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Bringing Back The Ark
It is wonderful when a man - father is a confidant of God.
When God was about to destroy Sodom, he said Gen. 18: 17 "Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do?"
The reason for this statement was because of v19 "For I have chosen him, so that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just, so that the Lord will bring about for Abraham what he has promised him"
A NATION IS AS STRONG & GOOD AS IT'S HOUSEHOLDS / FAMILIES.
Obed-Edom is an outstanding example of reverence without inhibition
2 Sam 5: 23 To 6:12 so David inquired of the Lord, and he answered, "Do not go straight up, but circle around behind them and attack them in front of the balsam trees. [24] As soon as you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, move quickly, because that will mean the Lord has gone out in front of you to strike the Philistine army." [25] So David did as the Lord commanded him, and he struck down the Philistines all the way from Gibeon to Gezer.
[6:1] David again brought together out of Israel chosen men, thirty thousand in all. [2] He and all his men set out from Baalah of Judah to bring up from there the ark of God, which is called by the Name, the name of the Lord Almighty, who is enthroned between the cherubim that are on the ark. [3] They set the ark of God on a new cart and brought it from the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill. Uzzah and Ahio, sons of Abinadab, were guiding the new cart [4] with the ark of God on it, and Ahio was walking in front of it. [5] David and the whole house of Israel were celebrating with all their might before the Lord, with songs and with harps, lyres, tambourines, sistrums and cymbals. [6] When they came to the threshing floor of Nacon, Uzzah reached out and took hold of the ark of God, because the oxen stumbled. [7] The Lord's anger burned against Uzzah because of his irreverent act; therefore God struck him down and he died there beside the ark of God. [8] Then David was angry because the Lord's wrath had broken out against Uzzah, and to this day that place is called Perez Uzzah. [9] David was afraid of the Lord that day and said, "How can the ark of the Lord ever come to me?" [10] He was not willing to take the ark of the Lord to be with him in the City of David. Instead, he took it aside to the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite. [11] The ark of the Lord remained in the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite for three months, and the Lord blessed him and his entire household. [12] Now King David was told, "The Lord has blessed the household of Obed-Edom and everything he has, because of the ark of God." So David went down and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-Edom to the City of David with rejoicing.
The background to this event was as a result of an unreal action. The Ark Of The Covenant - The symbol of God's presence had been lost. 1 Sam 4:11.The ark of God was captured, and Eli's two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, died.Why was it lost Psalm 78:56 - 61Psalm 78:56-61
But they put God to the test and rebelled against the Most High; they did not keep his statutes. [57] Like their fathers they were disloyal and faithless, as unreliable as a faulty bow.[58] They angered him with their high places; they aroused his jealousy with their idols. [59] When God heard them, he was very angry;he rejected Israel completely. [60] He abandoned the tabernacle of Shiloh,the tent he had set up among men. [61] He sent the ark of his might into captivity, his splendor into the hands of the enemy.
How sad for 21 yrs 10 Months Israel were without the Ark. This was all through the unfortunate and unhappy reign of Saul.
The presence of God in a nation The presence of God in a church |
