanets,^[d] harps, lyres, timbrels, sistrums and cymbals

NOTES:

Ø God’s heart shows that His presence wants to be where His people are!  The Ark symbolized the presence of the Lord in the old day and David who was a man after God’s own heart, wanted to bring the Ark to Jerusalem where he is staying.  This clearly shows that God delights to be with us at all times.  He wants His presence with us, in our home, in our work, or wherever we are at.  He wants to walk with us and fellowship with us every minute of the day.  God created time for this purpose (one of God’s purposes of time) so that time will be spent together with Him and Him only.  God is our home and we are His so we belong with one another and that’s why when the Ark returned home to Jerusalem, there were dancing, music, singing – it was a celebration for the Ark has returned home!  Let us return home to God!

→When they came to the threshing floor of Nakon, Uzzah reached out and took hold of the ark of God, because the oxen stumbled. The Lord’s anger burned against Uzzah because of his irreverent act;therefore God struck him down, and he died there beside the ark of God. Then David was angry because the Lord’s wrath had broken out against Uzzah, and to this day that place is called Perez Uzzah.^[e] David was afraid of the Lord that day and said, “How can the ark of the Lord ever come to me?”He was not willing to take the ark of the Lord to be with him in the City of David. Instead, he took it to the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite. The ark of the Lord remained in the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite for three months, and the Lord blessed him and his entire household.

NOTES:

Ø God’s blessings follow His presence wherever He goes!  When the presence of God is upon His, blessings are an expected outcome in our lives.  Obed-Edom was privilege to house the Ark while it was initially on its way to David and the scriptures tell us that he was blessed by God and not only him but his entire household.  God is a God of blessings and when He pours it out, He rains it down on us!  Hallelujah!  So we ought to seek God’s presence at all times because blessings follow His presence.  His presence alone is already a blessing but God does not stop there, He blesses us in every aspect of our lives and He does that wherever His presence stays.  So seek for God’s presence every day and experience His wondrous blessings rain down on us!  Praise Jesus!

→ Now King David was told, “The Lord has blessed the household of Obed-Edom and everything he has, because of the ark of God.” So David went to bring up the ark of God from the house of Obed-Edom to the City of David with rejoicing. When those who were carrying the ark of the Lord had taken six steps, he sacrificed a bull and a fattened calf. Wearing a linen ephod, David was dancing before the Lord with all his might, while he and all Israel were bringing up the ark of the Lord with shouts and the sound of trumpets. As the ark of the Lord was entering the City of David, Michal daughter of Saul watched from a window. And when she saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord, she despised him in her heart.

NOTES:

Ø There is joy and celebration in God’s presence!  God’s presence brings rejoicing to His people!  It brings out the best of us, removing our shame!  His presence gives us boldness and others may see it differently and will not be pleased but when God’s presence is upon us, we only seek to please Him!  And He is pleased when we celebrate and rejoice in His presence all the time!  We can be free in His presence and enjoy His goodness.  Thank You Lord!

→ They brought the ark of the Lord and set it in its place inside the tent that David had pitched for it, and David sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings before the Lord. After he had finished sacrificing the burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord Almighty. Then he gave a loaf of bread, a cake of dates and a cake of raisins to each person in the whole crowd of Israelites, both men and women. And all the people went to their homes.

NOTES:

Ø In the presence of God, there is fellowship!  Not only with Him but also with all His people!  God is a God who enjoys fellowship with us but He also enjoys our fellowship with one another.  When one or two gathered together and talk about Him, He is pleased and His presence remains upon them.  So when we gather together, let’s talk about Jesus, for He dwells in our midst when we do so!

→ When David returned home to bless his household, Michal daughter of Saul came out to meet him and said, “How the king of Israel has distinguished himself today, going around half-naked in full view of the slave girls of his servants as any vulgar fellow would!” David said to Michal, “It was before the Lord, who chose me rather than your father or anyone from his house when he appointed me ruler over the Lord’s people Israel—I will celebrate before the Lord.I will become even more undignified than this, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes. But by these slave girls you spoke of, I will be held in honor.”  And Michal daughter of Saul had no children to the day of her death.

NOTES:

Ø More of God and less of us in His presence!  David understood the importance of giving God the glory!  He was willing to be humiliated in front of others to ensure that God gets all the Glory and attention!  He is willing to be shamed in the eyes of His people, so that their eyes will be fixed on the Lord!  He is willing to show weakness, so they might see God’s strength.  Are we able to do the same?

Prayer:

Lord Jesus thank You because You desire to be with me at all times.  Thank You because You want to spend time with me and You created time for the purpose that it may be spent with me.  Thank You Lord because You give me all the reason I need to desire to be in Your presence.  Thank You because blessings follow Your presence and joy and celebration is a must!  Lord help me to see Your hand working and pouring down every blessing as I spend more and more time with You.  Help me to see that in You there is Joy and rejoicing.  Show it to me Lord that I may never want to leave Your sight – that I may never want to get out of Your presence.  Lord thank You because You enjoy fellowship with me and in Your presence, You ensure that I fellowship with Your other people as well.  You bring us together because You are pleased that we gather and speak more of You.  Lord create in me a heart that longs for Your presence at all times.  Help me to have a heart and mind to always bring You all glory.  I want to be like David who is willing to shame Himself just to bring all the focus and attention of the people to You and not to himself.  Help me to have the same heart and boldness Lord.  Let me be a woman after Your own heart God.  In Jesus’ Name, Amen!