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You can turn in your Bibles to 
2 Samuel 6. Remember last week in chapter 5, David is installed or appointed or 
anointed king over all Israel. Back in chapter 2, he had been 
appointed king over Judah. And then as a result of Abner 
and Ish-bosheth and the northern tribes continuing to maintain 
a kingdom, David was only the king over the southern tribes. 
But after the death of Abner and Ish-bosheth, Then the tribes 
of Israel, the northern tribes, came to David and said, we want 
you to be king over us. So in chapter 5, verses 1 to 
5, David assumes control or reign over the entirety of Israel. 
And then they go and they conquer the city of Jerusalem. The Jebusites had inhabited that 
particular city. They took the city, so now it 
had become the political capital of Israel. And then at the end 
of chapter 5, there were a couple of battles with the Philistines 
that David was victorious over. And in chapter 6, the ark is 
now brought to Jerusalem. Chapter 5 indicates the political 
capital being Jerusalem. Chapter 6 indicates that Jerusalem 
is now the religious capital with the ark being brought to 
Jerusalem. So I'll begin reading in chapter 
6 at verse 1. Again, David gathered all the 
choice men of Israel, 30,000, and David arose and went with 
all the people who were with him from Baal Judah to bring 
up from there the ark of God, whose name is called by the name 
the Lord of hosts, who dwells between the cherubim. So they 
set the ark of God on a new cart and brought it out of the house 
of Abinadab, which was on the hill. And Uzzah and Ahio, the 
sons of Abinadab, drove the new cart. And they brought it out 
of the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill, accompanying 
the ark of God. And Ahio went before the ark. 
Then David and all the house of Israel played music before 
the Lord on all kinds of instruments of firwood, on harps, on stringed 
instruments, on tambourines, on cistrums, and on cymbals. 
And when they came to Nacon's threshing floor, Uzzah put out 
his hand to the ark of God and took hold of it, for the oxen 
stumbled. Then the anger of the Lord was 
aroused against Uzzah, and God struck him there for his error, 
and he died there by the ark of God. And David became angry 
because of the Lord's outbreak against Uzzah, and he called 
the name of the place Perez-Uzzah to this day. David was afraid 
of the Lord that day, and he said, How can the ark of the 
Lord come to me? So David would not move the ark 
of the Lord with him into the city of David. But David took 
it aside into the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite. The ark of the Lord 
remained in the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite three months, and 
the Lord blessed Obed-Edom and all his household. Now it was 
told King David saying, the Lord has blessed the house 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 gladness. And so it was, when those bearing 
the ark of the Lord had gone six paces, that he sacrificed 
oxen and fatted sheep. Then David danced before the 
Lord with all his might, and David was wearing a linen aphod. So David and all the house of 
Israel brought up the ark of the Lord with shouting and with 
the sound of the trumpet. Now as the ark of the Lord came 
into the city of David, Michael, Saul's daughter, looked through 
a window and saw King David leaping and whirling before the Lord, 
and she despised him in her heart. So they brought the ark of the 
Lord and set it in its place in the midst of the tabernacle 
that David had erected for it. Then David offered burnt offerings 
and peace offerings before the Lord. And when David had finished 
offering burnt offerings and peace offerings, he blessed the 
people in the name of the Lord of hosts. Then he distributed 
among all the people, among the whole multitude of Israel, both 
the women and the men, to everyone a loaf of bread, a piece of meat, 
and a cake of raisins. So all the people departed, everyone 
to his house. Then David returned to bless 
his household. Michael, the daughter of Saul, 
came out to meet David and said, how glorious was the king of 
Israel today, uncovering himself today in the eyes of the maids 
of his servants, as one of the base fellows shamelessly uncovers 
himself. So David said to Michael, it 
was before the Lord who chose me instead of your father and 
all his house to appoint me ruler over the people of the Lord, 
over Israel. Therefore, I will play music 
before the Lord, and I will be even more undignified than this 
and will be humble in my own sight. But as for the maidservants 
of whom you have spoken, by them I will be held in honor. Therefore, 
Michael, the daughter of Saul, had no children to the day of 
her death. Amen. Well, basically, there 
are two accounts of, or two attempts at bringing the ark to Jerusalem 
in chapter 6. We see it in verses 1 to 11, 
and then the second attempt, the successful one, is found 
in verses 12 to 23. I think there's three major sections 
that we ought to consider tonight. I think there's three major themes 
that this particular chapter sets forth to us. And the first 
is the desire for the presence of God in verses 1 to 5. Secondly, we have the reminder 
of the holiness of God in verses 6 to 11. And then thirdly, the 
relocation of the ark of God in verses 12 to 23. But note 
in the first place this desire for the presence of God. No sooner 
does David occupy the city of Jerusalem and his first desire 
is to fetch the Ark of the Covenant. He wants the Ark of the Lord 
present in Jerusalem. He wants it nearby. If you remember 
the Ark of the Covenant in 1 Samuel chapters 4 to 6, we have essentially 
the story of the Ark. The children of Israel trotted 
the ark out with them in order to battle against the Philistines. 
They utilized the ark as if it was some sort of a lucky charm. They thought its mere presence 
would bring them victory. But God shows them that he cannot 
be manipulated. They lose the battle. The Philistines 
capture the ark. The Philistines then take the 
ark back to Philistia, and they bring it to the temple of Dagon. 
Dagon falls before the Ark of the Covenant. Eventually, the 
Philistines start to see the power of the Ark, not intrinsically, 
but it's God demonstrating this power through that visible representation. And then God plagues the cities 
of Philistia. They, of course, want to get 
rid of the Ark, so they send it back to Israel. It goes to 
Beth Shemesh, and at Beth Shemesh, they look into the Ark, and God 
kills a great multitude of them. And they ask the question, who 
can stand before this holy Lord? Well, then the ark goes to where 
it is here, as it's recorded in this particular chapter. It's 
at the house of Abinadab. Now, while Saul was king, we 
don't read a whole lot about the ark. There's one reference 
in 1 Samuel chapter 14 at verse 18. But Saul was not concerned 
with, nor did he desire the presence of the ark. We see that David 
is just the opposite. Note specifically the situation 
in verses 1 and 2. Again, David gathered all the 
choice men of Israel, 30,000, and David arose and went with 
all the people who were with him from Baal, Judah. That is 
also known as Kiriath Jireh. We see that in Joshua chapter 
15, verse 9. As well, we see it in 1 Chronicles 
13, verse 6. There are highlights that Baal-Judah 
is Kirjath-Jerim. That is where Abinadab's house 
is, and that is where the ark is locally present. If you want 
to compare a more expanded version of this narrative, you can go 
to 1 Chronicles 13, all the way to 16. It deals with the transport 
of the ark to Jerusalem. But the king and the people would 
get the ark of the Lord from Baal Judah or Kirjath-Jerom. Notice how the ark is identified. It says they were to get the 
ark of God whose name is called by the name the Lord of hosts 
who dwells between the cherubim. Now remember, this particular 
box did not contain Yahweh. This particular box was not an 
image of Yahweh. It was more symbolic or it was 
a visible representation. It was a sacrament as Calvin 
refers to it in terms of the fact that this was an indicator 
that God was indeed present with his people. Remember that the 
Ark of the Covenant, or the Ark of the Lord, signified at least 
three things. It signified the Lord's rule. God was king. In fact, it speaks 
of Him putting His feet on the Ark as a footstool, which indicates 
His royal government. As well, the Ark represented 
reconciliation, its key use in Leviticus 16 on the Day of Atonement, 
when that blood of sprinkling is poured out on the mercy seat. Reconciliation is something that 
the Ark represents. And as well, it represents revelation. For what was contained in the 
Ark? It was the testimony, the law of God. So this Ark of the 
Covenant represented or visibly signified the Lord's rule, the 
Lord's redeeming power, and the Lord's revelation. And so David 
has this desire to bring the Ark to Jerusalem. And there are 
several reasons that we ought to appreciate as we look in this 
particular chapter. And the first, to honor the Lord 
God. The Lord God has now brought together all of Israel. The Lord 
God has brought a consolidated kingdom. It is time to honor 
Him. It is time to show that Israel 
stands with great thankfulness and gratitude to the God who 
has disposed of their enemies and He has brought them together 
as His people. He was to be the primary and 
key player in Israel or in this phase of Israel's history. As 
well, this was an opportunity to celebrate the kindness of 
God. In fact, in the latter half of the chapter, in 12 to 23, 
what's David doing? He is celebrating. They are sacrificing. He is dancing. They are playing 
music. They are singing. This is a time 
of great joy. It's a time of great celebration, 
a time of great delight. And as well, it does speak concerning 
the worship of the Lord God. You see, when David wants the 
ark of the Lord present, what does that indicate? David wants 
God. David wants to worship God. David 
wants to bow before God. Calvin says, we are told here 
that when David realized that his kingdom was at peace, He 
turned his attention to restoring the integrity of the worship 
of God. That's beautiful, isn't it? That's 
the first order of business. Remember chapter 5 isn't strictly 
chronological. It's a kingdom collage. We don't 
know specifically the time frame or the... or the chronology, 
but we do know once they occupy the city of Jerusalem, once he 
has this season of peace, he doesn't think, wow, I want to 
build my palace, I want to do these great things, I want to 
build golf courses, and I want to build waterways and roadways, 
and I want to increase commerce, and I want to make Israel sort 
of the queen of economics among the nations. No, he says, get 
the ark. We need God, we need Yahweh, we need the presence 
of the Lord, so that we can indeed worship the Lord. This is a marked 
contrast with King Saul. In 1 Chronicles 16.3, the people 
say, and let us bring the ark of our God back to us, for we 
have not inquired at it since the days of Saul. Again, it was 
at a low point, religious worship and this dependence upon the 
Lord God. Vannoy says that Saul's subsequent 
failure to provide the Ark with a visible and prominent place 
in Gibeah, remember Saul had quite a lengthy reign and his 
home base was Gibeah, why didn't Saul bring the Ark of the Lord? 
Why didn't Saul make sure that this was a priority in his kingdom? 
Vanoy says that Saul's subsequent failure to provide the ark with 
a visible and prominent place in Gibeah, his capital city, 
was symptomatic of his failure to fully recognize the sovereignty 
of Yahweh as Israel's divine king. It was a mark of dishonor. It was not yielding obedience 
and reverence and worship and celebration before the Lord that 
the Lord God was indeed worthy of. Now, notice in this attempt, 
this desire for the presence of God, David wants the ark of 
the Lord present. Now, notice in verse 3, it says, 
so they set the ark of God on a new cart. Now, this should 
alert us. This should key us that not all 
is well. I mean, they have good motives 
and good intentions and good desires. And this is something 
we'll learn tonight, that motives, intentions, and desires are always 
subordinate to the commandment of God. In the worship of God, 
intentions, motives, and desires are always to be subordinate 
to the commandment of God. The Ark of the Covenant was not 
supposed to be transported by a cart. The Philistines did that, 
but the Philistines were pagans. In the book of Exodus, in chapter 
25, when it talks about the construction of the Ark, they were to put 
these loops or these rings on the corners of the Ark so they 
could put poles through those rings. And then the Kohathites, 
no one else, The Kohathites, they were Levitical priests, 
the subdivision were the Kohathites, they were to pick up the cart 
by those poles and they were to transport it. No carts, no 
hands on there whatsoever. So verse 3 already alerts the 
careful reader so that when we get to the death of Uzzah in 
verse 7, we're not so surprised. Now, we're probably still surprised 
because it seems a bit over the top, at least to some careless 
readers of Scripture. But again, breaking or transgressing 
the commandments of God are never something that we consider over 
the top. This is absolutely crucial that 
we obey. Our desires, our intentions, 
our motivations are always subordinate to the commandment of God Most 
High. So notice, specifically. In verse 
3, the ark was not supposed to be transported by cart but by 
Kohathites, Exodus 25, 12 to 14. And then in Numbers 4, 4 
to 6, Numbers 4.15, Numbers 4.19 and 20, and Numbers 7 and 9, 
the Kohathites were not supposed to touch the ark. The Kohathites were supposed 
to use those poles. The Kohathites were not supposed 
to get their mitts on the ark. The priests were to cover these 
holy articles, the priests were to cover this furniture, and 
then there were specific guidelines for the way that the Kohathites 
would transport. Now, in this particular chapter 
and in the parallel in 1 Chronicles, David himself seems to know this 
particular stipulation. Because when you get to verse 
13, after they take the cart from the house of Obed-Edom, 
it says, then they bore the Ark of the Covenant. The fact that 
they were able to do it successfully indicates that they were the 
authorized persons who bore the Ark of the Covenant. 1 Chronicles 
spells out in great detail that it was in fact the Levites at 
that particular time, the Kohathites. In fact, David says in this particular 
attempt, we're going to do it this particular way. So why they 
carelessly picked a cart in verse 3 and got right to it, we don't 
know. But it is a violation of the 
law of God, and as I said, our intentions, our motivations, 
and our desires are always to be subordinate to the worship 
of God, the commandment of God. So when the Lord commands us 
to worship in a particular way, we don't have the right or the 
liberty to say, well, you know, we thought we'd do it this way. 
We thought we'd put our hands on the cart. We thought we would 
put our hands on the ark. We thought that we would do this 
because our motives are good. No, it's not about your motives. 
It's about the commandment in the Word of God. I think we stumble 
with this. I think the modern church certainly 
stumbles with this, where God has commanded us what we are 
to do in worship, but we put in its place puppets, ponies, 
and programs. We do all sorts of things thinking 
that this is the way that we can worship God. We can worship 
God in any old fashion we hanker after. No, we can't. Why did 
we think that somehow movement from the Old Covenant to the 
New Covenant relaxed God's commandments and that all bets are off and 
we're able and enabled to do whatever it is we want in the 
worship of God? That has never been the case. 
The Lord God is the divine householder over the church of God. Paul 
defines in 1 Timothy chapter 3 that the church is the household 
of God. God makes the rules for his household 
the same way you make the rules in your household. I don't have 
the right to come to your house and violate something that goes 
against your will for your house. You may want me to take my shoes 
off at your door. I may say, no, I just want to 
walk all over your carpet, and I want to put my feet up on your 
coffee table. And you're going to say, that's 
not allowed here. And I'm going to say, but I have 
a hankering to do it. And I just want to do it. And 
my wants ought to be respected by you. That is akin to the church 
today in her violation of God's ordinance in terms of worship. 
We do not have the prerogative, we do not have the authorization 
to take matters into our own hands. You've heard me say often, 
God does not want creative people. He does not want innovative people. He wants obedient people because 
He is the Lord God Most High. He has commanded what brings 
Him glory and honor and He has built it in such a way so that 
it will ultimately be a blessing for us as well. So we see this 
violation in verse 3 concerning this particular card. They depart 
from Abinadab. We learn that it's Uzzah and 
Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, verse 3. And then in verse 4, they 
brought it out of the house of Abinadab which was on the hill accompanying 
the ark of God, and a heel went before the ark. Then David and 
all the house of Israel played music before the Lord on all 
kinds of instruments of firwood, on harps, on stringed instruments, 
on tambourines, on cistrums, and on cymbals. Calvin has a 
beautiful section here on how we are to imbibe the spirit of 
David's worship in terms of its substance, but under the new 
covenant, the form is different. We're not to utilize these instruments. We're not to utilize the same 
sorts of forms that were given to the Jews in Old Covenant worship. I commend that to you. I think 
it's very valuable and very much worthy of our attention. That 
brings us secondly to the reminder of the holiness of God, verses 
6 to 11. It says, and when they came to 
Nakon's threshing floor, Uzzah put out his hand to the ark of 
God and took hold of it, for the oxen stumbled. If you've 
ever heard R.C. Sproul on this particular passage, 
he says that essentially what we have is that the oxen were 
traveling and, you know, they hit mud or they hit something 
and they stumbled and the ark was about to fall into the mud. 
And so what does Uzzah do? Again, he's got good desires, 
he's got good motivation, he's got, you know, right intentions, 
but he puts his hand onto the ark to steady it so that it doesn't 
fall into the mud. Sproul says, what was Uzzah thinking? Was he thinking he was going 
to hear a voice from heaven saying, thank you, Uzzah. And essentially 
what Sproul develops is that if that ark of the covenant had 
fallen in the mud, that wouldn't have defiled it. What defiles 
the ark of the covenant isn't mud, it isn't dirt. Now, we shouldn't 
throw dirt and we shouldn't throw mud on there. What defiles the 
ark of the covenant is man. It's our filthy, grimy hands 
being laid upon it. When we violate the law of God 
given to the Levites, specifically the Kohathites, that they alone 
are supposed to pick this furniture up, and even then they're not 
supposed to touch it. They're to use those poles through 
the rings after the priests have already covered those things. 
You see? The Lord God stipulates how things 
are supposed to be done. The texts that I mentioned above 
concerning the new cart apply equally to Uzzah's action here. He is forbidden from touching 
the Ark of the Lord. Exodus 25, Numbers 4, Numbers 
7, this very passage, chapter 6, verse 13, and then the parallel 
in 1 Chronicles, several places there. Notice, he put out his 
hand to the ark of God, he took hold of it, for the oxen stumbled. Again, I just think that we ought 
to ponder this, because if we didn't know the story, we would 
read this, or just imagine if there were unbelievers in here. 
Or just imagine if there were delicate, sensitive Christians 
who had never read the Old Testament before. They would probably think, 
and perhaps a man could preach it in such a way without, you 
know, giving any regard whatsoever to verse 7, that we ought to 
dare to be an azzah. I mean, here he is. nobly trying 
to keep the Ark of the Covenant from falling into this mud patch. 
I mean, we ought to commend Uzzah, we ought to be for Uzzah, we 
ought to promote Uzzah, we ought to be Uzzahs in our respective 
lives. Notice verse 7, then the anger 
of Yahweh was aroused against Uzzah, and God struck him there 
for his error or his irreverence, and he died there by the Ark 
of God. It's a pretty powerful statement, 
isn't it? Isn't it? This is a reminder of God's holiness. I've already said, when the ark 
comes to Beth Shemesh in 1 Samuel chapter 6, the men look upon 
it, look into it, and they die in mass, and they ask the question, 
Who is able to look upon or stand before this Holy Lord? This is 
the holiness of God. It is a burning holiness. We 
are not to trifle with God. We are not to try and manipulate 
God or control God or tame God. put God in a box or think that 
we don't have to do what God says. The anger of the Lord was 
aroused against Uzzah and God struck him there for his error 
and he died there by the ark of God. Turn to Numbers for just 
a moment. Just so you see, this is not 
arbitrary. Persons would say, oh that just 
seems so bad. It seems so over the top. It 
is consistent with what God had commanded. Notice in Numbers 
4 at verse 4. This is the service of the sons 
of Coath in the tabernacle of meeting, relating to the most 
holy things. When the camp prepares to journey, 
Aaron and his son shall come and they shall take down the 
covering veil and cover the ark of the testimony with it. Then 
they shall put on it a covering of badger skins and spread over 
that a cloth entirely of blue and they shall insert its poles. Why? So they don't put their 
mitts on it. So they don't touch it. That's 
wrong. It's bad. It's sin. It is condemned 
by God. Notice in verses 19 and 20. But 
do this in regard to them, that they may live and not die when 
they approach the most holy things. Aaron and his son shall go in 
and appoint each of them to his service and his task, but they 
shall not go in to watch while the holy things are being covered, 
lest they die. Look at verse 15. I missed that. I skipped that. Verse 15, and 
when Aaron and his sons have finished covering the sanctuary 
and all the furnishings of the sanctuary, when the camp is set 
to go, then the sons of Coath shall come to carry them. But 
they shall not touch any holy thing, notice, lest they die. 
You see, this wasn't unadvertised, this wasn't unknown, this wasn't 
a mystery. This is what the Word of the 
Lord commands, and notice that God is about the detail here. 
So we may think our desires, our motivations, our longings, 
our intentions are good, but they must always be subordinate 
to the commandment of the living God. Notice number 7 in verse 
9. Numbers 7, 9, But to the sons of Kohath he gave none, because 
theirs was the service of the holy things, which they carried 
on their shoulders. Not with their hands, not to 
steady it, don't put it on a cart, don't put it with oxen, but rather 
the Kohathites are supposed to do what Kohathites do, and they 
pick these things up and they transport it from point A to 
point B. So God struck him there for his 
error or irreverence, and he died there by the ark of God. Now doesn't the Bible do this 
over and over again? It gives us these reminders of 
his holiness. Because we can sort of fall prey 
to this idea that, you know, God is good. Not fall prey. We 
ought to embrace fully that idea. God is good. He is kind. He is merciful. He is gracious. 
He is long-suffering. But we have a tendency to forget 
his holiness. We have a tendency to forget 
his majesty. We have a tendency to sort of 
pull him down to our ranks. We have a tendency to try and 
domesticate him and make him like a little kitty cat that 
is only there for our amusement and for our pleasure. We need 
to be reminded of His holiness, and that is precisely what we 
have here in 2 Samuel chapter 6. You need to be mindful of 
the fact that this God does not play games when it comes to the 
commandments of God, and that when He demands that Koathites 
carry the Ark of the Covenant, He means business. We have a 
reminder of His holiness in Isaiah the prophet, chapter 6. Pastor 
Porter preached on that recently. I saw the Lord, lofty, high, 
exalted, the train of His robe filled the temple. What were 
the angels saying? They were saying, holy, holy, 
holy is the Lord of hosts. The whole earth is full of His 
glory. We get to the New Testament. It's not like this is simply 
confined to the Old Testament. What happens in the book of Acts 
when Ananias and Sapphira lie to God? God says, well, you know, 
that's just your way. No, God kills them. The Lord Most High is holy. Is 
there something that needs to be recovered in the church today? 
It is this view of the holiness and the majesty and the awesomeness 
and the grandeur and the glory of God. Yes, He is good to us. Yes, He is merciful. Yes, He 
is kind. Yes, He is long-suffering. But 
He is not our equal. He is not on our level. He is 
the enthroned one on high, and when we come into church, there 
is that recognition of His holiness that ought to promote in us a 
righteous fear before the Lord God Most High. That is one of 
the blessed things that jumps out of this passage, an understanding 
of who God is ought to promote fear. Fear in the hearts of the 
worshipers. And I know when we say that, 
at least in the modern church, well, fear, that's not what Jesus 
saved us for. Fear is not something pleasant 
and good. Fear is not something that we 
embrace. It's interesting, in Psalm 211, 
serve the Lord with fear. Rejoice with trembling before 
the Lord God Most High. Rejoicing and trembling go hand-to-hand 
in the life of the Christian. Rejoicing and trembling ought 
to be what happens when we come to worship God on the Lord's 
Day. There ought to be that gamut within the heart of the believer. 
There is that righteous recognition of God, and it produces fear, 
and there is that righteous recognition of God that produces joy. that 
He is now my God, that He is now my Father, that I am reconciled 
to Him by His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. The implications of this 
particular action, Calvin develops, as I think does Davis, that this 
judgment was temporal. It doesn't necessarily mean that 
Uzzah went to hell. It's not necessarily the case 
that he touched the ark, God struck him by the ark, and he 
ended up in hell. Uzzah could very well have been 
a believer who was chastised. You see this in the book of Corinthians. 
Again, a reminder of his holiness. Look at the Lord's Supper. In 
1 Corinthians 11, in case we need a reminder of his holiness 
when we come to the supper, Paul the Apostle says, when you take 
on worthy, this is the reason why there are many that are sick. 
and many that are weak, and many that sleep among you. You see, 
the apostle tells us that God chastens his people so that they 
will not be condemned with the world. There is an instance there 
where divine chastening may mean the removal of a saint from this 
world, but he's not condemned with the world. And that could 
have been the case with Uzzah. As well, the judgment was righteous. God had declared the penalty 
for violating his law. Again, brethren, you might meet 
people and you might have it in your own heart to say, wow, 
that just seems a bit severe. That just seems a bit over the 
top. That seems, you know, kind of, you know, like an overreaction. No, it's not whatsoever. The fact that God's not killing 
us every single day is really what ought to blow our minds. 
These reminders of holiness come along, but it is the case that 
what is displayed here is just, legitimate, and righteous. Calvin 
says, let us therefore carefully remember that the death of Uzzah 
was not cruelty on the part of God, but a just chastisement. For it was the duty of the Levites, 
and specifically the Kohathites, to be in charge of carrying the 
Ark. You see, how in the world could 
we say that's not fair? In light of the fact that Numbers 
4 and Numbers 7, and the parallel in 1 Chronicles, and even in 
our own text, it seems to indicate that David knew good and well 
that Kohathites should have been transporting the Ark. How could 
we ever suggest that this is not fair? Let me just tell you, 
if you break the law of God, you deserve whatever penalty 
or sanction is due for you. That is fair. That is legit. That is righteous. As well, this 
judgment was paradigmatic. That means it was a pattern we 
should learn and we should fear. We should learn and we should 
fear, just like when we read or we see that reminder of God's 
holiness in the book of Leviticus. Remember in Leviticus chapters 
1 to 9, God spells out in great detail what sacrifice ought to 
be. I mean detail after detail after 
detail after detail concerning sacrifice. How many of you read 
those first nine chapters of Leviticus and almost say to yourself, 
okay, I get it. I understand this is the method 
for sacrifice. And then they offer up sacrifice 
legitimately, righteously, and according to truth in chapter 
9. And it says that fire comes down 
from the presence of God and consumes their sacrifice. And 
the people shout. They yell. It's a shout of joy. God manifests His presence in 
the consumption of their sacrifice. And then in chapter 10, Nadab 
and Abihu offer up strange fire to the Lord. You see, chapter 
after chapter and detail after detail still does not get into 
the heads of God's people. So they offer up strange fire 
before the Lord and what happens? Now God sends fire down, but 
instead of consuming their sacrifice, He consumes the sacrificers. He kills Nadab and Abihu. And what is the take-home lesson? 
God tells Moses very clearly. He says, by those who come to 
me, I must be regarded as what? as nice, as tame, as your equal, 
as your buddy, as holy. You see, these reminders of holiness 
that we view throughout the Scriptures are for our example, for our 
encouragement. So we don't come to church on 
the Lord's Day thinking about everything else other than the 
truth of God. so that we don't come and make 
a mockery out of the worship of the living God by not approaching 
Him with the reverence and the joy that He demands, and by worshiping 
Him in spirit and in truth, in a triune manner, respecting Father, 
Son, and Holy Spirit. These things are for our encouragement, 
Calvin says, because he wanted everyone to be admonished not 
to play lightly with his worship. Wow, what an indictment that 
would be on our generation, because that's what's happening. We're 
playing lightly with His worship. We are playing lightly, we are 
trifling with it. You know what the root of holy 
is? Or glory, rather? Kabbad, with 
reference to the glory of God. The idea of that glory means 
something that is heavy. We value God and prize God because 
He's heavy. We don't trifle with Him. We 
don't treat Him as if He's light, as if He is insignificant. Calvin 
says he wanted everyone to be admonished not to play lightly 
with his worship, but rather to engage in it with the fear 
commanded in his law. Gil says, and this shows concerning 
the death of Uzzah, and this shows that it is dangerous in 
matters of worship to act contrary to the command of God. Do we 
ever in our thoughts consider the danger of falsely approaching 
God? Do we ever contemplate that if 
I come as a hypocrite to the house of God on the Sabbath day, 
and I care not one bit about the things that are going on, 
there's a danger involved? Again, it's not confined to old 
covenant worship. Do you think when Ananias and 
Sapphira showed up at church that one day, they were fearful 
that they had a thought of danger? Do you think that they were thinking 
that, wow, we've lied against the Holy Spirit, and we've stolen 
and kept back these things, and God may just judge us." No, they 
didn't think that. God killed them. There's a danger 
involved in approaching the Holy One of Israel. And that's good. That danger, that fear produces 
joy and thanksgiving. We don't want a God that we can 
domesticate. We don't want a God that we can 
tame. We don't want a God that we put 
up in the temple and if he falls down we put his hand back on 
him and set him up again. That's the last sort of God you 
and I ever want, is something we can tame, we can domesticate, 
or we can prop up. We want God to be the one who 
is in absolute control. So Gill says, this shows that 
it is dangerous in matters of worship to act contrary to the 
command of God. Why do we need to be reminded 
of this? I submit to you that the Reformed 
churches have it right when it comes to what's called the regulative 
principle of worship. We do nothing more, we do nothing 
less, and we do nothing else than what God has commanded. 
We sing the Bible, we pray the Bible, we preach the Bible, we 
pray the Bible, and we see the Bible in the sacraments. That's 
what worship is supposed to be. Gil goes on, even in things that 
may seem small and trivial, and though what may be done may be 
done with a good intention as this was, yet that will not excuse 
the sin, nor are those who are the most forward and zealous 
in religious matters exempted from marks of God's displeasure 
when they go wrong. You see, it's not the case. It 
was, Lord, I had a good intent. No, you need to obey. I don't 
want creativity. I don't want innovation. I want 
obedience, is what God says. Let's get that in our heads and 
commit to being obedient to the divine command when it comes 
to the worship of the living God. So that's the situation 
of Uzzah with reference to the reminder of the holiness of God. 
Notice the response of David, his anger. Verse 8, David became 
angry because of the Lord's outbreak against Uzzah. This anger, perplexes 
me. Gil and Calvin say he was angry 
against the Lord. Carl and Dalich say that he was 
angry with himself. I kind of could go either way. I tend to think that it's a tough 
passage. I don't like to think David got 
angry at God, especially as the text goes on. David did know 
what was required, so the thought that David got angry with himself 
and the situation does make sense to me. I don't think that that's 
something that we could discount or write off. I don't know that 
that's out of whack in terms of interpretation. He became 
angry, not at God, but because of this situation that David 
did have a hand in. He's upset, he's angry at the 
reality that, man, we didn't do this right. Notice it is intriguing. He calls the place the Lord's 
outbreak against Uzzah. He called the name of the place 
Perez-Uzzah to this day. Same sort of word that's used 
in verse 20 of chapter 5. So David went to Baal-perazim 
and David defeated them there and he said, the Lord has broken 
through my enemies before me like a breakthrough of water 
or like an outbreak of water. So God the Lord breaks through 
or pours out this vengeance and wrath upon pagan and churchmen, 
according to Davis. We see his breakthrough or outbreak 
with reference to the Philistines in chapter 5. We see his outbreak 
with reference to the churchmen, Uzzah, in verse 8. And then notice 
his fear. David was afraid of the Lord 
that day. That's good, brethren. He was 
reminded of God's holiness, and it had the good effect upon him. 
Let's learn from this. Instead of violating the commandments 
of God, instead of ending up dead because we offer strange 
fire before the Lord, or we put out our hands, our filthy hands, 
to study the ark of the Lord, or instead of dying because we 
lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back that which we said we gave, 
Let us learn with David to fear God. I love that. Verse 9, this 
is the effect. David was afraid of the Lord 
that day and he said, how can the ark of the Lord come to me? 
And David says, and Calvin really lays into him here, he takes 
it to the house of Obed-Edom. Which if you think about it, 
if the Ark is dangerous, don't take it to Obed-Edom. If I'm 
Obed-Edom and David's afraid, I'm going to say, well, don't 
bring it here. Remember, that's what happened with the Philistines. 
The Ark was going around and wherever it went, people got 
hemorrhoids and pain and sickness and death and all sorts of things. 
And Philistine said, send it to Gath. Send it to Ekron. Get it out of here. We don't 
want it here. At any rate, whether Calvin is 
right or not, the sermons are available. You can read it. David 
would not move the ark of the Lord with him into the city of 
David, verse 10, but David took it aside into the house of Obed-Edom 
the Gittite. Some say this was a Philistine, 
others say, no, it's the Obed-Edom that's identified in 1 Chronicles 
that was a Levite. Most likely that was the case. 
This Obed-Edom was a Levite. Verse 11, the ark of the Lord 
remained in the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite three months, and 
the Lord blessed Obed-Edom and all his household. So basically, 
when this ark was with Obed-Edom, things went well at Obed-Edom's 
house. I don't know what all that means. I doubt it meant 
that gold was falling on them and they had bountiful, plenty 
food, but things happened that were good. The Lord blessed Obed-Edom 
and all his household. Now that brings us thirdly and 
finally to the relocation of the Ark of God. Notice verses 
12 and 13. David got wind of the fact that 
Obed-Edom had been blessed, so David went and brought up the 
ark of God from the house of Obed-Edom to the city of David 
with gladness. You see fear and gladness go 
hand in hand. Fear and gladness are consistent. Now notice the great celebration 
and the joy that had occurred with David and all Israel. Verses 
13 to 15. Essentially what we have is sacrifice. We have singing, we have praising, 
we have dancing. Again, those particular forms 
are not New Covenant worship, but the substance is the same, 
reverence and adoration and praise and glory given to the living 
and true God. Now notice in verse 14, then 
David danced before the Lord with all his might, and David 
was wearing a linen aphod. What does that mean, he's wearing 
a linen aphod? Some have seen something of the 
fact that this is a kingly-priestly function on David's part. It 
could sort of foreshadow his greater son, who would be a king-priest. This in accordance with Psalm 
110, that Jesus would be like Melchizedek, a king priest, and 
David with this linen aphod sort of symbolizes that at this particular 
juncture. Or it might also mean, and it 
can also mean, that David divested himself of his royal robes. In other words, when David took 
off his royal robes, David now was one of Israel. He was not 
functioning or he was not at least seen as the king. He was 
still king, still functioning as king, but basically because 
he is before the living and the true God, he takes off these 
royal robes and he is celebrating and he is praising. This is what 
upsets Michael. As far as Michael is concerned, 
this is undignified for the king to take off his royal robes. 
In fact, the sermon on this passage concerning David and Michael, 
Calvin calls it humble David and proud Michael. See, that's 
the issue. Michael does not think it dignified 
that the king of Israel Join the rabble, join the rest of 
Israel and engage in these sorts of things. That's what's in play 
here. So David dances before Yahweh 
with all his might. He was wearing a linen aphod. 
So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of 
the Lord with shouting and with the sound of the trumpet. Now 
notice in verse 16, the disdain of Michael. Now, as the ark of 
the Lord came into the city of David, Michael, notice Saul's 
daughter. Look at verse 20, and Michael 
the daughter of Saul. Notice verse 23, Michael the 
daughter of Saul. Not David's wife, not David's 
helpmate, but Saul's daughter. A remnant, a vestige, a reminder 
of the old regime, right? In Saul's day, we didn't dance 
before the ark. In Saul's day, we didn't sing 
praises to God. In Saul's day, this wasn't the 
rigmarole that you have made it to be. Kyle and Dalich say 
Michael has intentionally designated the daughter of Saul here instead 
of the wife of David, because on this occasion, she manifested 
her father's disposition rather than her husband's. In Saul's 
time, people did not trouble themselves about the Ark of the 
Covenant. Public worship was neglected, and the soul for vital 
religion had died out in the family of the king. Michael possessed 
teraphim. Remember that? She had household 
idols. That instance where she hid David, 
or David escaped rather, and then she puts the idols, the 
dummies, in her bed so that the men will see and think that David 
is sleeping there. She has teraphim, and in David 
she only loved the brave hero and exalted king. She therefore 
took offense at the humility with which the king, in his pious 
enthusiasm, placed himself on an equality with all the rest 
of the nation before the Lord." So essentially what you have 
is an externalist a false professor, someone who does not have the 
root of the matter in them, being embarrassed by the religious 
display of a man who's in love with his God. You see, the same 
sort of thing happens today. You know, if you lose yourself 
in the worship of God, and you actually cry, or you actually 
rejoice, or you actually show something that you're affected, 
persons will look at you like you're nuts. What's the deal 
with him? Why is he carrying on like that? 
Why is it the case that the Word of God comes to you and you seem 
genuinely humbled under it? Don't you know that dignified 
people don't do that? Don't you know that this is a 
scientific age? Don't you know that this is a 
sign of enthusiasm on your part? That was a word that was applied 
to men engaged in revival in the 18th century, 19th and 18th 
centuries. They called them enthusiasts. 
No, they were Christians. They were believers. You see, 
David has the Spirit of the Lord. David is whirling and dancing 
about because he's in love with the Lord. Certainly the Michaels 
of this world take offense to that. They don't think it's proper. 
They don't think it's right. They don't think it's dignified. 
Robert Alter makes this comment concerning, he refers to a Jewish 
interpreter, Shaman Bar Efrat, neatly observes that at the beginning 
of their story, the David and Michael story, a loving Michael 
helped David escape through the window from her father's henchmen 
while she now looks at him from a distance through the window 
in seething contempt. It's a big turn in the tables 
here. And I think it is the case that the only time, or the first 
time at least, in the scripture that it says a woman loved a 
man was Michael loved David. And now she despises him in her 
heart. It's religious in nature. It's 
because he's a believer and she's not. It's because he's in love 
with God and she isn't. This upsets the unconverted. This upset Michael. She's proud 
and arrogant and rebellion against God. So essentially, in verses 
17 to 19, we have continued celebration. Before we get to the situation 
concerning Michael and David, we're going to just create the 
tension more. This is great storytelling. I mean, you'd think we'd go right 
from 16 to 20, wouldn't you? Michael despises David. We get 
right to the confrontation between 17, 18, and 19. We're going to 
rejoice some more before the presence of God, because God's 
that great. We'll let you wait until we resolve 
this tension with David and Michael, because we want you to see how 
great God is, 17, 18, 19. sacrifice, worship, praise, adoration. It has all the marks of a covenant 
renewal ceremony before the Lord God Most High. Now notice this 
confrontation in verses 20 to 23. Time seems to be going especially 
fast tonight. We will not keep you over, but 
I will speak quicker. Notice verse 20, then David returned 
to bless his household. What a good man. He blesses Israel. He gives gifts to Israel. He's 
a good king. It's a time of worship, a time 
of covenant renewal, a time of blessing. So he returns home 
to bless his own household. And Michael, the daughter of 
Saul, came out to meet David and said, how glorious was the 
king of Israel today. She is jeering, she is taunting, 
she is wretched in this. How glorious was the king of 
Israel today, uncovering himself today in the eyes of the maids 
of his servants as one of the base fellows shamelessly uncovers 
himself. Davis says, Michael is concerned 
with royal dignity, proper decorum, outward appearances. A king has 
a certain image to maintain and he shouldn't put himself on a 
level with, well, the riffraff. That's her indictment to him. You see, David is caught up in 
love for his God. David hasn't done anything wrong, 
and essentially that's what David says. If being a lover of my 
God is wrong, well then I'm going to be even more wrong. That's 
essentially his response to her in verse 21. Notice, verse 21, 
so David said to Michael, it was before the Lord. This is 
beautiful. It was before God. It wasn't 
for the maidservants. It wasn't even for all Israel. 
It was before the Lord. That's why he takes off the royal 
robes. That's why he appears only in 
the linen aphod. That's why he does what he does 
in terms of whirling and dancing and praising and rejoicing and 
blessing and sacrificing. It was before the Lord. It is 
as if he says, Michael, this is Yahweh of Israel. Michael, 
this is what we live for. This is what we're about. This 
is what it is. This is the essence of Christianity. It is worship of the true and 
living God. I think we ought to get some 
of that in our own hearts as we approach the Lord's Day. It's 
about the Lord. Do you know that your life as 
a saved man or woman is about the Lord? When you go to the 
house of God, it is to present yourself before the Lord. It 
is a time not to be seen by men. It's not a time for social. There 
is social. That's a corollary. Bless God 
and praise God. But the primary emphasis on the 
Sabbath day is that you come before the Lord. And David has 
this. And David understands this. And 
then David highlights the fact that God chose him over Saul. So David said to Michael, it 
was before the Lord who chose me instead of your father and 
all his house to appoint me ruler over the people of the Lord over 
Israel. Therefore, I will play music 
before the Lord. God did this. God carved this 
out. God called me. God sustained 
me. God kept me in the wilderness. 
God kept me through Abner. God kept me through Ish-bosheth. 
God brought me to Hebron. God brought me to this place. 
God cast out the Jebusites. Of course I'm going to make music 
to the Lord. Let that affect you when you 
come into the house of God on the Lord's day. He justified 
us. He is sanctifying us. He will ultimately glorify us. 
Of course I'm going to praise Him. Of course I'm going to adore 
Him. Of course I'm going to go back 
on Sunday night. Of course I'm going to fellowship 
with His people. He has saved me. Gil says that 
he observed or he said this to humble her pride and mortify 
her as well as to remark the distinguishing goodness of God 
to him, which laid him under obligation to express his thankfulness 
to him in every shape. Michael, the Lord has done this. 
What is my response but to make music before God? and then the 
differing definitions of dignity between the saved and the unsaved. 
Look at David in verse 22. And I will be even more undignified 
than this and will be humble in my own sight. If you think 
you've seen undignified, you ain't seen nothing yet, lady. 
This God is so great, and He's so glorious, and He's so wondrous, 
and He's so awesome, that if you think that is a lack of dignity, 
keep your eyes feasted on what I'm going to do next. He's not 
being indecent. He is not being lawless. He is 
not being wretched. He is in the confines of God's 
holy commands, but He is worshipping the Lord Most High in a manner 
that is consistent with who the Lord Most High is. But as for 
the maidservants of whom you have spoken, by them I will be 
held in honor." Notice the Lord or divine approbation of David, 
not Michael. Verse 23, therefore Michael the 
daughter of Saul had no children to the day of her death. You 
see, God approved of David. God said, yes, that's the way 
you worship. Yes, that's the way you approach 
me. Yes, in light of the fact that I sustained you all those 
years and I brought you to this consolidated kingdom, it is right 
for you to praise and honor and glorify me. Michael, you're wrong 
on this. Michael, you need to understand 
what grace and mercy and kindness are all about, and you certainly 
need to learn what worship is all about. Well, brethren, in 
conclusion, we learn concerning the presence of God, this is 
to be desired, this is to be sought after, this is what we 
want. When David assumes control of 
the kingdom and he's in Jerusalem, the first order of business is, 
let's go get the ark. That's admirable, that is a blessing. 
Secondly, we need to understand the holiness of God. The incident 
at Beth Shemesh, the incident with Uzzah, the reality that 
our God is indeed a consuming fire. I remember hearing a sermon 
by Pastor Earl Blackburn on the fall of David in 2 Samuel 11 
and 12. You know, when David is found 
out in sin with Bathsheba and he kills Uriah. And Earl Blackburn 
said, you know, brethren, texts like these are an indication 
of divine inspiration. Texts like these are an indication 
of divine inspiration. What did he mean by that? He 
said, well, we would never include those stories of tragedy concerning 
our heroes. In other words, if I was a big 
fan of David and I was writing his life history, I wouldn't 
include that he was a murderer and an adulterer. That's a demonstration 
of inspiration. God gives us the truth. David 
says something similar on this passage. He says, for me, the 
death of Uzzah For me, passages like this are evidence of the 
supernatural origin and trustworthiness of the Bible. This Uzzah story 
goes so against the grain of human preferences. We would never 
have invented a God like this, would we? No, we'd invent a God 
that just throws gold at us. We'd invent a God that just gives 
us rubies. We'd invent a God who'd just 
give us everything that would indulge our lusts. He says, we 
would never have invented a God like this, not if we want to 
win converts and influence people. This God is not very marketable. Anyone who says the God of the 
Bible is merely a projection of our wish fulfillment has not 
read the Bible. I think that's absolutely accurate. And then finally, the worship 
of God. The worship of God is regulated 
by God's Word, our good intentions notwithstanding. You can read 
Deuteronomy 12, 32, 1 Timothy 3, 15, Hebrews 12, 28 and 29. to validate what has been historically 
called the regulative principle of worship. As well, the worship 
of God is prioritized by the people of God. This is what David 
wants. David wants to worship. And the 
worship of God is mingled with trembling and with joy. Psalm 211, serve the Lord with 
fear and rejoice with trembling. Again, one final quote from Davis 
and then I'll pray. He says, I think this Michael 
David altercation holds a telling application to the sphere of 
our worship and devotion. In our churches there are any 
number of folks who are very concerned with services and externals 
and procedures and mechanics and meetings and decency and 
order, but who really can't understand anything of the joy of the Lord. 
There are some who can muster enthusiasm and gusto over professional 
sports, but who somehow cannot fathom anything but professional 
detachment over Jesus Christ. Exuberant praise and tears of 
repentance are strangers to them. W.G. Blakey has carefully drawn 
the bottom line. There are doubtless times to 
be calm and times to be enthusiastic, but can it be right to give all 
our coldness to Christ and all our enthusiasm to the world? 
Very, very cutting. Well, let us close in a word 
of prayer. Our Father, we thank you for 2 Samuel, and we thank 
you for the life of God's people and the history of the Church, 
and thank you that you have given us this word by inspiration, 
and that it's profitable to us for doctrine, for reproof, for 
correction, and for instruction in righteousness. Help us to 
have this desire for the presence of God. Help us to see you as 
the Holy One of Israel, and help us as well, Almighty God, to 
rejoice with trembling in your presence. and may we worship 
you in spirit and in truth, and may we seek to be obedient to 
your word. Go with us now, we pray, through 
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.