DOWNLOAD PDF THE MOVEMENT OF THE ARK : 1 CHRONICLES 15:25; 16:3

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1 Chapter 1 : One Year Bible Church of the Highlands 1 Chronicles New International Version (NIV). 25 So David and the elders of Israel and the commanders of units of a thousand went to bring up the ark of the covenant of the Lord from the house of Obed-Edom, with rejoicing. 26 Because God had helped the Levites who were carrying the ark of the covenant of the Lord, seven bulls and seven rams were sacrificed. 27 Now David was clothed. For this purpose he first gives an account of the preparations 1 Chron In our narrative Ch1 The words, "he made unto himself houses," do not denote, as Bertheau thinks, the building of other houses besides the palaces built with the help of King Hiram Ch1 In thus making the palace which had been built fit for a habitation, David prepared a place for the ark, which, together with its tent, was to be placed in his palace. As to the reasons which influenced David in determining to erect a new tabernacle for the ark, instead of causing the old and sacred tabernacle to be brought from Gibeon to Jerusalem for the purpose, see the remarks introductory to 2 Sam 6. For this purpose, the king assembled "the whole of Israel" in Jerusalem, i. Uriel head of the Kohathites, Asaiah of the Merarites, and Joel head of the Gershonites, with their brethren. Kohath is first enumerated, because Aaron the chief of the priests was descended from Kohath, and because to the Kohathites there fell, on account of their nearer relationship to the priests, the duty of serving in that which is most holy, the bearing of the holiest vessels of the tabernacle. Then in Ch1 Shemaiah, chief of the sons of Elizaphan, i. These priests and the six princes of the Levites just enumerated were charged by David to consecrate themselves with their brethren, and to bring up the ark of God to the place prepared for it. In the first clause the predicate is wanting, but it may easily be supplied from the context. Wetzstein in Delitzsch, Isaiah, S. See on Ch1 6: The names Benaiah and Maaseiah, which are repeated in Ch1 All the other names in vv. These three Hebrew words plainly denote different keys in singing, but are, owing to our small acquaintance with the music of the Hebrews, obscure, and cannot be interpreted with certainty. The signification to direct is here, however, excluded by the context, for the conductors were without doubt the three chief musicians or bandmasters Capellenmeister, Heman, Asaph, and Ethan, with the cymbals, not the psaltery and lute players belonging to the second rank. This word, moreover, is probably not to be restricted to the singers with the lutes, the third choir, but must be held to refer also to the second choir. The meaning then will be, that Heman, Asaph, and Ethan had cymbals to direct the song, while the other singers had partly psalteries, partly lutes, in order to play the accompaniment to the singing. The meaning prophetia, moreover, does not suit the context, and we must consequently, with Bertheau and others, hold fast the signification of bearing. The business of these doorkeepers was, as Seb. Schmidt has already remarked on 2 Sam 6, non tam introitum aperire arcae, quam custodire, ne ad eam irrumperetur. Between these two pairs of doorkeepers in Ch1 The blowing of the silver trumpets by the priests in this solemn procession rests on the prescription in Num The place assigned to these trumpet-blowing priests was either immediately before the ark, like the priestly trumpeters in the march round Jericho Jos 6: For, that these priests entered in the immediate vicinity of the ark, may be inferred from the fact that before and behind them were doorkeepers of the ark. The procession, then, was probably arranged in this way: This, however, is incorrect, for the identity of the name Obededom is no sufficient ground for supposing the persons to be the same, since in Ch1 Instead of this, in Sa2 6: In that way, indeed, we get no explanation of the main difficulty, viz. This he does, not because he was scandalized thereby, for he not only gives a hint of it in Ch1 For the clothing of the king had a priestly character; and not only the ephod of white see on Sa2 6: Among the articles of clothing which the law prescribed for the official dress of the simple priest Exo The words therefore are to be so understood. For the last clause, cf. Page 1

2 Chapter 2 : 1 Chronicles: Lessons for Us - Life, Hope & Truth 1 Chronicles New International Version (NIV) The Ark Brought to Jerusalem. 15 After David had constructed buildings for himself in the City of David, he prepared a place for the ark of God and pitched a tent for it. 2 Then David said, "No one but the Levites may carry the ark of God, because the Lord chose them to carry the ark of the Lord and to minister before him forever.". He was able by the alliance and help of Hiram While the Ark remained near Jerusalem at the home of Obed-edom for 3 mouths The three months that the Ark remained in the house of Obed-edom gave David ample time to prepare the tent for the Ark to be placed in. This is not the tabernacle they brought across the desert. This is a new tent. It had been hundreds of years since the tabernacle had been built. It would have decayed greatly in those years. This new tent will be a temporary place for the Ark. Solomon will build the temple to house it. After a lapse of 3 months David did not do this the first time he tried to bring the Ark back to Jerusalem chapter He had obviously learned from his mistake. He had, most probably, checked with the high priest in the law to see how the Ark should be handled, to avoid another death. The sons of Kohath will come to carry the Ark. The Ark was not to be touched even by them. They were to run poles through the rings on the side of the Ark, and carry the poles on their shoulders. To bring up the Ark of the Lord": From the house of Obed-edom, where it had been three months, and for the sake of which his house was blessed, and which David heard of; and this encouraged him to take this step to fetch it from thence. This time there would be much more care taken in the moving of the Ark. The "all Israel" is speaking of the elders and the captains of thousands. The Ark would be moved with great rejoicing and celebration, but would also be handled reverently. In the restoration from Babylon, these identical 3 divisions of Levi participated 1 Chron. And from hence to the end of 1 Chron. The children of Aaron were the priestly family. A son of Levi, that is, of his posterity; for his immediate sons, and so those of the rest after mentioned, had been dead ages ago. The principal of those, at this present time, was Uriel, and his kindred, or those of the same family with him, were one hundred and twenty: Kohath was the first specifically mentioned, because this was the family of the priests out of the Levitical tribe. Aaron was descended from Kohath through Amram. Uriel was the head of this priestly family at this time, and the others are under him. Each house of the Levites had specific things to do. The house of Kohath served as priests. He was head of the third division of the Levites. At the time of David, his family had Asaiah for their chief. There were of his brethren with him. Gershom was also of the Levitical tribe. His family was in the service of the LORD, but not as priests. Joel was their chief, and brought with him. Elizaphan was the grandson of Kohath, Shemaiah was the chief of the family descended from him. He came with of his men. Hebron was the son of Kohath. His descendants had led to Eliel the chief, at the time of David. He brought 80 men with him. The number of Levites, in all, gathered together, were eight hundred and sixty two, besides their chiefs. Uzziel was the son of Kohath, and at the time of David, Amminadab was the chief of their family. He came with of his men to witness the moving of the Ark. Verses see the note on These two High-Priests, heads of the two priestly houses of Eleazar and Ithamar, were colleagues in the high-priesthood 2 Sam. Zadok attended the tabernacle in Gibeon 1 Chron. Ultimately, Zadok prevailed 1 Kings 2: Zadok and Abiathar were acting high priests at the time of David. Zadok was of the house of Eleazar. He was faithful to David. Abiathar was the fourth in descent from Eli. He alone was saved alive, when Saul killed many of the priests. Abiathar was High Priest, along with Zadok, at the time of David. David and Abiathar were lifelong friends. The others, mentioned in the verse above, were captains of their families at the time of David. They were all Levites. Yet David make a decided effort to ask God for guidance and then follow it, something many in Israel apparently did not remember to do. They certainly did not learn it from Saul. This was a special sanctification required on all special occasions, demanding complete cleanliness. The actual moving of the Ark would be left up to these men. They had to sanctify themselves for the work to be done here. This consisted of removing themselves from anything pertaining to the world for at least three days Page 2

3 prior to the move. It included washings of the natural body and clothing to be worn, as well as ceremonial washing. They must wear white linen garments as well. Not only were the chiefs to do this, but all the Levitical tribe that would be with them for this moving of the Ark. Now, David realized that they had not observed the law the first time they tried to move the Ark to Jerusalem. They had searched the law now, and know how they are to go about moving the Ark. To bring up the Ark of the Lord God of Israel": For though it was chiefly the work of the Levites, yet the priests might do it, and sometimes did see Joshua 3: All of the law was being observed. They had learned as we Christians should learn, that God is holy. They have prepared themselves first by reading the law, so they would know what the proper way was, and now were doing just that. We cannot know what the will of God is, until we study His Word. Then we can do His will, because we know what His will is for our lives. According to Maimonides, was both for the honor of it, and lest its form and structure should be any ways damaged. We have mentioned several times in these lessons that even the Levites were not to touch the Ark. They were to run the staves through the rings on the side of the Ark and place the staves on their shoulders to carry it. Eminent Levites were instructed to train the musicians and singers for the solemn procession. Before the Ark, as they brought it up: With instruments of music, psalteries, and harps, and cymbals; which were used in those times see 2 Sam. The instrumental music was to be attended with vocal music, and that very sonorous and loud, and performed with all tokens of inward joy and gladness, as the occasion required. All three of the Levitical families were represented here. Notice, the musicians and singers were in the service of the LORD. Who, when they were not employed in singing, were doorkeepers of the sanctuary. Either they had been porters at the tabernacle in Gibeon, or were so after the Ark was placed in the tabernacle David prepared for it. Those listed in verse 17, were the leaders. Those listed in verse 18 here, were their immediate subordinates. We see a familiar name here. Obed-edom had been keeping the Ark at his home before this move. We also know that he was listed as a porter. They were keepers of the door. For as there were three sorts of musical instruments 1 Chron. These three chief singers had one of those instruments appropriated to them, one of which were the cymbals of brass, to which the apostle alludes 1 Cor. Notice, there is even order in the part each was to play with the instruments and the singing. These cymbals of brass were probably the signal to begin. Aziel is the same with Jaaziel 1 Chron. Ben is thought to be sick or dead before they came to execute their office, and whom the father of Kimchi takes to be the same with him who is expressed in the title of Psalm 9: Page 3

4 Chapter 3 : 1 Chronicles Commentaries Precept Austin 1 And David made him houses in the city of David, and prepared a place for the ark of God, and pitched for it a tent. 2 Then David said, None ought to carry the ark of God but the Levites: for them hath the LORD chosen to carry the ark of God, and to minister unto him for ever. 3 And David gathered. They impress the importance of the worship of God upon the people. Unpromising as these chapters appear, much may be learned from them. Bringing the Ark to Zion. God blessed the house of Obed-edom during the three months the Ark remained there, and David was encouraged to bring it to Mount Zion, to the tent he had prepared for it [1Chronicles 15]. David had now learned the lesson of obedience, for he says: The priests and Levites and singers, with their instruments of music, were each appointed to their several places. The man dances backwards, and with his dress girded to give free play to his limbs, as the common peasants gird themselves for active work. Michal, the daughter of Saul, looked out at a window and saw him dancing and playing, and she despised him in her heart. Sacrifices were offered as the Ark left the house of Obed-edom; and, again, when it was set in the tent on Mount Zion, they offered burnt sacrifices and peace offerings [ch. The bringing of the Ark to Zion was typical of restored communion. In the presence of the Ark, with its blood-stained mercy-seat, the peace offerings could be offered. The peace offering included a meal of which the offerer partook before God. The joy which accompanied the bringing back of the Ark, and the feeding of the people with bread and meat and wine, are symbolic of the joy of restored communion and feeding upon Christ. John Wilkinson] Mount Moriah. His sin in this was no doubt twofold. The half shekel of silver, given by every man when he was numbered, was the token that the people belonged to the Lord: Thus, the Temple, as well as the Tabernacle, rested upon the foundation of the silver redemption money. This might account for David having to pay such a high price for the makaom as recorded in Chronicles, though he only paid fifty shekels of silver for the threshing-floor [Heb. They appear to have been two separate transactions. Ornan the Jebusite was one of the Canaanitish inhabitants of the land. The place was evidently a makoam as long back as the time when Abraham was told to offer Isaac on what was probably the same spot, for the word occurs four times in the brief narrative, applied to the summit of Moriah [Gen For Jehovah also would have His makoam. It is extraordinary that any honest and intelligent mind could find a difficulty here. Fifty shekels of silver were presumably a fair price, though to us it seems very little, for the oxen and for the temporary use of the threshing-floor, for the purpose of the sacrifice. And this was all that the king had in view at the moment. David went on to purchase the entire homestead out and out; and the price he paid for it was six hundred shekels of gold. Page 4

5 Chapter 4 : 1 Chronicles 15 1 Chronicles And it came to pass, when God helped the Levites that bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD, that they offered seven bullocks and seven rams. Ver. When God helped the Levites that bare the ark. The two books we call 1 and 2 Chronicles were originally one book, and they have been known by a variety of names over time. History The history that precedes 1 and 2 Chronicles starts with the Genesis creation and ends with both Israel and Judah in captivity and Cyrus issuing a decree in B. The two books of Chronicles repeat part of the same story, and end at the same point, as the books of 1 and 2 Samuel and 1 and 2 Kings. But in Chronicles special attention is given to the reigns of David, Solomon and the kings of Judah and the temple in Jerusalem. No date for the writing is given, but to B. A comparison of the narrative in Chron. Writing after the Exile, the author sought to inspire the remnant of Israelites with their extraordinary spiritual heritage. Appropriately, the book focuses on David. The Lion Handbook to the Bible by David and Pat Alexander discusses how repetition was helpful for the original readers, those who had returned from exile to rebuild Jerusalem. They needed to know the right lines on which to re-establish patterns of worship. And, if history was not to repeat itself, they needed most of all to be reminded of the greatest lesson their history had to teach: These are lessons for us today as well. Position in the canon According to the Hebrew arrangement of the Old Testament books, the two books of Chronicles were positioned at the end of the Writings Psalms division. The two books of Chronicles are placed last in the Hebrew Old Testament. The conclusion of 2 Chronicles is the same as the beginning of Ezra, thus connecting these two books with Ezra and Nehemiah. Jewish tradition ascribes the authorship of both 1 and 2 Chronicles to Ezra. The genealogies The first nine chapters of 1 Chronicles contain genealogies from Adam to the time of Ezra, or the postexilic period. Why record these in such detail? Most of the genealogies are incomplete, with many breaks in the lists. But the main line is there. These nine chapters of genealogies form the generation-to-generation tie-up of all preceding Biblical history. Genealogies from Adam to David chapters Judah and the house of David. The 11 other tribes of Israel. Inhabitants of Jerusalem; the family of Saul. David begins to reign, captures Jerusalem and consolidates his power. Central worship is established in Jerusalem; the Ark of the Covenant is transported to Jerusalem. Preparations for building the temple; temple service organized; duties of the Levites; divisions of the priests, musicians and temple guards. Military and civilian authorities appointed. Now for the house of my God I have prepared with all my might. David praised God in prayer David praised God in prayer and concluded with these words: That is meaningful advice for people throughout all ages! Why did God answer his prayer? Jabez recognized and called upon the only One who could help and intervene for himâ the God of Israel. He prayed earnestly that God would answer his prayer. This approach is similar to what is recorded in James 5: He prayed to be kept from evil. It was not a selfish prayerâ he prayed that he would not be the cause of pain or grief to others. The outcome was favorable: The result was that God sent a plague among the people causing the death of 70, people. Why did this happen? The Bible offers the following explanation in 1 Chronicles Satan stood up against Israel, and David apparently yielded to that influence, and even rejected the sound advice of Joab. Later, though, David realized he had sinned greatly. He had yielded to the devil, and afterwards repented. The plague was halted when the angel reached the threshing floor of Ornan Araunah, located on top of Mount Moriah. In 2 Chronicles 3: David was instructed to erect an altar there and offer burnt offerings. Ornan offered to give David the site and the animals for the sacrifice. When our offerings of money or service require some form of personal sacrifice, this is especially pleasing to God. Why did God kill Uzza? While transporting the ark from Kirjath Jearim to Jerusalem on a new cart, the oxen stumbled, and Uzza put his hand on the ark to steady it. As he touched the ark, he was struck dead 1 Chronicles This was an act of disobedience that had consequences. The ark should have been carried on the shoulders of the Levites, not on a cart Numbers 7: God warned the Levites not to touch any of the holy things they were to carry, lest they die Numbers 4: The parallel account 2 Samuel 6: The ark was extremely holy. In 1 Chronicles We are to learn to Page 5

6 deeply respect what God has made holy, such as His Sabbaths and holy days. A vital spiritual principle is to do exactly as God commands and be attentive not to follow our own human reasoning or water down His laws, commandments and instructions. Following our own ways apart from God may end in premature death Proverbs Some final thoughts The Zondervan Encyclopedia of the Bible revised edition makes the following insightful observation in its commentary on 1 Chronicles: This is a principle repeatedly stated in the Bible. Those willing to obey God and put Him first in their lives will be blessed, now and forever. Each of us will respond to this principle according to how much we honor, love and respect God and His laws. What Does It Mean? Page 6

7 Chapter 5 : Uzzah and the Ark - 2 Samuel 6 - ESV Answer: The story of Uzzah and the Ark of the Covenant is found in 2 Samuel and 1 Chronicles As the ark was being transported, the oxen pulling the cart stumbled, and a Levite named Uzzah took hold of the ark. He also prepared a place for the Ark of God and set up a special tent for it. The Lord has chosen them to carry the Ark of the Lord and to serve him forever. You must purify yourselves and all your fellow Levites, so you can bring the Ark of the Lord, the God of Israel, to the place I have prepared for it. We failed to ask God how to move it properly. Asaph son of Berekiah, and Ethan son of Kushaiah from the clan of Merari. Zechariah, Jaaziel, As in several Hebrew manuscripts and Greek version see also parallel lists in Hebrew adds according to Alamoth, which is probably a musical term. The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain. Hebrew adds according to the Sheminith, which is probably a musical term. Obed-edom and Jehiah were chosen to guard the Ark. David was also wearing a priestly garment. Hebrew a linen ephod. When she saw King David skipping about and laughing with joy, she was filled with contempt for him. And they presented burnt offerings and peace offerings to God. They played the harps and lyres. Let the whole world know what he has done. Tell everyone about his wonderful deeds. His justice is seen throughout the land. He warned kings on their behalf: Each day proclaim the good news that he saves. Tell everyone about the amazing things he does. He is most worthy of praise! He is to be feared above all gods. Bring your offering and come into his presence. Worship the Lord in all his holy splendor. The world stands firm and cannot be shaken. Let the fields and their crops burst out with joy! His faithful love endures forever. Gather and rescue us from among the nations, so we can thank your holy name and rejoice and praise you. David also had upon him an ephod of linen. And all the people said, Amen, and praised the Lord. Chapter 6 : 1 Chronicles 15 Commentary - Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible David dances before the ark, and is despised by his wife Michal, 1 Chronicles 1 Chronicles And David made him houses in the city of David, and prepared a place for the ark of God, and pitched for it a tent. Chapter 7 : 1 Chronicles 16 The First of Chronicles. 15 And he continued building houses for himself in the City of David, and he prepared a place for the Ark of the true God and pitched a tent for it.+ 2 It was then that David said: "No one is to carry the Ark of the true God except the Levites, for Jehovah has chosen them to carry the Ark of Jehovah and to minister to him always."+ 3 Then David congregated all. Chapter 8 : 1 Chronicles - Because God - Verse-by-Verse Commentary Introduction --Need for the study --Purpose of the study --Organization of the study --Literary-critical issues --Introduction --Preface: 1 Chronicles --The movement of the ark: 1 Chronicles --The cultic appointments in Jerusalem: 1 Chronicles --The Psalm of praise: 1 Chronicles --David's final ordering of. Chapter 9 : 1 Chronicles 15 Barnes' Notes 1 Chronicles So David, and the elders of Israel, and the captains over thousands, went to bring up the ark of the covenant of the LORD out of the house of Obededom with joy. 1 Chronicles Page 7