seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
1 Chronicles 15:1 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.”
3 David assembled all Israel in Jerusalem to bring up the ark of the Lord to the place he had prepared for it. 4 He called together the descendants of Aaron and the Levites:
3 David assembled all Israel in Jerusalem to bring up the ark of the Lord to the place he had prepared for it. 4 He called together the descendants of Aaron and the Levites:
5 From the descendants of Kohath,
Uriel the leader and 120 relatives;
6 from the descendants of Merari,
Asaiah the leader and 220 relatives;
7 from the descendants of Gershon,[a]
Joel the leader and 130 relatives;
8 from the descendants of Elizaphan,
Shemaiah the leader and 200 relatives;
9 from the descendants of Hebron,
Eliel the leader and 80 relatives;
10 from the descendants of Uzziel,
Amminadab the leader and 112 relatives.
Uriel the leader and 120 relatives;
6 from the descendants of Merari,
Asaiah the leader and 220 relatives;
7 from the descendants of Gershon,[a]
Joel the leader and 130 relatives;
8 from the descendants of Elizaphan,
Shemaiah the leader and 200 relatives;
9 from the descendants of Hebron,
Eliel the leader and 80 relatives;
10 from the descendants of Uzziel,
Amminadab the leader and 112 relatives.
a. 1 Chronicles 15:7 Hebrew Gershom, a variant of Gershon
Apparently David did a little research and learned the correct way to transport God's Ark. This is from the easy English site.
David built a palace for himself and he built houses for his large family. Also, he prepared a place for the ark of God. He erected a tent in which to put the ark. He probably did this before he tried to bring the ark to Jerusalem the first time (chapter 13). The ark remained in the house of Obed-Edom for three months. David left the ark there because he was afraid after the death of Uzzah. But God was kind to Obed-Edom and his family while the ark was in his house. When David heard about God’s kindness to Obed-Edom, David again wanted to bring the ark to Jerusalem.
Jerusalem was not in any one tribe but was now the centre (capital city) of political Israel. David wanted Jerusalem to be the centre of (the most important place for) religion in Israel. For that purpose, the tent or the house of God had to be there. The ark was the most important object in the tent of God. So, although David failed once, it was still necessary for him to bring the ark to Jerusalem.
Jerusalem was not in any one tribe but was now the centre (capital city) of political Israel. David wanted Jerusalem to be the centre of (the most important place for) religion in Israel. For that purpose, the tent or the house of God had to be there. The ark was the most important object in the tent of God. So, although David failed once, it was still necessary for him to bring the ark to Jerusalem.
The original tent was still in the town called Gibeon. But David decided to erect a new tent for the ark of God. Worship of the LORD continued at Gibeon as well as in Jerusalem (16:37-39).
David had learned the lesson of his failure to bring the ark to Jerusalem. The Levites should have carried the ark as the law says (Deuteronomy 10:8). They should carry it on their shoulders and not on a cart. And nobody should ever touch the ark (Numbers 4:5-15).
David had learned the lesson of his failure to bring the ark to Jerusalem. The Levites should have carried the ark as the law says (Deuteronomy 10:8). They should carry it on their shoulders and not on a cart. And nobody should ever touch the ark (Numbers 4:5-15).
David called the leaders of the Israelites to come to him in Jerusalem. They would be part of the procession that would bring the ark from the house of Obed-Edom.
Then David called the Levites to come to him. The sons of Levi were Gershon, Kohath and Merari. Their descendants became separate clans. The clan or family of Kohath was the most important of these three families. God appointed the descendants of Kohath to carry the ark.
6 families of Levites came to David. 4 of these were from Kohath (the clans of Uriel, Elizaphan, Hebron and Uzziel). So, 862 Levites plus their leaders came to bring the ark to Jerusalem.
Then David called the Levites to come to him. The sons of Levi were Gershon, Kohath and Merari. Their descendants became separate clans. The clan or family of Kohath was the most important of these three families. God appointed the descendants of Kohath to carry the ark.
6 families of Levites came to David. 4 of these were from Kohath (the clans of Uriel, Elizaphan, Hebron and Uzziel). So, 862 Levites plus their leaders came to bring the ark to Jerusalem.
So the first time they tried to move the ark... they messed it up. The idea is... IMHO... that the Ten Commandments [and other stuff shoved in the box] is carried on the shoulders of the priests.... and not just anyone could volunteer to be a priest. It was a family affair.
IMHO... the first time... they put the burden of the Ten Commandments on a cart making the ox responsible.... but....of course an ox isn't going to teach commandments.... so the cart was off balance, and the human intervention turned deadly. This time.... they'll do it right... the commandments will sit squarely on the shoulders of the priest. The priests were to bring the commandments to the people, not a soulless cart and ox.
This is from Bible.org.
The problem is that the Israelites imitated the Philistines rather than to obey God. I believe the instructions given by God in the law were simply forgotten rather than willfully ignored or disobeyed. The ark had not been carried for many years. It had remained out of circulation, out of use, in the home of Abinidab for a good 20 years before it was put back into any kind of use (see 1 Samuel 7:2; 14:18-19). It is easy to see why no one paid any particular attention to the instructions given Israel by God for its transportation in the wilderness.
No wonder Uzzah was struck dead for having laid hands on the ark. The ark was holy. It could not be touched. Anyone who touched it would die. By using poles, men could transport the ark without touching the ark itself. And these men, walking in step with each other, gave the ark stability. Putting the ark on that ox cart made it susceptible to the movements of the cart and less stable, and thus more likely to fall off the cart. The only way to keep this from happening was to grab hold of the ark, as Uzzah did, and to die, as Uzzah did.
David and those involved in transporting the ark erred in several ways. First, they had already lost the awe and reverence one should have for the holiness of God. Second, they had forgotten the clear instructions God set down in the law for the transporting of the ark. And third, they had forgotten a hard lesson Israel had learned in their not-too-distant past. When the ark was returned to the Israelites by the Philistines, carelessness on the part of some Israelites cost them their lives:
David and those involved in transporting the ark erred in several ways. First, they had already lost the awe and reverence one should have for the holiness of God. Second, they had forgotten the clear instructions God set down in the law for the transporting of the ark. And third, they had forgotten a hard lesson Israel had learned in their not-too-distant past. When the ark was returned to the Israelites by the Philistines, carelessness on the part of some Israelites cost them their lives:
OK...now... who's got the instructions.... anyone bring the instructions?
I don't know when the last time I saw 800 people all in one place. My high school graduating class had less than 500 and the auditorium seemed packed with graduating students. I don't think the average church can handle 800 people. These relatives of David, descendants of Jacob [Israel] were all gathered to perform a lawful deed.... and this time... they read the instructions and they'll "Do it right!".
