1 Crônicas 15

1 Crônicas 15

Vernon McGee - At least eleven of the psalms were composed around the great event of bringing the ark to Jerusalem. You can be sure of one thing: David did not have some peculiar superstition about the ark. He knew where the Lord was, and he knew He was not in that box. In Psalm 123:1 David says, “Unto thee lift I up mine eyes, O thou that dwellest in the heavens.” David knew where God was, but he knew that the approach to God was made through the ark which spoke of a mediator between God and man. Eugene Merrill: At last David prepared once more to relocate and house the ark of the covenant in Jerusalem. Though he planned to place the ark in a substantial temple (1Ch 17:1-4), for the present he set up a tent (1Ch 15:1), perhaps similar to the Mosaic tabernacle. Then, careful to observe proper protocol (1Ch 15:2, 13, 15), he gathered the priests and Levites and commanded them to transport the ark from the house of ObedEdom (cf. 13:14) to its new shrine in Jerusalem. . . One cannot … understand the theology of Chronicles without understanding the centrality of worship and its formal apparatus to the life of the theocratic people. J.A. Thompson: The most arresting feature of this narrative is not obvious to the modern reader. The Chronicler was devoting great time and attention to describing incidents surrounding the ark and the need to treat it as a holy object even though by the time of the Chronicler it had already ceased to exist. In other words, the original readers of this book had no more opportunity to worship God before the ark than we do. Why would the Chronicler stress the joy and holiness associated with it if his readers would never have opportunity to emulate David's obedience? The answer must be that for the Chronicler it was not the object itself but what the object represented that mattered. The ark represented two great truths. - First, God was with them and would go with them wherever they went. The ark traveled with the exodus generation, was with Joshua's generation as they entered Canaan, and had been in various locations now in their land. - Second, the ark represented the holiness of God. It contained the tablets of the Ten Commandments—the essence of the law—and they had seen for themselves that God's ark was not to be trifled with (13:10). These two truths, that God is with us and that God is holy, are what really mattered to the Chronicler. We need to keep this in mind lest we think of the Chronicler simply as one full of nostalgia for the good old days. Finally, the chapter teaches God's compassionate forgiveness in allowing Israel a second chance. Israel's initial failure was not final and God's judgment was not just positive but instructive. August Konkel: In Samuel, bringing the ark up to Jerusalem is the immediate sequel to the failed attempt to restore the ark (2Sa 6:12-19). The motivation for David to return to the ark is the blessing that comes to the house of Obed-Edom because of the presence of the ark there (2 Sam 6:12a). The Chronicler omits this half verse; blessing to David is shown in the description of the rise of his kingdom. The three-month interval when the ark was with Obed-Edom provides time to make the proper preparations for the ark as well as for the ordering and purifying of those who would carry it. First Chronicles 15:25–16:3 draws on this record of Samuel to feature the inauguration of worship in Jerusalem, including the function of the Levites in relation to the ark. Alan Redpath: “For almost 70 years (ED: THIS ESTIMATE IS PROBABLY A LITTLE HIGH AND IT IS MORE LIKE 50+ SEE NOTE) the ark had been missing from its rightful place. To begin with, it was captured by the Philistines. However, they found it a perpetual embarrassment to them, so they built a nice new cart and sent it back. For decades it had languished at the border of Judah, in the household of Abinadab, and from there David determined to rescue it. There is nothing more important in any life than the constantly-enjoyed presence of the Lord. There is nothing more vital, for without it we shall make mistakes. And without it, we shall be defeated. Without the sense of his abiding presence and a place of constant communion and fellowship, how far wrong we will go.” (Pdf - The Making of a Man of God Life of David) Youngblood has an interesting note on how long the Ark had been "off the scene" - Since the “twenty years” of 1 Samuel 7:2+ perhaps “refers to the period between the ark’s return from Philistia [1Sa 6:21–7:1] until the battle reported in” 1 Samuel 7:7–13 (Klein, 65)—or alternatively until the end of Samuel’s judgeship (1Sa 7:15)—to the twenty years must be added at least the forty years of Saul’s reign (see comment on 1 Sa 13:1+) plus a few years into the reign of David, leading to a grand total of more than sixty years that the ark languished in exile (for a similar estimate based on “the well-established view that Shiloh was destroyed about 1050 BC and that David began to reign around the turn of the millennium,” see Blenkinsopp, 145).....Youngblood adds "In any event, for half a century or more the ark of the covenant had been sequestered in “the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill” (v. 3; 1 Sa 7:1), either inaccessible to the Israelites because of Philistine control of the region or languishing in neglect (perhaps partially because King Saul had shown no interest in it; cf. 1Ch 13:3). (Expositor's Bible Commentary) DAVID'S PITCHES A TENT FOR THE ARK Now David built houses for himself in the city of David; and he prepared a place for the ark (aron) of God and pitched a tent for it - In contrast to Saul where we never see him show reverence for the Ark ("for we did not seek it in the days of Saul." = 1Ch 13:3), David is clearly concerned to give God His place (the Ark symbolic of Yahweh's presence) in the City of David. Regarding the tent David pitched, it is uncertain was the original portable tabernacle of the wilderness (Exodus 25-27), the tent from Shiloh (1Sa 1:3, 9, 24, 1Sa 2:22) or was a new tent constructed according to Exodus 25-27. Exactly where the Ark had been housed at "the house of Abinadab” (2Sa 6:3; 1 Sa 7:1). Talk about a "holy house!" And as discussed above, the Ark seems to have remained at the house of Abinadab for 50-70 years! Alan Redpath: Preparation for Service – The one thing above all else which David wanted was that, having assumed the responsibility of this position, he should know constantly the presence of God with him. He could not possibly rule in authority and power and victory without the Lord’s guidance. . . This is the thing that matters most in the life of a Christian: that the ungrieved Holy Spirit is indwelling his life in power and authority. (Pdf - The Making of a Man of God Life of David) Paul Apple - The ark of the covenant represents the holy presence of God. While God desires our worship, that worship must be in spirit and in truth. Man must come to God on His terms. Sincerity is no excuse for failure to obey God’s directives. The presence of God is no trifling matter. He should command our holy reverence and inspire unrestrained joyful celebration. This passage provides tremendous insight into how we should approach a holy God in worship and praise. Trace the phrase “and God was with him” throughout the Bible and see the blessing that accompanies the presence of God. No matter our circumstances or opposition, we are secure in God’s blessing when God is with us. Ark (0727)(aron means a chest, a box (first use was coffin for Joseph's body - Ge 50:26), a container for funds to repair the Temple in (2 Ki 12:10-11, 2 Chr 24:8, 10-11). It is used most often of the Ark in the Holy of Holies and is first called the Ark of the Covenant in Nu 10:33. Jack Lewis writes "As described in Exodus, Bezaleel made the ark of acacia wood. There were gold rings on the corners through which staves were placed for carrying it (Exodus 25:10-21; Exodus 37:1-9). In size the ark was 2 1/2 by 1 1/2 by 1 1/2 cubits, and was overlaid inside and out with gold (Exodus 25:11). It was surmounted by the mercy seat (kappōret) and cherubim with outstretched wings. The ark contained the tables of stone with the law (Deut. 10:1-5; Exodus 40:20), a pot of manna, and Aaron's rod which budded (Hebrews 9:4). The Damascus Document, fragments of which were found at Qumran, has the peculiar tradition that a copy of the Law was in the ark and it was sealed, which explains why David had not read it! (C.D.C. 5, 3). The ark was set in the most holy place in the tabernacle. In the wilderness the ark was carried by the Levites (Deut. 10:8) before the line of march. A liturgical formula was recited when it was transported (Numbers 10:35-36). The ark was prominent at the crossing of the Jordan (Joshua 3-4) and in the capture of Jericho (Joshua 6-7). It was at Gilgal (Joshua 7:6), Shechem (Joshua 8:33), Bethel (Judges 20:27-28), and later Shiloh (1 Samuel 3:3). It was carried into battle against the Philistines at Aphek. They captured it (1 Samuel 4:3-11) but it caused plagues in the Philistine cities (1 Samuel 6:3-4). It was returned to Israel and for twenty years remained in the house of Abinadab at Kiriath jearim. Finally David brought it up to Jerusalem (1Sa 7:1-2; 2 Samuel 6:1ff.; Ps 132:8). Helping move the ark, Uzzah fell dead for touching it (2 Samuel 6:6-11). After that incident, it remained three months at the house of Obed edom. Later it was carried on a military expedition against the Ammonites (on one interpretation of 2 Samuel 11:11), but it remained in Jerusalem at Absalom's revolt (2 Samuel 15:24f.). Solomon placed it in the holy of holies of the temple (1 Kings 8). The ultimate fate of the ark is a mystery. Jeremiah 3:16-17 may imply its existence as late as the time of Nebuchadnezzar. It was the subject of later Jewish legend (2 Macc. 2:4f.; T. Sota 13:1; The Lives of the Prophets, ed. Torrey, I, p. 36). There was no ark in either Zerubbabel's or Herod's temple (cf. Josephus, Wars 5.5.5). Often designated "the ark" (hā-ʾārôn), it is also "the ark of the Lord" (Joshua 4:11, etc.) and "the ark of God" (1 Samuel 3:3, etc.). It is called "the ark of the God of Israel" by the Philistines (1 Samuel 5:2-11, etc.). The ark is most often "the ark of the covenant" (’ārôn habberît, Numbers 10:33, etc., 184 times), "the ark of the testimony" (ʾārôn ha-ʿēdût, Exodus 25:22, etc.; 13 times); "the ark of thy might" (Psalm 132:8), and once "the holy ark" (ʾārôn haqqōdesh; 2 Chron. 35:3). (See Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament) City of David - See SPECIAL TOPIC: MORIAH, SALEM, JEBUS, ZION, JERUSALEM Bob