David had become king of Judah and Israel—but this didn’t happen all at one time. He became king of Judah when Saul died (2 Samuel 2:4), and then king of Israel 7 1/2 years later (5:4-5). This reflected the instability that existed among the tribes of Israel. Ish-Bosheth, Saul’s son, had been king of Israel prior to David. Abner, the power behind Ish-Bosheth, defected to Judah and was subsequently murdered. Then Ish-Bosheth was killed and David became king. The kingdom he ruled over was a shaky coalition of competing interests.
Nobody understood this better than David, yet in the events that followed, his actions were not in alignment with either bringing the nation together nor honoring God—the kinds of things we would expect from him. It’s not that he didn’t say the right things—in 1 Chronicles 13:2-3 he spoke of bringing the ark of the covenant to Jerusalem and how the nation had been without it during the reign of Saul. Even more to the point, he prefaced these plans with “if it is the will of God” (v. 2).
But it wasn’t.
God was not okay with either the manner in which David planned to transport the ark nor his misplaced emphasis in the matter. David fell into the trap of making the situation more about himself than God. After the failed attempt to bring the ark to Jerusalem (and the loss of a man’s life), his lament is revealing, “How can the ark of the Lord ever come to me?” (2 Samuel 6:9).
Is that the question a king should ask at a moment like that?
David’s preoccupation with his own agenda (i.e., securing his throne) explains why, despite his earlier words about it making sure it was the will of God, he later admitted, “We did not inquire of Him about how to do it in the prescribed way” (1 Chronicles 15:13). (It’s revealing that David had instead employed the method the pagan Philistines had used in transporting the ark – 1 Samuel 6. Whenever God’s people take their cues for following God from the world, trouble is sure to follow).
David had used the situation for his agenda rather than God’s. He wanted to bring the ark to Jerusalem to assure the northern tribes would come there to worship and thereby secure his rule—hence his “How can the ark of the Lord ever come to me?” But as with Israel in 1 Samuel 4:3ff, who brought brought the ark against the Philistines to assure their victory while they lived godlessly (7:3-4, 8:8)—God would not be used! Or, when the Philistines who captured that ark and tried to use it to proclaim Dagon’s glory (1 Samuel 5)—God would not be used! David had acted more like Saul than David and God would not allow Himself to be used in such a manner.
After Uzzah’s death for his “irreverent act” (v. 7), David cycled through a number of emotions. Initially he was angry (v. 8). Then afraid (v. 9). Finally, he was reflective. Over the next three months he had time to think about what had happened and why it had happened. And as we would expect, he amended his ways. His focus shifted from himself to God. The ark was to be transported not on a cart, but with poles by the Levities as God had commanded (1 Chronicles 15:11-15). A sacrifice was offered (2 Samuel 6:13). By these actions David showed his reverence for God.
This episode is instructive. There are people today who never get past being angry with God. Like David was, they don’t like the way God goes about being God. Unlike David, they make no attempt to understand why He does what He does. In their incomplete and imperfect knowledge, they cast their vote that God is guilty and that’s sadly as far as they ever get.
Then there are others who are afraid of God. They only see Him in terms of judgment. Again, they make no attempt to grow past this superficial understanding. As a result, they never experience the peace and joy that God created them for.
Maybe one of the reasons David was a man after God’s own heart is because he pursued God. He certainly made his share of mistakes. And as we’ve seen here, he was angry with God and then afraid of Him. But he didn’t stop there! He reminded himself what he already knew—that God desired a relationship with him that resulted in peace, joy, and love—and that reverence (rings and poles) was the launching pad. (If your relationship with God doesn’t have rings and poles, like David, you need to rethink it). But if it does, then like David, you should have joy because reverence leads to rejoicing—every time!
A Taste of Grace with Bruce Green 