13:1 David consulted with his military officers, including those who led groups of a thousand and those who led groups of a hundred.
David should have consulted with God, not his military officers. Church leaders often make this same mistake. They consult with their congregation rather than their elders. The elders should possess the most spiritual maturity. They have studied the Bible for a longer period of time. This longer study period gives the elders an advantage in making divine viewpoint decisions.
13:2 David said to the whole Israelite assembly, “If you so desire and the Lord our God approves, let’s spread the word to our brothers who remain in all the regions of Israel, and to the priests and Levites in their cities, so they may join us.
King David wanted the Levites to join him in Jerusalem for a meeting.
13:3 Let’s move the ark of our God back here, for we did not seek his will throughout Saul’s reign.”
After the Philistines captured the ark and returned it, King Saul never used the ark of the covenant during his forty-year reign.
13:4 The whole assembly agreed to do this, for the proposal seemed right to all the people.
The king’s cabinet, military staff, and Levitical priesthood agreed to move the ark to Jerusalem.
13:5 So David assembled all Israel from the Shihor River in Egypt to Lebo Hamath, to bring the ark of God from Kiriath Jearim.
The Philistines captured the ark and kept it for three months. However, God cursed the Philistine cities who kept the ark. The Philistines placed the ark on a cart with oxen. The oxen returned the ark to Kiriath Jearim, which was about ten miles from Jerusalem. The ark had remained in this city for about 100 years. This meant that Israel had gone an entire century without burning sacrifices at the tabernacle.
13:6 David and all Israel went up to Baalah (that is, Kiriath Jearim) in Judah to bring up from there the ark of God the Lord, who sits enthroned between the cherubim—the ark that is called by his name.
King David led a procession of people to Kiriath Jeraim to bring back the ark to Jerusalem.
13:7 They transported the ark on a new cart from the house of Abinadab; Uzzah and Ahio were guiding the cart,
According to the Mosaic Law, the ark was not to be touched. It was to be carried by poles. It was to be carried only by Levites.
13:8 while David and all Israel were energetically celebrating before God, singing and playing various stringed instruments, tambourines, cymbals, and trumpets.
David was a musician who wrote 73 Psalms. The nation worshiped by musical instruments. There are some churches today (such as the Church of Christ) who do not allow musical instruments in their churches. They claim that Jesus did not worship with musical instruments. In Psalm 150, the people of Israel were commanded to worship God with “all kinds of musical instruments.” Jesus was Jewish. He worshiped as a first century Jew, not as a 20th century Church of Christ church member.
13:9 When they arrived at the threshing floor of Kidon, Uzzah reached out his hand to take hold of the ark, because the oxen stumbled.
The oxen stumbled, so Uzzah reached out in good faith to hold the ark so that it would not fall on the ground. God knew that this ox would stumble before the foundations of the world were even created. He knew that Uzzah would attempt to steady it.
13:10 The Lord was so furious with Uzzah, he killed him, because he reached out his hand and touched the ark. He died right there before God.
Uzzah violated the Mosaic Law by touching the ark, so God killed him. The Mosaic Law was a terrible monster. It cannot save. It can only kill. Uzzah committed the sin unto death. He lost his physical life, but not his eternal life.
Skeptics criticize this verse, because they do not understand the holiness of God or the sin nature of man. God is holy and He will not be contaminated by human sin. Man is totally depraved and evil. He would rather die and burn in hell than to believe in God. Death for a believer is a good thing, because it brings the believer into instant and direct fellowship with God. This incident taught Israel that she needed to follow even the details of God’s word at all costs.
13:11 David was angry because the Lord attacked Uzzah; so he called that place Perez Uzzah, which remains its name to this very day.
David was angry at God, but David should have followed the transportation stipulations of the Mosaic Law. Kings were to become masters of Bible doctrine. This is why the Mosaic Law was laid next to their throne everyday. The kings were to read it, study it, and apply it. As the King of the nation, David should have foreseen this violation of the Mosaic Law.
13:12 David was afraid of God that day and said, “How will I ever be able to bring the ark of God up here?”
If a man fears God, then he will fear no man. Believers with strong divine viewpoint fear God, because God can demand one’s life on any day. Disease, war, famine, pestilence, death, wealth, power, and health are all in the control of God. Every person is just one breath away from eternity.
13:13 So David did not move the ark to the City of David; he left it in the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite.
David was scared to move the ark. The ark stayed in the house of Obed-Edom.
13:14 The ark of God remained in Obed-Edom’s house for three months; the Lord blessed Obed-Edom’s family and everything that belonged to him.
God, not the ark, blessed Obed-Edom’s house for three months.