What I Noticed Today (2 Samuel 6-7; 1 Chronicles 17)
2 Samuel 6
David decided to move the Ark from Baale-judah (aka Kiriath-jearim) to Jerusalem.
- He gathered together 30,000 “choice men” from all of Israel.
Note: We don’t know who these men were, but I suspect they were all the priests, tribal leaders, and influential men throughout all Israel.
Note: Unfortunately, David didn’t consult with God about his plan, nor did he follow the Levitical laws for the transportation of the Ark (Exodus 25:12-15).
- The Ark was placed on a new cart. David and the Israelites were celebrating with all kinds of musical instruments as they walked.
- When one of the oxen pulling the cart stumbled, Uzziah mistakenly reached out and touched the Ark.
- The Lord immediately killed him for his irreverence.
- David wisely waited several months before he made a second attempt at bringing the Ark to Jerusalem, and this time, he did it according to the Levitical law (1 Chronicles 15).
- As David entered the city of Jerusalem, Micah, his wife, looked out and saw him dancing before the Lord, and she despised him. She confronted David when he returned home, accusing him of being vulgar. David said he was celebrating before the Lord. Saul’s daughter Michal had no children for the rest of her life.
2 Samuel 7
2 Samuel 7 begins with a confusing situation between David and the prophet Nathan.
In verses 1-29, David told Nathan his plan to build a house for God, and Nathan told David to proceed.
- But Nathan hadn’t bothered to consult with God.
- Later that night, the Lord told Nathan, ‘no David is not going to build my house, but I will build his!’
Note: Clearly, what the Lord was referring to was not a physical house but that he would build the house of David, his descendants.
- Nathan told David all the words of the vision to David.
- David responded to God’s rejection of his plan with a heartfelt and humble prayer of thanksgiving to God.
Note: David referred to himself humbly before God as “your servant” ten times, and to God as “O Sovereign Lord” seven times.
1 Chronicles 17
In verses 1-15, David was determined to build a house for the Lord.
- Nathan, the prophet, agreed, but God came to Nathan that night with specific instructions that David was not to build the temple.
- Instead, God said David could provide the materials to build the temple but that the building of the temple itself would be left to one of David’s sons.
- God’s message in 1 Chronicles 17:3-14 promised David a dynasty of many generations of kings that would follow him.
Note: There are 9 “I wills” in this short section (vv. 3-14) that define all the things that God promised to do for David and his sons (similar to 2 Samuel 7:1-17).
In verses 16-27, when David heard all this from Nathan, he went in and sat before the Lord
Note: In this section (vv. 16-27), David refers to himself as “God’s servant” 10 times.
- David claimed God’s promises by faith, always seeing himself as God’s servant following God’s commands.
What did you notice in your study today? Feel free to visit the website and leave a question or a comment.
