FROM THE DAWGHOUSE…
DID KING DAVID JEALOUS?
Men who do their DAWG* inevitably dig up questions … good ones!
As the cliché goes…”The only dumb question is the one you don’t ask.”
That’s a cliché I believe in!
So my friend Brian who does his DAWG in the evening (I think) sent me this text…
“I got a question for you. I’m in 2 Samuel. In chapter 6
King David takes the ark back and is upset cause his buddy is struck down for touching the ark. (He was at fault for transporting it incorrectly). Anyways he drops it off to Obed-Edom when this happens ‘cause he is scared of it. But when he finds out the family is being blessed and glorified for having possession of the Ark he takes it back. It seems like this is out of jealousy, but the study Bible doesn’t elaborate on his motives. Can you add some insight? Was his motive for bringing it home a sin?”
First, I think it’s great that you’re reading through the Old Testament. The more you understand the Old, the more you will understand the New! Even if you have a good study Bible (I like the ESV Study Bible the best) they don’t always deal with questions like you had in this case. Ya, I checked, the footnotes are no help here.
Second, every man experiences jealousy at some time in his life…uh, probably many times. I have for sure. Jealousy is resentment that someone who might be a rival has what you want. Envy and coveting are related. That’s why the last of the Ten Commands is…” Thou shalt not covet.” I’m sure that David was jealous and envious and coveted at some point in his life. The Bathsheba event comes to mind. But here? Well…
Third, there is no mention in the text here that David has done anything ungodly in taking the Ark back into his control and command. In fact, that Obed-Edom’s household was blessed is, as one commentator put it, proof positive that God had forgiven Uzzah’s wrongful approach to the Ark and that now the Ark could be safely taken back by David. David’s goal and I believe also his call was to bring the Ark of the Covenant into Jerusalem where all Israel could come and worship God. So in fact David was doing the exactly right thing in taking the Ark from Obed-Edom. The Ark was supposed to be in Jerusalem not in an outlying city.
Fourth, as you read this entire passage you see that David had a clear sense of the Holiness of God and that he treated God with deep reverence and awe. That’s a great lesson for us as men! God is not “the old man upstairs”. He is as the Bible says, “a consuming fire”, Holy, Holy, Holy! David is a man’s man of God who serves as a great example for us of a man who was so gripped by God’s grace in choosing him as His son and king, that he delighted in God and enjoyed worship! Reading the text ahead in 2 Samuel 6: 12-23 we see that David was so enthusiastic in worship that his wife thought it was unbecoming of him! In other words David was not a Presbyterian in his style of worship! He was truly an unrepressed Hebrew man who delighted in expressing the full range of emotions to God!
We can learn from David that Grace energizes and unleashes worship.
And that sometimes we might get carried away by the goodness of God.
Which is a good thing.
You take it to heart,
Pete Alwinson
*Daily Appointment With God
