Commentary - 2 Samuel 6:1-5

Bird's-eye view

After decades of neglect under Saul's distracted reign, the Ark of the Covenant is finally coming home. David, now established as king over all Israel, understands that a nation's political health is downstream from its spiritual health. His first great national act is therefore an act of worship: to bring the Ark, the very symbol of God's presence, to his new capital, Jerusalem. This is a good and godly impulse. The chapter, however, is a stark lesson that good intentions are not enough when it comes to worshipping the living God. God is not honored by sincere disobedience. This first attempt to bring the Ark to Zion is marked by great celebration, tremendous expense, and popular enthusiasm, but it ends in tragedy because it was conducted according to human wisdom, not divine command. It is a story about the difference between doing what is right in our own eyes and doing what God has explicitly required.

The central lesson here revolves around what theologians call the regulative principle of worship. In short, God is to be worshipped in the way He commands, and not according to our own inventions, however clever or convenient they may seem. The Philistines could get away with using a new cart because they were ignorant pagans. God expected more from His covenant people, who had the book. This passage sets up a powerful contrast between the joyful noise of man-centered worship and the silent terror that accompanies the revelation of God's holiness.

Outline

Commentary

1 Then David again gathered all the chosen men of Israel, thirty thousand.

David is now secure on the throne, having united the tribes. His first thought is not for a new palace or a military parade for his own glory, but for the glory of God. He wants to restore the central symbol of God's presence to its rightful place at the heart of the nation's life. This is a commendable desire. Notice the scale of this operation. Thirty thousand men. These are the "chosen men," the elite. This is not a small committee meeting; it is a national event of the highest priority. David is communicating to all Israel that the worship of Yahweh is the most important business they have. He is putting his money, and his manpower, where his mouth is. The health of the nation depends on getting this right.

2 And David arose and went with all the people who were with him from Baale-judah, to bring up from there the ark of God which is called by the Name, the very name of Yahweh of hosts who is enthroned above the cherubim.

The destination is Baale-judah, another name for Kiriath-jearim, where the Ark had been sitting in obscurity for years in the house of Abinadab (1 Sam. 7:1-2). The object of this grand procession is specified in the most glorious terms. This is not just a decorated box. This is the ark of God. It is so closely identified with God Himself that it is "called by the Name." This is a reference to the sacred, personal name of God, Yahweh. He is Yahweh of hosts, the commander of heaven's armies, and He is the one who is "enthroned above the cherubim." The lid of the Ark, the mercy seat, was considered God's earthly throne or footstool. This is where heaven and earth met. To move the Ark was to move the throne of the King of the universe. This language is meant to fill us with awe and reverence. David understood the significance of what he was doing, which makes the mistake that follows all the more striking.

3 And they drove the ark of God on a new cart that they might bring it from the house of Abinadab which was on the hill; and Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, were leading the new cart.

And here is the fatal error, the fly in the ointment. They put the Ark on a new cart. This might seem like a practical, even honorific, solution. A brand new cart for the Ark of God. What could be wrong with that? Everything. God had given explicit instructions for how His throne was to be transported. It was to be carried by the Levites, using poles inserted through rings on the sides of the Ark (Ex. 25:12-15; Num. 4:15). It was never to be touched. Where did they get the idea for a cart? From the Philistines (1 Sam. 6:7-8). Israel was imitating the worship practices of the uncircumcised pagans instead of obeying the clear word of God. This is pragmatism over prescription. It is the essence of will-worship. They substituted human ingenuity for divine command. Uzzah and Ahio, sons of the man who had hosted the Ark for decades, were now "leading" this new contraption. Their names are instructive: Uzzah means "strength," and Ahio means "brotherly." Here you have man's strength and man's friendly intentions, driving a project that is, at its foundation, disobedient.

4 So they brought it with the ark of God from the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill; and Ahio was walking ahead of the ark.

The procession gets underway. The details are repeated to emphasize the scene. The Ark is on the cart, coming down from the hill, and Ahio is walking out front. It all looks very orderly and impressive. On the surface, this is a great day for Israel. But the foundation is rotten. The whole enterprise is built on a violation of God's law. This is a picture of much of what passes for worship today: impressive on the outside, but hollow and disobedient on the inside because it is not grounded in God's Word.

5 Now David and all the house of Israel were celebrating before Yahweh with all kinds of instruments made of fir wood, and with lyres, harps, tambourines, castanets, and cymbals.

Lest we think this was a somber or half-hearted affair, the historian tells us about the celebration. This was a party. "All the house of Israel" was involved. The music was loud and exuberant. They were celebrating "before Yahweh." Their intention was to worship God. Their emotions were fully engaged. They were sincere. And this is the critical lesson. Sincerity does not sanctify disobedience. Joyful celebration that is contrary to God's commands is not acceptable worship. God is holy, and He defines the terms by which He will be approached. All this music, all this joy, all this national unity was about to come to a crashing, terrifying halt. Because God is more concerned with obedience from the heart than with the loud clang of our cymbals.

Key Issues

The Regulative Principle of Worship

This passage is a classic illustration of what is called the regulative principle of worship. This principle, drawn from Scripture, states that in corporate worship, we are to do only what God has commanded in His Word. The alternative is the normative principle, which allows for anything that is not explicitly forbidden. David and Israel operated on the normative principle here. God hadn't forbidden a new cart, had He? But He had commanded something else entirely. He had prescribed carrying the Ark with poles. By neglecting the command, they introduced a human invention into the worship of God.

The Philistines used a cart and were guided by superstition. God expected His own people, who possessed the Torah, to be guided by revelation. The new cart represents any human-devised method or element introduced into worship that is not warranted by Scripture. It may seem practical, relevant, or even reverent, but if it is not commanded, it is forbidden. God is jealous for His own glory and will not be worshipped according to the imaginations of men. The tragedy that unfolds later in the chapter is a direct result of violating this principle.

Application

The temptation to put God's ark on a "new cart" is ever-present. We live in a pragmatic age that is always looking for a new method, a new technique, a new program to make worship more "effective" or "relevant." We survey the culture, see what works for the world, and try to baptize it for church use. We bring in marketing strategies, entertainment models, and therapeutic techniques, placing the holy things of God on the new cart of human ingenuity.

This passage calls us back to the sufficiency of Scripture. How are we to worship God? We must open the Book and see what He has said. Our worship is not a blank canvas for our creativity. It is a prescribed service to a holy King. Our intentions may be as good as David's, our celebration as loud, and our people as numerous. But if we are not worshipping according to the Word, we are offering strange fire. We must ask ourselves if our worship services are designed by God's commands or by the latest trends. Are we carrying the Ark on the shoulders of humble obedience, or are we rolling it along on a cart of our own making?