The Ark Brought to Jerusalem
6 David again brought together all the able young men of Israel—thirty thousand. 2 He and all his men went to Baalah in 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 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 all Israel were celebrating with all their might before the Lord, with castanets, harps, lyres, timbrels, sistrums and cymbals.
6 When they came to the threshing floor of Nakon, 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.
The Ark was a national treasure. It was kept at Abinadab’s home. During the 20 years it was there, it blessed his home greatly. David saw how Abinadab’s home was blessed, so he wanted to move the Ark to Jerusalem. The problem was that he did not first consult God in how to move the Ark. The consequences for not following God’s commands brings consequences. Obedience to God’s laws was priority. Do you neglect to ask God about life decisions first? No substitute can be given for God’s direction. The next time David went about moving the Ark, he was careful to handle it correctly according to God’s direction.
