Friday, April 24, 2020

Enthroned Between the Cherubim


We are going to begin today's post with a brief look at the Ark of the Covenant.
As a reminder, the Ark (as I'll refer to it in this context) was established when the Israelites were at Mt. Sinai, shortly after God delivered them from Egypt.  On its lid, there were likenesses of two cherubim (Exodus 25:17-22), forming what came to be called the Kapporeth, or "Mercy Seat". 1

The Israelites carried the Ark around with them as they wandered for 40 years, brought it with them across the Jordan and kept it with them until the Philistines captured it in battle, during the judgeship of Samuel and the priestly ministry of Eli (1 Samuel 4).  It is implied in 1 Samuel 4:10-18 that the capture caused Eli to have a heart attack, fall backward out of his chair, break his neck and die.

The Ark brought death and destruction on the Philistines; as a result, they only kept it around 7 months.  They took it to a town called Kiriath-Jearim (or Baale-judah), where it remained for 20 years.   This town, in the area known as Gibeah, was about 9 miles north of Jerusalem.

Once King David moved his governmental seat from Hebron, where he reigned for 7 years, to Jerusalem, he wanted the Ark of the Covenant brought there too.  David says in 1 Chronicles 13:3 that, all during the reign of Saul, no one "inquired of the LORD"; that is, the Ark was not consulted, revered, etc.

This brings us to the central text of today's post: 1 Chronicles 13:5-14 (although the story is also recorded in 2 Samuel 6:1-11.)  Please read one or the other, as I am not going to reproduce the text here.

Saul is an object lesson for Psalm 106:15, which says:

And he gave them their request; but sent leanness into their soul.
(KJV2000)
The people of Israel had coveted their neighbors' kings, and had begged God (during the leadership of Samuel, the last judge) to give them one. Previous to this, they had been led by a succession of judges.  The catalyst to the people's request, a "hitch in the giddyup" you might say, occurred when neither of Samuel's sons was fit to succeed him, as they lacked the moral capacity to do so.
In 1 Samuel 8, God tells Samuel to warn the people that having a king was a very bad idea.  In obedience, Samuel delivered God's message quite strongly.  God told Samuel the people were not rejecting him and his family, or even the concept of leadership-by-judge, but rather that they were rejecting Him, as they had done for years.  Yet, God allowed them their king.

Saul, the first king of Israel, was a spoiled brat.  Tall and handsome, he had probably been excused and indulged, regardless of his bad behavior, his entire life to that point.  It only stands to reason he would continue to operate in a similar way as king.  In 1 Chronicles 10:13, we read that Saul was rejected by the Lord because of his unfaithfulness to him and his disobedience ("because he did not keep the LORD's word".) Instead of inquiring of the Lord, he even consulted a spiritualist, a medium, for guidance.  "Leanness" indeed.

Apostasy has consequences, many times unforeseen. 

At the time King David wanted to retrieve the Ark, it was under the care of Abinadab.  Now, there are at several schools of thought about this character.  (The name "Abinadab" occurs 12 times in the Old Testament.)
1.  Some allege he was a Levite. But, nowhere in the Hebrew Bible is he designated as such. Furthermore, David's comments after the Uzzah incident do not make sense if this is true.
2.  Others believe he was King David's older brother. 3  David did have an older brother by the same name, but it is unlikely he was the same person as the man whose house was entrusted with the Ark.
3.  Still others contend this was the same Abinadab as the son of King Saul. 4   However, there is nothing in the scriptures to verify this, as nowhere are sons of this particular Abinadab listed.  He was killed, along with his father Saul, in battle.  He may not have had sons at all.
4.  Finally, some believe this Abinadab was none of the above, but an obscure Gibeonite. 5 The Ark had been kept undisputedly in the area called Gibeah.  Gibeonites were not by-blood Israelites, but had made a crafty deal with Joshua many years earlier, deceiving him into not destroying that people (Joshua 9).  Accordingly, they became the bond-servants of the Israelites, and it was to them the Ark was entrusted when the Philistines rejected it. I believe this to be the most likely explanation.

The Abinadab at the center of this story had a son named Eleazer, the first son consecrated to care for the Ark, when it came to the house of Abinadab, from the Philistines.  However, the Ark was with this family, or "house", for 20 years.  At the time David sought to retrieve it, Eleazar was not mentioned.  He could have died.  Regardless, the two young men mentioned as guiding the cart with the Ark, as it progressed down the hill, were "of the house of Abinadab" and kinsmen of Eleazar.

So, the first problem in this story is that we see men who were not Levitical priests caring for the Ark.  This had gone on for many years.  God had long ago ordained the "sons of Kohath" (Numbers 4:14) to be the custodians and caretakers of this holy article.  But, because apostasy had crept in, it was no longer so.  Saul had scant regard for the Ark, and David had some ignorance about its care, at this point.

Coming down the hill, the cart tipped and, to keep the Ark from falling, Uzzah reached out his hand to steady it.  God immediately struck him dead.  God's action seems rash, until you consider He had been extremely forbearing, because the Ark had not been properly "handled" for many years.  It had been allowed to reside in the house of non-Israelites, first the Philistines and later the Gibeonites. Scripture records Uzzah's death made David angry, but that it also caused him to "fear" (have appropriate awe and reverence for) the Lord. 

In fact, he was so freaked out, he directed the Ark be carried to the house of Obed-edom.  (There is a similar controversy about exactly who this man was also, but I figure you've had enough of that sort of thing.  So, I'm not going to go into it, lol.)  During the brief 3 months the Ark remained with Obed-edom, the Lord blessed him and his house.  After 3 months, David had the Ark brought to Jerusalem - - this time doing it God's way, along with great pomp, circumstance and celebration. 

Lesson learned.

Note 1 Chronicles 15:2 - -

Then David said, “No one but the Levites may carry the ark of God, because the LORD has chosen them to carry the ark of the LORD and to minister before Him forever.”
(BSB)

And again the words of David, in  1 Chronicles 15:13 - - 

It was because you Levites were not with us the first time that the LORD our God burst forth in anger against us. For we did not consult Him about the proper order.”
(BSB)

What are the lessons we can learn from this story?  Why do you think God allowed its inclusion in two different books of the Bible?  Here are some that occur to me.  Feel free to add your own thoughts in the comments of this post.

1.  God is holy and expects His worshippers to respect His ways. Obedience, with reverence and awe.
2.  Satan has been tempting humans to question God's ways since he asked Eve in the Garden of Eden this question: "Did God really say that?"
3.  Our ways, are not God's ways, but our ways can seem oooohhhhh so appealing.
4.  There are always consequences when we ignore or conveniently make excuses to work around God's precepts.  They may not be immediately apparent, but consequences will eventually come.  And, sometimes consequences fall on those who were not the cause of the original apostasy.  David was the prime decision-maker in this story, although Uzzah ended up being the one whose life was taken.

Yes, God is Love (1 John 4:7) and Mercy.  But, he is also Light, and Holiness and Truth.  While His methods of dealing with people have varied over the centuries, His essential character has not changed.  He is changeless, immutable.  Our loving God is "the LORD who is enthroned between the cherubim"  (2 Samuel 6:2)

Sources:

http://www.agapebiblestudy.com/documents/The%20Ark%20of%20the%20Covenant.htm
https://globalchristiancenter.com/christian-living/lesser-known-bible-people/31309-the-house-of-abinadab-and-the-ark-of-god
3  https://www.bibleabookoftruth.com/KingDavidsFamily.pdf
4  https://www.biblegateway.com/resources/encyclopedia-of-the-bible/Abinadab
5  https://www.biblestudytools.com/encyclopedias/isbe/abinadab.html

2 comments:

  1. I think, as are many of your posts, your teachings are much deeper than many of us go Ms. Gena. Not that we shouldn't, because it's when we dig deeper we find the greatest treasures, but few choose to because it requires more work. I think many have become accustomed to being "spoon fed" the word of God in our churches; and we all too often choose the easy route. Thank you for this great teaching and food for much though this week. God's blessings ma'am.

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  2. It's always a joy when you visit, J.D. The Bible is the greatest treasure trove in this life. It's also akin to a 10,000 piece puzzle. All the pieces are related to the whole. I love to study it, and then this blog is simply a rendition of what I've studied. In this day and age, we have at our fingertips SO many study resources - - the libraries of the world! This makes Bible study even more fun. God has given me the opportunities to learn from many excellent preachers/teachers over the years, and I'm so grateful for that. Blessings to you, J.D.!

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