II
Samuel 6:1-19
The scripture this morning is such an
incredible story it screams out for any number of headlines. “Man touches holy relic and dies”. “Husband embarrasses wife while dancing in
his underwear”. Whichever way you look
at it, this is an incredible story. The
question is what significance does it have for us? The Ark of the Covenant is a Jewish, not
Christian relic. Dancing, if one is
properly dressed, doesn’t seem to be a theological issue for most Presbyterians. Perhaps this is an interesting moment in the
history of Israel, but what
difference does it make where the Ark
resides?
First,
we have to move past the idea that the Old Testament is no more than an account
of the history of Israel. The Bible is a theological, not historical
book. The writers of the Old Testament
were trying to understand the presence of God in the midst of their confused
lives. Therefore the books of Samuel are
not an account of the house of David as much as they are an attempt to legitimize
the actions of David with the desires of God. The Books of Samuel are the blue
print of how to be a faithful, God-fearing monarch. Even more important, this is a theological
treatise, which takes seriously the holiness and mystery of a God.
Let’s
begin with the obvious questions. What
the heck is the Ark of the Covenant? Why
did David want to move it to Jerusalem? Why did Uzzah die? Why was Michal critical of David’s moves on
the dance floor?
Thanks
to Harrison Ford and Stephen Spielberg I suspect most of you know quite a bit
about the Ark of the Covenant. Biblical
Scholars are not certain when the Ark
came into existence but it plays a major role in the Israelites understanding
of Yahweh. Some feel the Ark contained the
original Laws of Moses. Others believe
that its origin was during the period of the Judges. Regardless, all agree that the Ark was significant in
three distinct ways. (1) There is essential association with Yahweh and the Ark. It is seen as the resting place of God. It
was believed that God never strayed far from this box. If the Ark
traveled with the people, God was with them. (2) The Ark had the power to win victories in
battle. In FIrst Samuel 4 Israel is
defeated by the Philistines. It was believed the battle was lost because the Ark had been left
behind. (3) The Ark had the power to unify or destroy a
nation. In First Samuel, the Philistines
captured the Ark and had it removed from its
initial resting place at Shiloh. Soon after they captured the Holy Relic, a
plague broke out in the Philistine camp. Afraid for their lives, they took it
to the Beth-shemesh and left it to be reclaimed by Israel. David seized this opportunity to have the Ark placed in Jerusalem.
Why
was the relocation of the Ark
so important to David? The new King was
trying to do all the right things to establish his monarchy. Modeling himself after the other kings in the
region David creates a bureaucracy, a mercenary army and even a harem. He has all the trappings of a mid-eastern
monarch. But there were still folks in Israel,
followers of the prophet Samuel, who did not like the idea of a king. They felt the emphasis on the palace would
distract from dependence on Yahweh. In a
move to unify the nation, David turned to the Ark.
It stood at the center of the old ideology of “holy war”. To bring the Ark
to Jerusalem
would also bring the dangerous and critical presence of Yahweh to the center of
David’s court. Bringing the Ark to Jerusalem meant two
things: (1) David must give into the power of God to rule the nation, and (2)
The old guard must come to Jerusalem
to worship. It was a remarkable move to
bring the nation together. The only
problem was getting the Ark to Jerusalem.
Central
to Old Testament theology is the belief that Yahweh is a jealous God and does
not like to be taken lightly. The
legends that surrounded the Ark
amplified the holiness of God. The
Hebrews believed that no one could touch this holiness without grave
consequences. Even looking upon God
would result in death. God will not be
taken for granted or used as a motto or prop for our adventures, no matter how
noble. God must remain Holy.
Preparations
were made for the transport. David’s
best men were given the honor of carrying the Ark.
Something happened and the Ark
began to shift. In a natural reaction,
Uzzah reached out to keep the Ark
from falling. His act of courage was his last.
When he touched the Ark,
Uzzah instantly died. What a strange
occurrence. How do we explain it? We don’t.
But we pay careful attention to the significance of the event. In verses 8 & 9 we read, “David was angry
because of Yahweh’s actions. Then David became very afraid.” Water Brueggemann comments, “When people are
no longer awed, respectful, or fearful of God’s holiness, the community is put
at risk.” It appeared David was doing a good thing. He was bringing the nation together. But he was also using God for his own
political gain. Anyone choosing to run
for public office would do well to remember God is not a convenient tool we display
in order to make us look good. God does
not play second fiddle.
The
death of Uzzah had a sobering effect on David.
The ark remained at the house of Obed-edom for three months. When it was reported to David that the house
of Obed-edom had been blessed it became appropriate to once again begin the
procession of the Ark to Jerusalem.
Now it appeared that the decision to go to Jerusalem was God’s and not David’s. Almost
everyone felt the priorities of the nation were in proper perspective. Celebrations followed the Ark
all the way to Jerusalem. When the Ark reached the capital we are told that
David danced before all the people with great joy. It is said that he was completely out of
control. He stripped down to his BVD’s
and led what must have resembled a conga line. All people rejoiced to see their
king suddenly become human. Every one
was ecstatic except his wife Michal. She
practically blew a gasket. What made her so angry?
Perhaps
she felt David’s behavior was unbecoming for a King. Perhaps as the daughter of Saul, she resented
the success of her husband. We are told
Michal despised David and the incident created irreversible damage in their
relationship. Michal claimed David had no idea how to act as a King. He had
forfeited the respect he must have to be a ruler. David retorted by saying he was contemptible
only in her eyes, but not in the eyes of the nation or the eyes of Yahweh. The story ends by stating that Michel never
bore David a child. In other words, the
Queen exploited her position of strength and was left barren and hopeless. But David, who humbled himself before God, was
exalted.
What
significance could this moment in the history of Israel have for us? Perhaps it is suggesting that next Sunday I
should dance around the Communion Table in my ephod. It certainly raises some interesting
questions concerning the legitimacy of Liturgical dance. Both neither of those take us to the heart of
the text. To understand the significance
of this scripture we must return to the question of Psalm 24, “Who is the King
of Glory?”
Psalm
24 reminds us that the ultimate King is not David or the thousands who have
followed him but rather God. The Psalm
begins by declaring that the world exists because God is sovereign. Even in the midst of chaos, the stability of
the world is dependent on the reign of the Lord. We often become confused and think the
David’s, the nations, the multi-national corporations own the world. But the Psalmist is absolute in his
belief. “The earth is the Lord’s and all
who live in it are God’s.”
The
second part of the Psalm identifies the congregation who makes this
confession. They are the ones who come
to the sanctuary seeking blessing and righteousness. They are the ones acknowledging that God is
Holy, God is Jealous, and yet God is the author of all sacred
possibilities. They are the ones who
come seeking the presence of the mysterious King of Glory.
The
third part of the Psalm identifies the sovereign of the world. “Who is the King
of glory?” God is the one who is
righteous, just, faithful, and steadfast in love. “Who is the King of Glory?” God is the one we worship and adore. God is the one who causes us to stop, push
all the other stuff in our life aside, and offer a deep and heart felt Amen. This Psalm announces that if we live a life
which focuses on the Almighty, the one who is the creator and sustainer of
life, we shall live a life that always sees possibilities even in the midst of
chaos.
When
the Ark came to Jerusalem, it was not a confirmation of
David’s reign; it was an affirmation of God’s sovereignty. David, overcome with joy, put all his dignity
aside, and danced.
As
much as I love music, I confess I am not much of a dancer. Truth is I never had many opportunities to show
off my talents. In my prime dancing
years, the music that was popular did not exactly translate into tunes that
allowed one to gracefully glide across the floor. Ever try to dance to Iron
Butterfly? Now I seldom indulge in the
wonder of dance because I am fearful folks will look my way and chuckle. Yet ten years ago, in front of friends and
family, I offered my daughter my hand and we danced to that wonderful tune,
“You are the sunshine of my life.” I
guess you do things like that when it is your daughter’s wedding and you are
overcome with joy. You dance, and it
doesn’t matter what the world thinks. You dance, because your heart is full and
your soul is on fire.
Perhaps,
every once in while, regardless what our neighbors think, what the rules of proper
etiquette imply, or what the time honored traditions of a church might be, we
need to come to worship and dance. God
knows we are dignified. But does God
even have a clue that we are ecstatically joyful to be God’s children? Perhaps once in while we should put on our
dancing shoes and prance around to God’s glory.
But let’s keep our clothes on.
After all, what would the Baptist say?
To
God be the glory, Amen.
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