Hey, Bible readers. I'm Tara Lee Cobble, and I'm your host for the Bible Recap. One of the things you may notice as we drop into Chronicles from time to time is that things aren't always in the same order. It can be confusing and frustrating sometimes, but remember that there won't be a quiz at the end of this. Being able to follow the timeline is super helpful, but our main focus is to see who God is. Besides, most of the time it isn't actually confusing at all. It just requires a little mental adjusting if the storyline moves backward a step instead of forward. We open today with David making plans to move the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem, the newly seized, newly named capital of the nation of Israel. You may recall from back in 1 Samuel 4 that the Philistines stole the Ark in a battle, and when Eli the priest heard the news, he fell over and died. God plagued the Philistines as long as they had the Ark, so they decided to get rid of it by sending it away on milk cows. According to 1 Samuel 6, the cows went first to the Israelites in Beth Shemesh, but they mistreated the Ark and several of them died.

So they sent it to the home of a man named Abinnadab in Kyrioth Jerem. It remained there as long as Saul was king, probably because Saul didn't understand its value to the people of Israel. It was considered the earthly throne of God, after all. David does see its value, though. He seeks counsel God, other leaders, and even the people as he plans to bring the Ark to Jerusalem. He decides to assemble the entire nation for this event. But there is one problem from the start. David has a lot of zeal in this, but fails to yield to God's rules for how the Ark should be treated. First of all, the Ark is only supposed to be moved by the Levites, but David disregards that rule. And second, the Ark isn't supposed to be moved on a cart. Remember, it's supposed to be moved on poles. The decision to move it on a cart may not be blatant disregard for God's commands, but it's carelessness at best. After all, the Philistines had sent it back to Israel on a cart, so maybe David was just doing what had worked for them. If so, that's a bad move, too.

It's never wise to take your cues on God from people who don't know or love him. In the midst of their parade, that's how I'm envisioning this, the cows stumble and a man named Uzzah, who probably isn't a Levite, touches the Ark, and God strikes him dead. This is a hard scene for some people to swallow. So let's look at a few important reminders. First, God already told them in Numbers 4 that the penalty for touching the Ark is death. Second, God is holding We aren't. But he wants to be near us. So he's given us instructions for how things are supposed to be done in order to manage this challenging relationship. We can't expect him to make exceptions on that. It's already a big grace to us that he engages with us at all. Sometimes when people violate his rules, he might choose to be merciful, but we can't demand mercy from him or say he's too harsh if he chooses to stand by his rules. If you're struggling with this, we've linked to a short article in the show notes that might help a bit. David has a hard time with this, too.

He gets angry with God, and he may even be a little bit embarrassed. It's his first big gathering as King of Israel, and this happens? David's heart is in the right place with wanting to bring the Ark to Jerusalem, so it has to be especially defeating to leave such a tragic gap in the details of obeying God's commands. He's so discouraged that he decides to abandon the mission at that point and leaves the Ark at the home of a man named Obed Edom. In chapter 14, we have a review of David's family and David's defeat of the Philistines, both of which we've covered. But we also get some insights into the fact that the king of Tire approves of David's reign. While it's not always important to of outside validation, it's probably helpful to know that other kings in the area are supportive of David as the new king. Verse 17 says, God caused the nations around Israel to fear David. I find it interesting that God can create emotions, not just in his kids, but even in his enemies. Even the hearts of people who aren't yielded to him still sit under the umbrella of his sovereign control.

In chapter 15, David has rallied from the discouragement of Uze's death and is ready to finish bringing the Ark to Jerusalem. He's taken care to make sure things are done right this time, instead of just forging ahead based on enthusiasm alone. I don't often feel like I relate to David, but in this story, I do. One of my roommates once joked with me that I often do things fast and wrong. And that's what David's first attempt at bringing the Ark back was like. His lack of attention to such a huge detail could have meant the end of his kingdom. But God has a plan to use David, and he gives him a second chance to be obedient. First, David confesses his guilt in the first attempt, and interestingly, he also includes the Levites in that guilt. They didn't participate, but it seems like they bear some of the guilt because of their passivity, their lack of participation. They failed to step into the role God appointed for them. This time, David makes sure the Ark is carried on polls and only by the Levites. They bring the Ark into the city with lots of music and dancing, and everyone is thrilled, except for David's wife, Michal.

We'll cover this a little more in the days ahead. Then they bring the Ark into the tent, offer sacrifices, and David blesses the people and feeds them all. David also appoints Levites to be in charge of things and has them sing a song of thanks giving and praise to commemorate the moment. It's basically a remix of a lot of other Psalms, so some of it may even be familiar to you. My Godshot today was from the story of Uzzah and David and the Ark. It reminded me of Proverbs 14:12, which Which says, There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death. Both men did what seemed right in their eyes at the time, but without seeking God. God had already told them how this was supposed to be done, so it didn't even require much seeking, per se, just attention and obedience. But what did this show me about God? That he never requires something of us that he keeps us in the dark about. For a lot of things, he's already told us specific details in his word. We just have to read it. But in the details that aren't covered specifically, his spirit serves as our guide and helper, showing us how to apply the principles in scripture in each nuanced situation.

We're never left to our own devices. And thank God, because my fast and wrong self would screw it up every time. He's good. He shares his plans, and he's where the joy is.

If you've ever left a Bible study frustrated because it lacked accountability, structure, or transparency? Then Dgroup is for you. As a reminder, the Bible Recap is where we read the Bible, and Dgroup, discipleship group, is where we study the Bible. We do four studies a year that are deep dives into books of the Bible, and they're all written by me and my team. Dgroup has been described as the crossfit of Bible studies for a reason. We have structure and accountability, and it's really challenging, but anyone can do it, and you will strengthen your relationship with God as a result. Out the show notes to watch a short promo video, or you can also find or start a Dgroup near you by visiting mydgroup. Org or click the link in the show notes. Hope Nation has another fun song, Battle for all of you who love worship music. Love worship music. Watch the latest video to see if you can recognize these songs before Josh Baldwin from Bethel and worship leaders Pat Barrett and David Leonard. Click the link in the show notes to watch.