The Ark Comes Home

I was king over Israel in the city of Jerusalem, the city the Lord had given me. The Lord strengthened my hand, gathered the tribes under one crown, and gave us victories on every side.

Yet even in those days of blessing, I knew something was missing. The Ark of the Covenant, the very symbol of the Lord's holy presence, was not yet in the place I had prepared for it.

And while the Ark remained in the house of Obed-Edom, the Lord blessed his household abundantly. When I heard of it, a fire grew in my gut. I wanted all Israel to rejoice in that blessing. I wanted Jerusalem to become the place where the name of the Lord was lifted high.

I remembered our first attempt to bring up the Ark. It was grievous and tragic. We did not seek the Lord according to His command. We treated holy things too lightly. We moved with excitement, but not with obedience. And the Lord broke out against us.

That day taught me what a king must never forget: zeal alone is not worship. God is not to be approached on man's terms.

I gathered the priests, the Levites, and the leaders of the families of Israel. I told them, "Sanctify yourselves, you and your brothers, and bring up the Ark of the Lord to the place I have prepared for it. We failed before because we did not inquire of Him according to His ordinance."

So the priests and Levites consecrated themselves. The Ark was no longer to be carried in the careless way of men, but upon the shoulders of the Levites, with poles, as Moses had commanded by the word of the Lord.

And because the Lord is worthy of reverence and praise, I also appointed the singers and musicians Asaph, Heman, and Nathan to lead them. Cymbals were made ready. Harps and lyres were tuned. Trumpets were lifted. Gatekeepers took their places. All was set for worship in proper order.

The Levites bore the Ark of God upon their shoulders, and we began the ascent to Jerusalem. The Lord helped us. And when He showed His favor, we offered sacrifices before Him.

Then joy overtook me. I removed the garments of royal pride and clothed myself in a linen ephod. Before the Ark, before the priests, before the people, before heaven itself, I danced with all my might.

I did not dance as a king to be admired. I danced as a servant overcome by the goodness of God. The Lord had chosen me when I was a shepherd, lifted me from the fields, and established me over His people. How could I stand silent when His presence was coming into the city?

So all Israel brought up the Ark with shouting, with the sound of the horn, with trumpets and cymbals, with songs of joy. The city rang with praise.

The Ark came into the tent I had prepared for it, and there we set it in the midst of Jerusalem. I offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord. When the sacrifices were finished, I blessed the people in the name of the Lord.

And I gave to every man and woman of Israel bread, meat, and raisin cakes, so that the joy of that day would be shared by all. No one was to leave empty-handed when the Lord had drawn near to us.

When I brought the Ark into the city, I established our practice of worship.
I appointed Levites to minister continually before the Ark, to call upon the Lord, to thank Him, and to praise Him.
Asaph and his brothers were assigned their songs. Priests were appointed with trumpets. Others were set in their places for the offerings ordained by the Law.

Worship would not be a mere moment. It would become the life of the nation.

I gave Israel a song that day:

We remembered the Lord's covenant with Abraham.
We declared His marvelous works.
We proclaimed that the gods of the nations are dead idols, but the Lord made the heavens.
We called on the earth to rejoice, the sea to roar, the fields to exult,
and even the trees of the forest to sing for joy before Him.

Since that day, I have known this: the presence of God must be welcomed with both trembling and rejoicing.

He is holy, and He is good.

He must be honored in the way He commands.

He is worthy of all the joy a human heart can hold.

That is why I joyfully humbled myself before Him. That is why I danced. That is why I sang.

When the Lord is given His rightful place among His people, blessing flows, worship rises. And even a king is glad to become small in the presence of the true King of heaven and earth.