Historical Books 1 Chronicles

Taking God Lightly

Discover Jesus as: Son of David 1 Chronicles 13-14 Read on Bible Gateway (HCSB)

Day 293 of 730
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INTRO

As we’ve worked through 1 Chronicles, we’re beginning to see a transition as David was about to encounter the Lord. Constable explains the chronicler wanted to make sure his readers understood, “Yahweh is holy and His people should not take His presence among them lightly.”1In a weird way, I think we can use that quote to understand why the Israelites were in their present condition. They didn’t recognize Yahweh’s presence, and they didn’t value, honor, and fear who He is. They took Him lightly. David, the Israelites, and David’s mighty men were all learning in a new way to work through this process. But not everyone held the same honor and value David had for the Lord.

TEACHING

1 Chronicles 13:1–4: As David was getting ready to move the ark, he sought counsel with his leaders and commanders (v. 1). Both King Jehoshaphat (2 Chronicles 20:17) and King Hezekiah (2 Chronicles 30:2, 4, 12, 23) sought counsel from their men as well. It’s good to seek wise counsel (Proverbs 11:14; 12:15; 15:31-33). David said that if he understood the message from God, they were to call all the people together (v. 2) so they could bring back God’s ark (v. 3). The whole assembly agreed to move the ark (v. 4).

Remember that the ark, which contained the Ten Commandments, had been stolen from the Philistines who had captured it in battle. When the ark returned to Israel, Saul didn’t ask God what He wanted them to do with it. David wanted to unify the people by establishing Jerusalem as his capital and reinstating the relationship with God they (Israel) had first fallen in love with. This could be classified as a time of revival. In Exodus 35—40, the presence of God was in the tabernacle. In 2 Chronicles 7:14-16, God proclaimed the temple of Solomon as His dwelling place. Saul in Gibeon was man’s plan; David in Jerusalem was God’s plan. David led the people to seek the Lord (Isaiah 55:6-7; Jeremiah 29:13-14). Just as Adam and Eve had experienced God’s love, forgiveness, and provision (Genesis 3:15, 21; 4:26; 5:24), David wanted to lead his people to draw near and experience God’s love, forgiveness, and provision personally. In the New Testament there are other passages that focus on drawing near to God (James 4:8-10), seeking God first (Matthew 6:33), returning back to God the Father (Luke 15:11-32), and having fellowship with God.

1 Chronicles 13:5–8: David pulled all the people together, from Shihor, a river in Egypt that flowed into the Mediterranean Sea and formed Israel’s southern border, to Hamath, located on the northern border.2David called all the people to Kiriath-jearim, in Judah, to get the ark and move it to Jerusalem (vv. 5-6). They put the ark on a new cart to transport it (v. 7). The Philistines had also used a cart to transport the ark, but Old Testament law required that the ark be carried (not carted) by the sons of Kohath (Numbers 3:30-31). It is a possibility that Uzzah and Ahio (who drove the cart) were grandsons of Kohath. As they moved along, David and the people celebrated that God was near by singing songs and playing musical instruments (v. 8).

1 Chronicles 13:9-10: As they moved, the oxen stumbled on the uneven threshing floor and Uzzah reached out to steady the ark and keep it from falling (v. 9). God became angry at Uzzah’s disobedience and struck him dead (v. 10). Not only were they not to touch the ark, but they were also to use poles to carry it (Exodus 25:12-15). No matter how innocently the act was done, touching the ark was in direct violation of God’s law and resulted in death (Numbers 4:15). It’s one thing to get God’s confirmation about doing something, but it’s another thing to find out how it should be done. God had given them instructions for how to move the ark, but they clearly chose not to follow those instructions here.

1 Chronicles 13:11-14: Uzzah died because David took God’s instructions lightly. In response, David was angry with God’s action, so he named the place “Outburst Against Uzzah” (v. 11). David also feared God and was afraid to continue to take the ark to Jerusalem. He took it instead to the house of Obed-edom the Gittite, where it remained for three months (vv. 13-14a). God blessed Obed-edom, his family, and all he had (v. 14b). As a Gittite, Obed-edom was a Levite from the Levitical city of Gath-rimmon (Joshua 21:24–25). The ark was in the presence of a Levite who didn’t take God’s presence lightly.

CLOSING

I don’t know where you are in your walk with the Lord right now. Are you taking the presence of God in your life lightly? Or do you realize what God through Christ has done for you? When you do, you will be blessed because you can experience His presence.

  1. Thomas Constable, Dr. Constable’s Notes on 1 Chronicles, p. 25; available at http://planobiblechapel.org/tcon/notes/pdf/1chronicles.pdf.

  2. John MacArthur, The MacArthur Bible Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2005), p. 484.

Questions

  1. In 1 Chronicles 13:10, why did God strike Uzzah dead? What was wrong with him steadying the ark to keep it from falling? (Numbers 4:15)
  2. In 1 Chronicles 13:7, the ark of the covenant was placed on a cart. Did this act violate God’s command on moving it (Exodus 25:12-15; Numbers 7:9)? Why?
  3. How were they commanded to travel with the ark? (Numbers 4:5-15)
  4. Where did the ark end up? Why (1 Chronicles 13:12–13)? What were the results for Obed-edom?
  5. In 1 Chronicles 14, David asked the Lord several times if he should do something. In your own life, have you found yourself asking God for directions before you go forward or after you’ve gone? Have you noticed in your own life that God does not always give the same answer even though circumstances might be similar? What should this convict us to do?
  6. What did the Holy Spirit highlight to you in 1 Chronicles 13-14 through the reading or the teaching?

Next: the Daily Word →

Daily Word

Laura Martin 1 Chronicles 14:8

“When the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king over all Israel, they all went in search of David; when David heard of this, he went out to face them.”

David faced his enemy the Philistines with confidence that the Lord had established him as the king over Israel. Even though David heard the Philistines had searched for him, he faced them boldly. Then David inquired of the Lord about going to war with the Philistines. The Lord said, “Go, and I will hand them over to you.”

Like David, God has established you. He made you, called you, equipped you, and empowered you to face your enemy. Fear may say to back down, go hide, or let someone else face it, but confident faith in the Lord speaks truth into your soul. As a child of God, you are more than able to face your enemy. Ask the Lord to replace each lie with a truth from His Word. You are more than able because He will abundantly do more than you can even dream or imagine. The same power that raised Jesus from the dead is in you. You are perfectly and wonderfully made. In Jesus, there is victory. Pray at all times as you walk this out with confidence in the Lord. He will hand your enemy over to you in Jesus’ mighty name!

“When the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king over all Israel, they all went in search of David; when David heard of this, he went out to face them.”

—1 Chronicles 14:8

FURTHER SCRIPTURE

  • Proverbs 16:7 — “When a man’s ways please the Lord, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.”
  • Acts 4:13 — “When they observed the boldness of Peter and John and realized that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were amazed and recognized that they had been with Jesus.”
  • Romans 8:11 — “And if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you, then He who raised Christ from the dead will also bring your mortal bodies to life through His Spirit who lives in you.”