Not My Rules, But God's

Then King David was told, “The LORD has blessed Obed-edom’s household and everything he has because of the Ark of God.” So David went there and brought the Ark of God from the house of Obed-edom to the City of David with a great celebration. [2 Samuel 6.12]

I have looked long and hard at the David's dealings with the Ark of God. 

The reason the Ark was at Obed-edom's house is because there was a huge failure in transporting it that ended in the death of Uzziah. Whomever was in charge did not follow the established protocol for transporting the Ark on the shoulders of priests and instead placed it on a cart.

However, there is another fact that I cannot completely reconcile with...

Why was the Ark not being transported to the Tabernacle, to its place in the Most Holy Place?

In today's One Year Chronological Bible reading, after the failed attempt to move the Ark that ended in Uzziah's death, we see that it is finally moved to Jerusalem to a special tent David prepared for it. Again,  does it not seem strange that the Ark was not transported to Gibeon to its rightful place in the Tabernacle?

Exodus chapters 26-31 give painstaking detail about the Tabernacle and its construction. Everything about the Tabernacle revolved around the Most Holy Place and the Ark of the Covenant within it. The Ark was the centerpiece of the Tabernacle.

If we can see it, David not only attempted to move the Ark the wrong way the first time, but he also was attempting, and eventually did, move it to the wrong place.

It might be understood, in David's zeal and love for God, that he wanted the Ark as near himself as possible. It could even be argued that David was envious of the blessing on Obed-edom's household that inspired his second attempt to move it to himself...

Subsequent to this event, whether we believe it was right or wrong to move the Ark to a special tent instead of the Tabernacle, we begin to see the undoing of David. This is not speculation on my part, but instead recorded Bible history. David's life began to unravel in many ways, starting with wife Michal's ire and eventually progressing to David's affair with Bathsheba that resulted in her husband's blood on David's hands, and went on to unspeakable family issues following.

THINK! Why would someone so intently in love with God and with whom God was so in love with have all these terrible things happen in his life? Is it just coincidence that these terrible things all began after moving the Ark to the special tent David prepared for it (instead of to its rightful place in the Most Holy Place in the Tabernacle)?

Had David's emotions (genuine as they were) gotten the best of his obedience? Had David made an idol of himself and his emotions over the established will of God regarding the Ark? No matter how "special" a place David prepared for the Ark, it was not the designated place for it according to God's very specific instructions given to Moses. Had David not, in fact, subtly followed the same flawed "human reasoning" as his predecessor, Saul, in making his own way instead of abiding by God's way? 

Do we not find ourselves so caught up in David's emotion complete with music and dancing that we too fail to see David's deviation from God's plan and design?

Do we not find ourselves even today emoting "song and dance" in lieu of obedience? We justify all our jubilation citing David's example, but are we also doing so while ignoring God's specific instructions?

Oh, I know, we think, "that's all Old Testament..." but have we forgotten, in all our emotional worship, that Jesus Christ, God in the flesh, Himself said:

If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. [Matthew 16.24 (also, Mark 8.34 & Luke 9.23)]

If our lives do not look like Jesus and His way, then, we have not given up our own way, taken up our cross, and followed Him. Other than the hymn Jesus sang with His disciples before His arrest and crucifixion, we have no record of Jesus frolicking in song and dance as did David. While there is nothing inherently wrong with frolicking in song and dance before God, it should be understood that such an emotional display should not exist in lieu of obedience. David's "song and dance" did not prevent him from committing adultery, murdering Uriah, and all the family problems that followed. In fact, David's "song and dance" accompanied his move of the Ark to the wrong place.

All of David's expressed love for God and all God's expressed love for David did not shield David from the error of his own way. All our expressed love for God and even all God's expressed love for us does not exempt us from obedience either. Of course, "Jesus paid it all...", but if we, in obedient faith, do not give up our own way, take up our cross, and follow Him, ours is just another sad story.

No amount of celebrating Jesus can substitute for giving up our own way, taking up our cross, and following Him.

Not my rules, but God's.

Father, the more I know Your Word, the more I come to Matthew 16.24. May I get past my emotions and their often selfish desires and instead give up my own way, take up my cross, and follow Jesus, So be it.