The Ark of the Covenant represented God’s presence with His people, but it was in a foreign land and absent during Saul’s reign. As David becomes king, he recognizes God’s rightful place as King of Israel and desires to bring the Ark into Jerusalem, the new capital. In David’s first attempt, he failed to bring the Ark based on God’s instructions and terms, which ended in the death of Uzzah. In his second attempt, however, he brought back the Ark on God’s terms, which ended in celebration and worship. God asks us to come underneath His terms, without negotiation or manipulation, and to fully obey Him in the small moments and the big decisions.

Scripture References

2 Samuel 6
1 Samuel 5

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1. We are constantly in the state of “becoming”—either becoming more or becoming less of who God calls us to be. David experienced this in “becoming” king. Are you becoming more or less of who God wants you to be? What actions or moments are defining who you are becoming?
2. More often than not, it is the small decisions over time that define our relationship with God. We have to become aware of the small, quiet moments where we choose whether to say yes or no to Him. Can you remember a time when you have deliberately rejected God? Or can you look back and see a slow, progressive drift away from Him? Is your life right now patterned towards God or away from Him?
3. There are times in our lives where we might feel that God has abandoned us. Do you find yourself in need of assurance that God has not left you? Why might you struggle with knowing that God has not walked away from you?
4. Misunderstanding who God is will cause us to relate to Him incorrectly. We shouldn’t feel afraid to approach Him—instead we should approach Him with reverent fear. What are you misunderstanding about God’s character? What actions in your life or relations to God stem from that inaccurate view of Him?
5. God is not interested in being manipulated, managed, or used. He comes to us on His own terms. How have you tried to manipulate or negotiate God’s terms? What steps can you take to repent of this and come underneath His terms instead of your own?

Thoughts to Consider

-The Ark of the Covenant signifies God’s power, His special presence with Israel, His authority, and that God is knowable, accessible, present, and relatable. Through the work of Christ, we can now experience these characteristics of God in a personal way.
-When your heart is inclined towards God, His presence and joy are with you. When your heart is directed away from God, you will know the pain and emptiness of His absence.
-Catastrophe and crisis expose our weaknesses and flaws which turn into opportunities for repentance.
-God is both real and holy— He is not to be trifled with. God is not warm and fuzzy or our genie in a bottle. He has true authority, and there is real heat that comes with His holiness.
-David completely forgets himself in the midst of dancing and worshipping God. Worship is at its best when we think of ourselves less.
-The distance between our sinfulness and God’s holiness is so great that nothing we do can bridge that gap. Although David makes a sacrifice after six steps, that is still not enough. The final sacrifice was Jesus — giving us full access to God.