July 18, 2021
First Lesson Psalm 24
1 The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it,
the world, and those who live in it;
2 for he has founded it on the seas,
and established it on the rivers.
3 Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord?
And who shall stand in his holy place?
4 Those who have clean hands and pure hearts,
who do not lift up their souls to what is false,
and do not swear deceitfully.
5 They will receive blessing from the Lord,
and vindication from the God of their salvation.
6 Such is the company of those who seek him,
who seek the face of the God of Jacob. Selah
7 Lift up your heads, O gates!
and be lifted up, O ancient doors!
that the King of glory may come in.
8 Who is the King of glory?
The Lord, strong and mighty,
the Lord, mighty in battle.
9 Lift up your heads, O gates!
and be lifted up, O ancient doors!
that the King of glory may come in.
10 Who is this King of glory?
The Lord of hosts,
he is the King of glory. Selah
Second Lesson 2 Samuel 6:1-5, 12b-19
6 David again gathered all the chosen men of Israel, thirty thousand. 2 David and all the people with him set out and went from Baale-judah, to bring up from there the ark of God, which is called by the name of the Lord of hosts who is enthroned on the cherubim. 3 They carried the ark of God on a new cart, and brought it out of the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill. Uzzah and Ahio,] the sons of Abinadab, were driving the new cart 4 with the ark of God; and Ahio went in front of the ark. 5 David and all the house of Israel were dancing before the Lord with all their might, with songs and lyres and harps and tambourines and castanets and cymbals.
Who here has seen Raiders of the Lost Ark? Raise your hand. A box office smash of 1981, it introduced us to Indiana Jones the archeologist who traveled the world in search of rare artifacts. As the world battled with good and evil during WWII, Indi searches for the Ark of the Covenant. But the scene that comes to mind has Indiana and Marian tied to a post while Indy’s archrival, Belloq, befitted with high priestly regalia, opened the lid of the ark and unleashed the glory of the LORD, which quite literally melted Belloq and his Nazi benefactors, all those who would dare look upon the LORD. Indi knew to close his eyes in reverence to the sacredness of God that the Ark embodied. The story is fictional, but the ark as the presence of God is woven through scriptures.
Moses had the ark built to hold the Ten Commandments. The ark traveled with the people of Israel from Sinai into the Promised Land. Without a permanent home, it was kept in the tabernacle, the tent which housed the ark. Ultimately it found a home in Shiloh in the northern part of Israel, Saul’s territory. But the ark was later captured by the Philistines, only to be returned because it brought such pain and suffering to their people (1 Sam. 5-6). God’s presence was to dwell with God’s people, not with their enemies.
The ark is the locus of the LORD’s presence with the people, often quite specifically identified with the place between the cherubim upon the lid of the ark, the mercy seat. The ark serves as the LORD’s throne and place of self-revelation, such that Moses would hear the voice of the LORD coming “from between the two cherubim.” (Num. 7:89) (Working Preacher, Samuel Giere).
David knew the power of the Ark and the sovereignty of God. He would pray to God before each battle asking if God would be with him and defeat his enemies (2 Sam. 5:17-25). So once he became king and captured the walled city of Jerusalem, never before part of the nation of Israel, he brings the ark of the covenant to the city of David. This accomplishes two things. First it solidifies his new kingdom both politically and religiously. Remember he is unifying many tribes and they need a unifying symbol. The people of Israel know God’s presence dwells with the Ark. With the Ark stationed in a “tent” in Jerusalem, the city of David also became “Zion, City of God” for Yahweh’s presence once again “tabernacled,” (dwelled) in the midst of Israel. David sought to encircle his crown with the religious halo of the past (Understanding the Old Testament, B. Anderson, p. 182).
Secondly, his Kingship is subordinate to the Kingship of God. Remember the tribes were based on kinship, family communities. David was creating the first kingdom of Israel. This was also the beginning of a royal theology dedicated to Yahweh making a special covenant the David. Placing the Ark of the Covenant in the middle of his new capital, God’s sovereignty dominated the theological imagination of Israel.
Shepherd made king; David loved the Lord. He faithfully worshiped God and built his kingdom on his love for God. So, in setting up his new seat of power he brings the mercy seat of God, the Ark of the Covenant, to Jerusalem. He could have done this quietly, like having a personal faith, but David shared with all the community this momentous moment when the presence of the Lord came to dwell in the City of David. Dancing, singing, making merry is the way they celebrated the Ark, the Lord’s presence, arriving in the new capitol. That we heard harps playing this morning like they played some 3,000 years ago to offer praise to God, gives me comfort and makes a wonderful connection. But this was also the Lord’s presence we are talking about. In the passage we skipped, Uzzah, one of the men carrying the ark, dies for accidentally touching the Ark, reminding us of the magnitude of what is happening here. Welcoming God to dwell in this place, honoring the sovereignty of the Lord, recognizing all the power that is God is not all dancing and song. Yet is begs the question how do we honor the presence of the Lord? How do you feel connected to the God of David and the Father of Jesus?
Last week we talked about God’s presence manifesting in Immanuel, God with us. Certainly, having a growing relationship with Jesus is a way to be in the presence of the Lord. Rituals like the communion and prayer also help us to gather and lift our hearts and minds to God. The Psalm today speaks of lifting ourselves to God. It is a liturgy used to bring the ark of the covenant into the sanctuary. It celebrates God, the Creator, and repeatedly asks us to lift up our heads to the King of glory. It speaks of gates, but there are no gates that lift up, so we are to be the opening, the portal for God’s glory to be seen on earth. We are to lift up our eyes to heaven and welcome the Lord into our midst!
That is exactly what David did with his dancing and singing. As he leaped and danced before the Lord mightily, his joy and praise filled the community and other joined in. His worship of God was infectious, and the people of Israel praised their God. As the mercy seat of God and the very presence of God entered their new capitol everyone danced for joy. You might have noticed Michal, Saul’s daughter and David’s wife despised David which seems out of place. I will talk about that next week when we look at David’s relationship with Bathsheba.
Dancing before the Ark, playing music and shouts of joy are all expressions of the communal joy they have in the presence of God. What joy do you find and where do you find it?
Diving into a God given passion and creating something new.
Bounding into nature and communing with all of God’s creation.
Quietly reflecting on God’s Word and finding peace.
Tasting the bread and wine uniting us with God and each other.
God’s presence is experienced in many ways. I hope we will all look for God in our midst, embrace the glimpses we have of the eternal presence of our Lord.
In closing I want to note the three things that happened with David that might help us see God today. They celebrated God, gave an offering and shared food.
In their joy they celebrated God. Playing music, dancing with passion, making merriment from the joy they have found in God. Another way of saying that is to express our gratitude for the love we have found in God. As the song attests, they will know we are Christians by our love. Do we love and celebrate God in a way that the world wants to join in the merriment? Join in the dance?
Secondly, David gives several offerings to God. As soon as the ark is placed in the tent, and God is dwelling, tabernacled in Jerusalem, David makes an offering to God. This reminds us that giving to God is the natural response to being in God’s presence. Another way of showing our gratitude for the love we have for God and have received from God. Offering our time, talents and treasures with God helps us to lift up our heads to heaven, testifying to the God’s presence.
Finally, David shared food with the people of Israel. Being in the presence of the Lord makes us generous. We want to share what we have because we know that all that we have comes from God. Sharing it is a way for us to give back some of what we have generously received.
God’s presence is not the stuff of movies, it is the majesty and glory of the Creator of the universe who also abides in our hearts and minds. So I ask you this week to seek out the Lord’s presence confident that God will dwell with you. Don’t be surprised if you find yourself dancing for the Lord! Amen.
