One of the stranger moments in my life occurred when I was mowing the lawn soon after becoming a pastor. I was in my early 20s, and on a hot summer day, I stepped outside to do some yard work. We didn't own a home of our own yet, but the church I served had a parsonage with a very small yard right next door to the church building.
The church and parsonage were on one of the busier streets in town which is great in some respects, and not so great in others. It was helpful for the church because our building was highly visible and easy to find, but it wasn't ideal for me because my already public life was made even more public because of the traffic.
Whenever I worked outside, people would often politely beep or wave. I'm a social person, so I actually enjoyed that. But some people didn't beep. They just stared and observed whatever I was doing, and I soon learned that at least one elderly woman had a strong opinion about the way I mowed the parsonage lawn. She didn't care about the path of the mower or the blade height. Her big concern was the clothing I wore while working.
I'll never forget when she confronted me a few days after that mowing and said, "I saw you mowing the other day... in shorts!" She was not pleased. Apparently, in her mind, that wasn't a dignified manner of dressing. I soon learned that there was a time, decades earlier when some of the local clergy really would wear suits and formal clothing while working outside.
In my opinion, there is a time when formal attire is appropriate, and other times when it isn't quite as necessary. Admittedly, that's a subjective opinion. In the end, what matters most is our heart before the Lord. It matters more than outward appearances or formalities.
That's something I really appreciate about David. Scripture lets us see glimpses into his life that reveal he had a heart for the things that mattered to God. Sometimes, he was even accused of not being as formal or dignified as he could have been while giving God praise, but David desired to live his life in the midst of the Lord's presence.
For that reason, during the early years of his kingship, David wanted the ark of the covenant brought to Jerusalem where he reigned. Decades earlier, the ark had been captured by the Philistines in battle. After they experienced clear evidence of judgment for their theft, they returned it to Israel, and for 20 years it was kept in the home of Abinadab whose son, Eleazor, looked after it.
The ark was a visible sign of the covenant God made with the people of Israel during the time of Moses. It was a chest made from acacia wood and overlaid with gold. Inside the ark were the stone tablets on which God inscribed the Ten Commandments. The ark was to be kept in the inner area of the tabernacle and was later housed in the temple after that structure was built.
The lid or covering that was over the ark was called the "Mercy Seat." Once a year, on the Day of Atonement, the high priest would enter the place where the ark was kept and atone for his sins and the sins of the people of Israel by sprinkling the blood of a sacrificed animal on the Mercy Seat. There was great prophetic significance to this act that I'll come back to in a few moments.
In 2 Samuel 6, we're told about the process David orchestrated to bring the ark from Abinidab's home to Jerusalem. The ark was placed on a new cart, and David celebrated with the people of Israel as the ark was being brought toward the city. In a very real way, God's presence went with the ark, and David loved the thought of living and serving in the presence of the Lord.
As the ark was being transported on a new cart that was pulled by oxen, the oxen stumbled and Uzzah, one of the sons of Abinidab, reached out to keep the ark from falling off the cart. His motives were good, but his methods were not in accordance with the clearly stated will of God. In Numbers 4, God declared that when the ark needed to be moved, it should only be transported on poles that were carried by the Levites. Uzzah died because of this error as God struck him down.
With that event fresh in our minds, let me ask a personal question. Have you ever questioned God's plans? Have you ever become irritated or angry with God over the way He chooses to do things? If you were David, how would you have felt seeing Uzzah struck down while attempting to do what he thought was right? Would that have bothered you?
Scripture tells us that David got rather angry over this. I think he also became frustrated, and he directed the ark to be placed in the house of Obed-edom instead of being brought into the city. I don't know what David thought was going to happen to Obed-edom when the ark was brought into his home, but three months later, David received a very positive report. Obed-edom and his household were being divinely blessed.
“And it was told King David, “The Lord has blessed the household of Obed-edom and all that belongs to him, because of the ark of God.” So David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-edom to the city of David with rejoicing. And when those who bore the ark of the Lord had gone six steps, he sacrificed an ox and a fattened animal. And David danced before the Lord with all his might. And David was wearing a linen ephod. So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the Lord with shouting and with the sound of the horn.”
This is one of my favorite Scriptures regarding David and his propensity to worship the Lord. We're told here that David wasn't dressed in kingly robes, but rather chose to wear a simple linen ephod like the priests would wear. As the ark was brought into Jerusalem, he danced with all his might. Just picture David spinning around and jumping for joy, working up a sweat, shouting at the top of his lungs as the ark was brought into the city. This was a great day, and he wasn't inclined to keep his feelings under wraps as he expressed his joy.
Do you ever wonder if we're trying too hard to remain dignified when we express our thankfulness to the Lord? Do you ever sing in your car when you're driving alone? Do you ever drum on your steering wheel when a song inspires you? Have you ever been caught singing or drumming by another driver? Do you fight to allow yourself to express something that touches your heart because it isn't as dignified as when something touches your head?
David had a wonderful time worshiping the Lord as the ark was brought into the city. He celebrated the reality of God's presence being right there with him and the people he led. But of course, not everyone shared this joy. David had multiple wives, one of which was Michal, the daughter of Saul, and she seemed disgusted with David's dancing and exuberance. It was all too undignified for her snooty and pretentious tastes.
“And David returned to bless his household. But Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David and said, “How the king of Israel honored himself today, uncovering himself today before the eyes of his servants’ female servants, as one of the vulgar fellows shamelessly uncovers himself!” And David said to Michal, “It was before the Lord, who chose me above your father and above all his house, to appoint me as prince over Israel, the people of the Lord—and I will celebrate before the Lord. I will make myself yet more contemptible than this, and I will be abased in your eyes. But by the female servants of whom you have spoken, by them I shall be held in honor.” And Michal the daughter of Saul had no child to the day of her death.”
Instead of sharing in David's joy, Michal mocked it. I get the impression she may have struggled with jealousy like her father Saul often did. Maybe she was bothered to observe the obvious ways the Lord was blessing David and the ways in which the people celebrated right along with him because that wasn't the kind of blessing her father experienced during his reign. Either way, she tried to put David down, but her insults couldn't quench his desire to honor the Lord. In modern language, his response to her could be translated, "You thought that was undignified? You haven't seen anything yet!"
There's a lesson for us in this story that I hope we'll contemplate. Don't always expect your joy in the Lord to be appreciated or reciprocated by everyone in your life, even your own family. You are likely to encounter people who will mock you, misunderstand you, put you down, and openly attempt to discourage you. Don't let their harsh and hurtful words rob you of what Jesus has blessed you with.
I mentioned a few details about the ark of the covenant and its covering, the Mercy Seat, a few moments ago. Have you ever considered what the Mercy Seat was foreshadowing? During the days of David, there was one place where the sins of the people could be atoned. It was at the Mercy Seat, the lid or covering for the ark. It was there that sacrificial blood was shed and the wrath of God against the sin of man was appeased.
The Mercy Seat foreshadowed the atoning death of Jesus on the cross. The blood of animals being sprinkled on the lid of that wooden chest was a precursor to the blood of Jesus being shed on our behalf on a wooden cross. In the era in which we live, the cross is the one place where our sin could be atoned for good. No further sacrifice needs to be made. No additional blood needs to be shed.
Like the Mercy Seat over the ark of the covenant, Jesus Christ, the perfect Son of God, is our covering.
For this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. (Matthew 26:28)
According to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in the sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood: May grace and peace be multiplied to you. (1 Peter 1:2)
just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works: 7 “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; 8 blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin.” (Romans 4:6-8)
How joyful are you at the thought of receiving the mercy of God through the atoning sacrifice Jesus made on your behalf? How joyful are you at the realization that the blood of Christ was sufficient to cover your sins? Is that something you find easy to contain, or would you be willing to risk a little dignity in this world's eyes as you express your gratitude?
© John Stange, 2023
