2 Samuel 6:1-23

Note: After a few skirmishes with the Philistines, the first item on David’s royal agenda was to restore the ark to its place of prominence with Israel. We might think that to be a rather strange priority for the king’s agenda, but the ark of the covenant was the center point of worship in the tabernacle and needed to be returned to Jerusalem. This section demonstrates who really ruled Israel during David’s reign: the Lord. He set the course for David’s kingdom.

6:2-4 | The ark of the covenant had been separated from Israel for 50 years (1 Sam. 6:19-20). While David did the right thing by bringing it back to Jerusalem, he did so in the wrong way, using a new cart to carry it. This was contrary to God’s instructions, which required that it be transported using poles inserted through its rings (Ex. 25:14-15; Num. 4:4-6; Deut. 10:8; 31:9).

6:3 | God’s work must be done God’s way. When it is not, the workers either suffer delay, or God passes the blessing on to someone else who will do His work as He intends. By using a cart to transport the ark as the Philistines had done, David was doing the work of God with the methods of the world (1 Chron. 13:1-2).

6:6-8 | Uzzah’s motive for putting out his hand to steady the ark is not in question; he was trying to keep it from falling, and perhaps his action was even an involuntary reflex. But if David had followed God’s commands for transporting the ark, it would have needed not steadying. This was a vivid reminder of God’s holiness to the Israelites – and a poignant warning to leaders today: when a leader disobeys God, it is probably that innocent people will suffer in the wake of his or her disobedience.

6:9-11 | Rather than using God’s judgment on Uzzah as an opportunity to uncover his sin and repent, David let his anger and fear of God determine his actions. Obedience to the Lord produces joy in the soul. Disobedience dispels joy and introduces fear (1 Chron. 13:11-14).

6:12-15 | According to the parallel passage in 1 Chronicles, David – now back in fellowship with the Lord – had the ark transported in the way that was commanded by God through Moses: he first prepared a place for it to rest in Jerusalem (the City of David), and then he had the Levites carry it using the designated poles while offering sacrifices along the way. God’s way of doing things can be known by searching His Word.

6:13 | Some scholars interpret had gone six paces to mean that they sacrificed after the first six paces, when it was clear God would not strike them dead. Others think it means that they sacrificed every six paces for the entire journey.

6:14 | David was so overcome with joy at the return of the Lord’s presence to Jerusalem that he expressed it in a lively dance (Ps. 149:3; 150:4). In wearing the linen ephod, David assumed the role of both king and priest.

6:16-23 | David’s wife Michal had been given in marriage to another man while David was a fugitive (1 Sam. 25:44) and then returned to David, perhaps unwillingly (3:14-16). Perhaps she thought he should have worn royal robes instead of the priestly ephod; in any case, she was more concerned for her reputation than for the return of the ark. David came home to bless his household and was instead greeted with sarcastic, biting words from his wife.