Rise and Fall: The Ark of God
2 Samuel 6:1-23
March 17, 2024
Andrew Boone

David again gathered all the chosen men of Israel, thirty thousand. And David arose and went with all the people who were with him from Baale-judah to bring up from there the ark of God, which is called by the name of the Lord of hosts who sits enthroned on the cherubim. —2 Samuel 6:1-2 ESV

And they carried the ark of God on a new cart and brought it out of the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill. And Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, were driving the new cart, with the ark of God, and Ahio went before the ark. —2 Samuel 6:3-4 ESV

You shall make poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold. And you shall put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark to carry the ark by them. The poles shall remain in the rings of the ark; they shall not be taken from it. —Exodus 25:13-15 ESV

But to the sons of Kohath he gave none [wagons], because they were charged with the service of the holy things that had to be carried on the shoulder. —Numbers 7:9 ESV

And David and all the house of Israel were celebrating before the Lord , with songs and lyres and harps and tambourines and castanets and cymbals. And when they came to the threshing floor of Nacon, Uzzah put out his hand to the ark of God and took hold of it, for the oxen stumbled. —2 Samuel 6:5-6 ESV

And when Aaron and his sons have finished covering the sanctuary and all the furnishings of the sanctuary, as the camp sets out, after that the sons of Kohath shall come to carry these, but they must not touch the holy things, lest they die. These are the things of the tent of meeting that the sons of Kohath are to carry. —Numbers 4:15 ESV

And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzzah, and God struck him down there because of his error, and he died there beside the ark of God. —2 Samuel 6:7 ESV

And David was angry because the Lord had broken out against Uzzah. And that place is called Perez-uzzah to this day. And David was afraid of the LORD that day, and he said, “How can the ark of the LORD come to me?” So David was not willing to take the ark of the LORD into the city of David. But David took it aside to the house of Obed-edom the Gittite. —2 Samuel 6:8-10 ESV

Mind the gap.

When people are no longer awed, respectful, or fearful [reverent] of God’s holiness, the community is put at risk. —Walter Brueggemann

How is your reverence for God and His instruction right now?

Whose example are you following?

Follow THE Leader.

And the ark of the Lord remained in the house of Obed-edom the Gittite three months, and the blessed Obed-edom and all his household. —2 Samuel 6:11 ESV

And it was told King David, “The Lord has blessed the household of Obed-edom and all that belongs to him, because of the ark of God.” So David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-edom to the city of David with rejoicing. And when those who bore the ark of the had gone six steps, he sacrificed an ox and a fattened animal. —2 Samuel 6:12-13 ESV

And David danced before the Lord with all his might. And David was wearing a linen ephod. So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the with shouting and with the sound of the horn. —2 Samuel 6:14-15 ESV

Doing the right thing the right way leads to freedom of expression in worship.

BIG IDEA:

Mind the gap. Follow THE Leader. You’re free to dance.

SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

Memory Verse: 2 Samuel 7:22 NIV
How great you are, Sovereign LORD! There is no one like you, and there is no God but you, as we have heard with our own ears.

These questions are meant to foster meaningful discussion and encourage participants to reflect on God’s Word to lead to heart transformation. Feel free to modify or expand upon these questions based on the dynamics and needs of your Small Group.

Read 2 Samuel 6
God directed the priests to carry the Ark on poles, not a wagon. In addition, the Ark was never to be touched. Transporting the Ark on a wagon may have been easier, but often God’s way is not the easy way. When has following God been hard for you? Share a memory of when your faith put you in a place to make a difficult decision.

Uzzah was no doubt trying to do something he felt was right, but it was outside the scope of what God said was acceptable. Are there areas in our lives where we might be tempted to act out of good intentions but disregard God’s commands? How do we ensure our zeal for God is balanced with reverence and obedience?

Uzzah’s death reminds us of the holiness of God. Are there areas in your life where you have become casual or too relaxed in your attitude toward God? If so, what are they and how can you take steps to correct it?

David’s poor leadership and lack of adherence to God’s Word resulted in death and David becoming afraid. When you recognize you have sinned, what is your immediate emotion? How do you move to a place of wholeness again? What does it look like to have an appropriate fear of the Lord?

Not even David gets everything right the first time. We can see David moving the Ark the right way on the second attempt. How does David’s example help you in your faith journey? What can we learn from David’s experience that we can apply to our lives?

As the Ark is brought into Jerusalem, David is leading the people in worship and is honoring the Lord. How can we help direct others to worship and honor the Lord today? How comfortable are you doing this?

Worship isn’t about what pleases us. It’s all about what pleases God. Why is this a hard message in our consumeristic culture? What allowed David to sing and dance his heart out to the Lord without caring what other people thought? Does concern over what others might think of you ever prevent you from expressing yourself in worship?

Michal is critical of the way David celebrated God’s presence coming to Jerusalem. Think about a time you’ve witnessed someone expressing their faith in a way different from your own. How did it make you feel? How can we cultivate an attitude of acceptance and understanding towards diverse expressions of worship within the Christian community?