Introduction:
Proverbs 9:10 NLT
10 Fear of the Lord is the foundation of wisdom.
Knowledge of the Holy One results in good judgment.
Deuteronomy 10:12-13 NLT
12 “And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you? He requires only that you fear the Lord your God, and live in a way that pleases him, and love him and serve him with all your heart and soul. 13 And you must always obey the Lord’s commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good.
Deuteronomy 6:2 NLT
2 and you and your children and grandchildren must fear the Lord your God as long as you live. If you obey all his decrees and commands, you will enjoy a long life.
Discuss:
What does “Fear of the Lord” mean?
(reverence, respect, and obedience to God)
The concept of fearing God is a recurring theme throughout the Bible.
Luke 12:4-5 NLT
4 “Dear friends, don’t be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot do any more to you after that. 5 But I’ll tell you whom to fear. Fear God, who has the power to kill you and then throw you into hell. Yes, he’s the one to fear.
2 Samuel 6:1-11 NLT
Moving the Ark to Jerusalem (see 1 Chronicles 13:1-14)
6:1 Then David again gathered all the elite troops in Israel, 30,000 in all. 2 He led them to Baalah of Judah to bring back the Ark of God, which bears the name of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, who is enthroned between the cherubim. 3 They placed the Ark of God on a new cart and brought it from Abinadab’s house, which was on a hill. Uzzah and Ahio, Abinadab’s sons, were guiding the cart 4 that carried the Ark of God. Ahio walked in front of the Ark. 5 David and all the people of Israel were celebrating before the Lord, singing songs and playing all kinds of musical instruments—lyres, harps, tambourines, castanets, and cymbals.
6 But when they arrived at the threshing floor of Nacon, the oxen stumbled, and Uzzah reached out his hand and steadied the Ark of God. 7 Then the Lord’s anger was aroused against Uzzah, and God struck him dead because of this. So Uzzah died right there beside the Ark of God.
8 David was angry because the Lord’s anger had burst out against Uzzah. He named that place Perez-uzzah (which means “to burst out against Uzzah”), as it is still called today.
9 David was now afraid of the Lord, and he asked, “How can I ever bring the Ark of the Lord back into my care?” 10 So David decided not to move the Ark of the Lord into the City of David. Instead, he took it to the house of Obed-edom of Gath. 11 The Ark of the Lord remained there in Obed-edom’s house for three months, and the Lord blessed Obed-edom and his entire household.
Examine the Scriptures
2 Samuel 6:1-11 NLT
Moving the Ark to Jerusalem (see 1 Chronicles 13:1-14)
6:1 Then David again gathered all the elite troops in Israel, 30,000 in all. 2 He led them to Baalah of Judah (This is another name for Kiriath-jearim which is located about 10 miles west of Jerusalem.) to bring back the Ark of God,
- David is planning to move the Ark from Kiriath-jearim to Jerusalem, the new capital of Israel.
Background scripture:
1 Samuel 7:1-2 NLT (This is before Saul became king.)
7:1 So the men of Kiriath-jearim came to get the Ark of the Lord. (Returned by the Philistines.) They took it to the hillside home of Abinadab and ordained Eleazar, his son, to be in charge of it. 2 The Ark remained in Kiriath-jearim for a long time—twenty years in all. During that time all Israel mourned because it seemed the Lord had abandoned them.
1 Chronicles 13:3 NLT (Here David is speaking.)
3 It is time to bring back the Ark of our God, for we neglected it during the reign of Saul.”
There is almost no mention of the Ark during Saul’s 40 year reign.
1 Chronicles 10:13-14 NLT
13 So Saul died because he was unfaithful to the Lord. He failed to obey the Lord’s command, and he even consulted a medium 14 instead of asking the Lord for guidance. So the Lord killed him and turned the kingdom over to David son of Jesse.
- The Ark represented the presence of God.
Exodus 25 NLT (selected verses)
10 “Have the people make an Ark of acacia wood—a sacred chest 45 inches long, 27 inches wide, and 27 inches high. … 16 When the Ark is finished, place inside it the stone tablets inscribed with the terms of the covenant, which I will give to you.
… 21 Place inside the Ark the stone tablets inscribed with the terms of the covenant, which I will give to you. Then put the atonement cover on top of the Ark. 22 I will meet with you there and talk to you from above the atonement cover between the gold cherubim that hover over the Ark of the Covenant. From there I will give you my commands for the people of Israel.
The Ark could be seen as the earthly throne of Israel’s God.
which bears the name of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, who is enthroned between the cherubim.
Psalm 99:1 NLT
1 The Lord is king!
Let the nations tremble!
He sits on his throne between the cherubim.
Let the whole earth quake!
Isaiah 6:1-3 NLT
6:1 It was in the year King Uzziah died that I saw the Lord. He was sitting on a lofty throne, and the train of his robe filled the Temple. 2 Attending him were mighty seraphim, each having six wings. With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew. 3 They were calling out to each other,
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Heaven’s Armies!
The whole earth is filled with his glory!”
Revelation 4:6-11 NLT
6 In front of the throne was a shiny sea of glass, sparkling like crystal.
In the center and around the throne were four living beings, each covered with eyes, front and back. 7 The first of these living beings was like a lion; the second was like an ox; the third had a human face; and the fourth was like an eagle in flight. 8 Each of these living beings had six wings, and their wings were covered all over with eyes, inside and out. Day after day and night after night they keep on saying,
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty—
the one who always was, who is, and who is still to come.”
9 Whenever the living beings give glory and honor and thanks to the one sitting on the throne (the one who lives forever and ever), 10 the twenty-four elders fall down and worship the one sitting on the throne (the one who lives forever and ever). And they lay their crowns before the throne and say,
11 “You are worthy, O Lord our God,
to receive glory and honor and power.
For you created all things,
and they exist because you created what you pleased.”
Isaiah 5:16 NLT
16 But the Lord of Heaven’s Armies will be exalted by his justice.
The holiness of God will be displayed by his righteousness.
- “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty—the one who always was, who is, and who is still to come.”
- We must always fear the Lord our God.
3 They placed the Ark of God on a new cart and brought it from Abinadab’s house, which was on a hill.
Uzzah and Ahio, Abinadab’s sons, were guiding the cart 4 that carried the Ark of God. Ahio walked in front of the Ark.
- At this point in time, David and his troops were not fearing God. (Is this a true statement?)
Why or why not?
The Ark of God was to be carried by Levites who would bear it on their shoulders, it was not to be transported on a cart.
Even the Priests could not touch the Ark.
Numbers 4:15 NLT
15 The camp will be ready to move when Aaron and his sons have finished covering the sanctuary and all the sacred articles. The Kohathites will come and carry these things to the next destination. But they must not touch the sacred objects, or they will die. So these are the things from the Tabernacle that the Kohathites must carry.
Exodus 25:14 NLT
14 Insert the poles into the rings at the sides of the Ark to carry it.
Numbers 7:9 NLT
9 But he (Moses) gave none of the wagons or oxen to the Kohathite division, since they were required to carry the sacred objects of the Tabernacle on their shoulders.
5 David and all the people of Israel were celebrating before the Lord, singing songs and playing all kinds of musical instruments—lyres, harps, tambourines, castanets, and cymbals.
- All of Israel was celebrating the fact that the Ark was being moved to Jerusalem.
6 But when they arrived at the threshing floor of Nacon, the oxen stumbled, and Uzzah reached out his hand and steadied the Ark of God.
- While pulling the cart that was being used to transport the Ark, the oxen stumbled.
- Uzzah reached out his hand and steadied the Ark of God.
7 Then the Lord’s anger was aroused against Uzzah, and God struck him dead because of this.
- The Lord’s anger was aroused against Uzzah, and God struck him dead.
So Uzzah died right there beside the Ark of God.
- Touching the Ark was a direct violation of God’s law.
David should have known this.
1 Samuel 6:19-20 NLT
The Ark Moved to Kiriath-Jearim
19 But the Lord killed seventy men from Beth-shemesh because they looked into the Ark of the Lord. And the people mourned greatly because of what the Lord had done. 20 “Who is able to stand in the presence of the Lord, this holy God?” they cried out. “Where can we send the Ark from here?”
8 David was angry because the Lord’s anger had burst out against Uzzah.
- David was angry.
Discuss this.
He named that place Perez-uzzah (which means “to burst out against Uzzah”), as it is still called today.
9 David was now afraid of the Lord,
- David was now afraid of the Lord.
Is this the “Fear of the Lord” we were discussing?
and he asked, “How can I ever bring the Ark of the Lord back into my care?” 10 So David decided not to move the Ark of the Lord into the City of David.
- David decided not to move the Ark of the Lord into the City of David.
The story of the Ark being moved to Jerusalem takes place in the next lesson.
Instead, he took it to the house of Obed-edom of Gath.
Obed-edom was a Levite.
1 Chronicles 16:38 NLT
38 This group included Obed-edom (son of Jeduthun), Hosah, and sixty-eight other Levites as gatekeepers.
11 The Ark of the Lord remained there in Obed-edom’s house for three months, and the Lord blessed Obed-edom and his entire household.
