David Brings Back the Ark to Jerusalem – Children’s Search the Scripture Lesson 28

“So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the LORD with shouting, and with the sound of the trumpet”

2 Samuel 6:15 (Memory Verse)

1. THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE ARK

2 Samuel 6:1,2; Exodus 25:10-22; Hebrews 9:4

The ark of covenant was made during the Israelite’s wilderness journey. God specifically instructed Moses on how to design and build the ark. He also told him what to put in the ark. Moses obeyed and appointed skilled men to build the ark. This ark became the symbol of God’s presence in worship and token of the covenant for Israel throughout their journey to Canaan land. However, during the time of Eli the priest, the ark was captured in battle by the Philistines and kept in the house of Dagon – their idol. When God’s divine judgment came upon the Philistines, they quickly sent back the ark to one of the towns in Israel. The ark remained in the house of Abinadab for twenty years (1 Samuel 7:1,2).

When David became king, he built Jerusalem and made it the centre of worship. Then he made arrangement to bring the ark back to its rightful place. He did so because of his desire to worship God in truth and holiness.

However, David was not careful to observe the commandment concerning the movement of the ark. This action resulted in the death of Uzzah. The mistake was later corrected, then the ark was finally brought to Jerusalem with singing and praises unto God. Like David, children must seek to serve God and live in obedience to His word at all times. God is awesome and He alone is worthy of our worship.

The ark is sometimes referred to as the ark of covenant or ark of testimony. It is a wooden chest covered both inside and outside with gold. It was used as a container for the stone tables on which God wrote the Ten Commandments. These tables represented the heart of God’s covenant with Israel.

Other things in the ark were:

1. A pot of manna. The manna was provided by God to feed Israel in the wilderness for forty years. It points to Jesus as the Bread from heaven, the Bread of Life to give salvation to sinners (John 6:31-41).
2. The rod of Aaron that budded and even produced almond fruits. This shows God’s sovereignty over all things (Numbers 17:10).

The ark was placed in the most holy place of the tabernacle and represented the throne of God. God’s presence was always manifested through the ark.

Now, God’s presence is made manifest in the Church through the Holy Spirit. The ark is no longer to be taken as the centre of worship. We have something better – the new covenant which has been made available to us through the blood of Jesus. As a sinner, you can ask God directly for pardon and cleansing of your sin. God is merciful; He will forgive, pardon and cleanse you from all sins. Then you will have the right to pray and receive all the blessings that you need in life.

2. SINCERE DESIRE IN BRINGING THE ARK TO JERUSALEM

2 Samuel 6:1-17; 1 Chronicles 15:1-3

The first assignment David undertook as king was to build Jerusalem and bring back the ark. David’s decision to place the ark in Jerusalem was a mark of his desire to return Israel to her original purpose, which was to keep God and His word central to her existence. In his zeal to achieve this good purpose, David forgot to follow God’s command concerning the handling of the ark. The Levites were the only ones appointed to carry the ark at any point in time. Also, the ark was not to be placed on anything. The staves with which to carry it had been built into the ark already. But David asked the sons of Abinadab who were not priests to carry the ark and put it on a cart. When the ark was about to fall, Uzzah stretched his hand to hold it but he died.

God is not a respecter of persons. He demands total obedience to His word. What happened made David to fear God. He could not take the ark to Jerusalem as planned. It was taken instead to the house of Obededom and God blessed his family for accepting the ark. God’s ways are simple. When you disobey, punishment awaits you. On the other hand, if you obey, you will enjoy His blessings.

You have to fear God because He loves orderliness. Do not play or be careless with sacred things. Children who run around in the place of worship or play at the altar must repent. Respect God’s house and His servants and God will bless and honour you. When David learnt that God had blessed Obededom, he made another arrangement to take the ark to Jerusalem. This time around, he did the right thing by calling the priests to cleanse themselves and carry the ark. This brought great joy to the entire nation. Your service in God’s house must be done out of a pure heart and sincere motive.

3. SINGING AND REJOICING IN GOD’S PRESENCE

2 Samuel 6:15,18-23; 1 Chronicles 15:19-28

It was a moment of joy in Israel when the ark was eventually brought to Jerusalem. David, the king seemed to have gathered all the musicians in Israel together for this glorious event. It was not only a time of singing and dancing, but also of feasting and rejoicing. David could not hide his joy and thankfulness to God. He sang, played musical instruments and danced unto the Lord.

David’s joy could have been for the following reasons:

1. He might have considered it a privilege to be the one to bring the ark of God to a befitting place.
2. He counted it a great opportunity to do something for God’s honour and glory.
3. It was a time to show appreciation to God who had appointed him king over His people (2 Samuel 6:21).
4. He considered it a time of giving to and feasting with the children of Israel who admired, sympathised with him and even suffered with him in all his troubles during Saul’s reign.
5. This event was an expression of God’s acceptance of his kingdom, divine presence with him and confirmation of God’s promise to make him king over the whole Israel.

As Israel rejoiced, Michal, Saul’s daughter made jest of David instead of joining others to worship God. You are to respect and never ridicule or despise God’s servant. It should always be a time of great joy for you whenever you have the opportunity to do something like sweeping and arranging the church, singing in the choir, leading prayer sessions, going out with others to preach the gospel, giving for the work of God and other things that honour and gladden God’s heart. More so, you must make sure your life and actions make Jesus to be happy with you.

QUESTIONS

1. What does the ark symbolise to the children of Israel?
2. The ark of God contains certain things, mention them.
3. God’s presence is made manifest in the Church through __________
4. Mention two things David learnt from his mistakes when he first attempted to bring the ark back to Jerusalem.
5. What is the name of the man whom God blessed for keeping the ark of God safe for three months?
6. State three reasons David was filled with joy when the ark was brought back to Jerusalem.

BIBLE WORD SEARCH

Find the meaning of these words. You can use your dictionary:

1. Skill
2. Symbolise
3. Covenant
4. Testimony
5. Zeal