Revived Concern In David's Day For The Ark Of God

by J. Drain, Derby | Category: Great Spiritual Revivals | Jan 1981

In the furniture of the Tabernacle that the children of Israel built for the Lord the Ark of the covenant had a prime place. It was viewed with reverence because in a special way it signified the divine Presence among God's people. Even the Philistines, when they learned that the Ark had been brought to the battle field, exclaimed with alarm, "God is come into the camp" (1 Sam. 4: 7).

Something of the significance of the Ark is traceable in the comment of the widow of Phinehas, the son of Eli, when she heard that the Ark had been captured by the Philistines. To her son just born she gave the name Ichabod, meaning, "There is no glory", and she said, "The glory is departed from Israel; for the Ark of God is taken" (1 Sam. 4:22).

The proper place for the Ark was the holy of holies of the Tabernacle, which was the house of God and the temple of the Lord. It was, therefore, an action of reckless insubjection when the people of God with the encouragement and assistance of two priests of the Lord removed the Ark from its place and carried it out to the camp of the armed forces. The consequences were in every way disastrous. Thirty thousand of the army of Israel were killed and the Ark of God was taken by the Philistines to be placed beside Dagon their idol god. What a serious travesty; the Ark of God taken from the most holy place of the house of God and placed beside the image of Dagon in the house of that lifeless god!

But the Ark must remain in the land of the Philistines. God intervened with severe judgement which shattered those people. For seven months the Ark was in their land. They were seven months of bitter suffering. The anguished cry of the people went up to heaven until at last there was conceived a method by which the Ark could be returned to Israel.

The arrival of the Ark in the land of Israel led to another manifestation of divine judgement. The men of Beth-shemesh succumbed to the unholy curiosity of seeing what the Ark contained. Spiritual privilege and liberty are always governed by the claims of divine holiness. Genuine interest in the things of God must be commended and encouraged, but mere curiosity can only be condemned. Fifty thousand and seventy men died at Bethshemesh. We draw attention to the words spoken by those who escaped the judgement, "Who is able to stand before the LORD, this holy God? and to whom shall He go up from us?" (1 Sam. 6:20). These questions emphasize something of the significance of the Ark and of the solemnity of dealing with what belongs to the house of God.

Eventually the Ark was placed in the house of a man named Abinadab whose son Eleazer guarded it. But of course the proper place for the Ark was the house of God, and the grave irregularity which had developed must have caused sorrow to the Lord.

Then to Israel was given a king. He was a young man who by his ascension to the throne was offered the challenge of tremendous possibilities. Spiritually the Israel people were in disarray. As a nation they lived in fear because of the recurring attacks of their enemy the Philistines. At the commencement of his reign Saul gave promise of better days for Israel. He manifested in his character humility, courage and a readiness to forgive. He had also available to him the wise counsel of the godly man Samuel. Surely here was a kingly leader who would guide the people back to God and to the importance and significance of the house of God. On the contrary, it soon became evident that power, authority, wealth and influence had gone to Saul's head. He was not a spiritually-minded man. He had little interest in the house of God. It was of no concern to him that the Ark of God was in the house of Abinadab instead of being where it should be -in the house of God. In a later day David said of the Ark, "We sought not unto it in the days of Saul". This neglect gave a clear indication of the attitude of Saul to God Himself.

After Saul, a man came to the throne of Israel to whom was borne the divine witness, "I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My heart, who shall do all My will". The Lord "chose David also His servant, and took him from the sheepfolds". We think of David as a young man caring for his father's sheep. He was a spiritually-minded youth, and it is reasonable to believe that as he watched over the sheep in their pasture he must often have meditated on the work and purpose of God in redeeming his forefathers from the bondage of Egypt and leading them forth to be His flock to follow Him and His people serve to Him. In particular David may have thought of that structure, erected by God's command and according to His pattern. That structure, the Tabernacle, was God's house, His dwelling-place among His people. There grew and developed in David a love for God's house.

As years went past it must have caused increasing grief to David to see the spiritual condition of God's people, and especially to realize that the Ark belonging to the house which he loved was not where it should be. The house of Abinadab chosen by men was a poor substitute for the place of divine choice, the place of the Name.

Something of the deep inward movements in the heart of David can be

learned from the words of Psalm 132, "Lord, remember for David all his affliction; how he sware unto the Lord, and vowed unto the Mighty One of Jacob: surely I will not come into the tabernacle of my house, nor go up into my bed; I will not give sleep to mine eyes, or slumber to mine eyelids; until I find out a place for the LORD, a tabernacle for the Mighty One of Jacob". "A place for the Lord". There is much instruction in these words. There is a danger that those who have found a place in the sovereign purposes of divine love and grace may find their minds preoccupied with what God has done for them. They may be genuinely grateful as they meditate on the many blessings enjoyed on earth and as they anticipate what God has prepared for them in an assured blissful, eternal future. But what about the responsibility of response expressing itself in securing on earth a place for God, a place where He can rest? Let us hear again words from Psalm 132, "The LORD hath chosen Zion; He hath desired it for His habitation. This is My resting place for ever: here will I dwell; for I have desired it". God wants a house on earth, a resting place among His people, a place where His authority is acknowledged. This was true in the past. It is true in the present dispensation in which it is God's purpose that believers in Christ should give to Him on earth the place of all authority that God has given to Him in heaven.

When David became king and thus gained regal authority, power and

influence he quickly manifested the deep exercise of heart about the Ark of

God. For a long time it had been neglected but the expressed concern of

David and the example of his leadership led to a time of spiritual revival in

Israel. We draw attention to some features of that revival.

For about seven years after David came to the throne there were divided loyalties in Israel, but eventually the whole nation was united in subjection to David. The people were of one heart. This unity was important in the development of God's purposes through David. Perhaps that was the time when he wrote, "Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!" (Psalm 133:1). Unity gives joy, and joy imparts strength. We read, "There was joy in Israel" (1 Chron. 12:40). The people were now in a good spiritual condition to move forward in the way of God.

The vision of the house of God was vivid in the mind of David and there burned warmly in his heart the desire to see the Ark of God in the place that God had chosen. But he had no thought of acting in an individual way. He wanted and sought the fellowship of his people and the collective conviction that what he proposed to do proceeded from the Lord and was not merely the product of his own mind. The unity that joyfully bound the people together found expression in a ready response on the part of the leaders whom David consulted. He had placed before them, "Let us bring again the

ark of God to us". "And all the assembly said that they would do so: for the thing was right in the eyes of all the people" (1 Chron. 13:1-4).

A large and happy procession set off from the house of Abinadab to bring the Ark to Zion. But lessons had to be learned. Zeal is powerful and desirable but it must be governed by subjection to the authority of God's word and the acknowledgement of His holiness. Such lessons are sometimes learned through very bitter experience. This is sadly illustrated in the tragic events of 2 Sam. 6:6-9.

Eventually David had the joy and satisfaction of seeing the Ark being placed in the tent which he had pitched for it But even then the concern of that great man of God was not fully answered, as will be seen in a subsequent article in this series.

J. Drain, Derby | Jan 1981
Great Spiritual Revivals