Today we're studying one Chronicles 13-16 and Psalm 106 and 107. Now that David has been crowned king over all of Israel, we'll learn what he prioritized as he began his reign. We'll be reminded that as steadfast as God's love is, we can't neglect His Holiness.

Today's Reading: 1 Chronicles 13-16 + Psalm 106-107

Scripture Read or Referenced:

1 Chronicles 13 (all)

1 Chronicles 14:1-2

1 Chronicles 15:2, 13, 29

1 Chronicles 16:1-3, 7, 43

Psalm 106:44-48

Psalm 107:1-6, 43

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Commentaries Most Referenced: Moody Commentary, MacArthur Commentary, Spurgeon's Treasury of David

Welcome to the Dwelling Place from Entrusted Ministries.

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I'm Stephanie Hickox.

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Today we're studying one Chronicles

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Now that David has been crowned

king over all Israel, we'll

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learn what he prioritized

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We'll be reminded that as

steadfast as God's love is,

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we can't neglect his holiness.

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We left off With one Chronicles

12 thousands and thousands came

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before David with a single mind to

make him king over all of Israel.

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now in chapter 13.

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David humbly seeks guidance

and understanding from

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those who rule with him.

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But as always, listen for

what this chapter tells us

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about the character of God.

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David consulted with the

commanders of thousands and

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of hundreds with every leader.

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And David said to all the assembly of

Israel, " If it seems good to you and from

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the Lord our God, let us send abroad to

our brothers who remain in all the lands

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of Israel, as well as to the priests and

Levites in the cities that have pastor

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lands, that they may be gathered to us.

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Then let us bring again the ark

of our God to us, for we did

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not seek it in the days of Saul.

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All the assembly agreed to do

so, for the thing was right

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in the eyes of all the people.

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So David assembled all Israel from the

Nile of Egypt to Libohamath ... to bring

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the ark of God from Kuriath Jerome.

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And David and all Israel went up to Bela,

that is to Kuriath that belongs to Judah.

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To bring up from there the ark of God,

which is called by the name of the Lord

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who sits and thrown above the Cherubim.

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And they carried the ark

of God on a new cart.

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From the house of Abinadab and Aza

And Ohio were driving the cart.

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And David and all Israel were

celebrating ... God with all their

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might with song and liars and harps and

tambourines and symbols and trumpets.

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And when they came to the threshing

floor of Kyden, Aza put out his hand

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to take hold of the ark, for the

oxen stumbled, and the anger of

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the Lord was kindled against Azah.

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And he struck him down because

he put out his hand to the ark

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and he died there before God.

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And David was angry because the

Lord had broken out against Azah.

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And that place is called

Perez Aza to this day.

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And David was afraid of God

that day and said, How can I

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bring the ark of God home to me?

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So David did not take the ark home into

the city of David, but took it aside

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to the house of Obed Edom, the Gitaite.

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And the ark of God remained with the

household of Obed Edom in his house three

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months, and the Lord blessed the household

of Obad Edem and all that he had.

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Notably, David longs to honor

the Lord and lead out of worship.

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This couldn't be more

different than Saul's reign.

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As I think about David's years on

the run and men gathering to him who

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were struggling in different areas

of life, it must have impacted him.

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he listens to others in

deciding how to lead the people.

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As we think about this spectacular

procession, it makes me think

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about the Macy's Day Parade or

other events that we have today.

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We get to study this story again because

second Samuel will give us more details

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we don't see, but we do know that

the Levites are here and yet they're

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carrying the arc of God and a cart.

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This is absolutely disobeying ... God

commanded for the arc to be carried.

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It's to be carried using poles

over the shoulders of the Levites.

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There are areas of scripture that

remain fuzzy to us, and that the

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greatest theologians debate about.

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But if you remember those last 15

chapters or so of Exodus, God was

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absolutely clear about how the temple

was to be constructed and how the

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items in it were to be handled.

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There's no fuzziness here.

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After all of this party planning and

gathering all of these instruments

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and all of the people, David

neglects to follow God's clear

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guidelines about how to move the ark.

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had long been at Abinadab's

house, and Aza and Ohio were

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either his sons or his grandsons.

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That means that they should have

been very aware of the holiness

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it represented and the reverence

that was required to handle it.

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Picture this incredible parade.

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Everyone is worshiping.

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It's an amazing moment, but when the

oxens stumble, Aza puts out his hand

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and touches the arc to steady it, and

the Lord strikes him down on the spot.

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It reminds me of some of those times

in history, perhaps like the JFK

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assassination where it's a parade and

a time of joy, and all of a sudden a

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tragedy breaks out in the midst of it.

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More recently, of course, we can think

of the Charlie Kirk assassination.

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And I wonder, what did

this moment look like?

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Did the music stop suddenly?

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Did people run for their lives?

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Was everyone stunned in silence?

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We don't know, but I'm so cautioned by

this account, that even if I have good

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intentions in my heart and I'm longing

to do the will of the Lord, I have

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to be careful that I follow his word.

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I think this really applies to parenting

because we live in a culture that wants

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to focus so much on God's love and grace

that it's often willing to compromise

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on things that God says are not okay.

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Let's not take for granted that

we live in an age of grace, but

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still take the opportunity to

press in to what matters to God.

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should all make us pause, and

thankfully, David paused too.

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He was angry and afraid of

God, and he stopped his plans

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to bring the ark with them.

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I appreciate that the chapter concludes

telling us that as the arc rests in Obed

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Edom's house, that God keeps blessing him.

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It's this complicated tension again that

the arc deserves reverence, and God may

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harm you if you don't honor it, but if you

do, there's an opportunity for blessing.

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In chapter 14, we see that David has

a great relationship with the king of

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Tire and that he's getting resources

to build houses from them, from him.

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Why is he building houses?

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Because he has multiple wives, and

David probably had a main house,

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and then each wife with their

children had a separate house.

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It's not God's ideal.

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And though we get a list of more wives and

children for David, actually repeating

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the list that we read the other day.

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it's just a different book of the Bible.

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In chapter 14, when the Philistines

come up against him, David

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consults God, God promises victory,

and of course, he's faithful.

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And in chapter 15, three months after

that initial arc encounter, David again

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determines to bring it into Jerusalem.

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But thankfully, he's gonna do it

right this time as he says that

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only the Levites may carry the ark.

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In faith, he assembles all of Israel.

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And there was a lot of detail in

this chapter about the Levites,

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so we know David really gets it.

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He even acknowledges that it was because

of his own sin and that they did not seek

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God, that God broke out against them.

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There's great worship and celebration and

they sacrifice to the Lord, and David even

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wears a special ephod of linen to worship

in as he ushers the ark into Jerusalem.

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We'll focus more on his wife,

heart later, but she is not

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happy see what she considers the

undignified worship of her husband.

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There will be a lifelong

consequences for her, but we'll

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look at that later this week.

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In chapter 16, they continue the

sacrifices, and David distributes a

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blessing of food to all of Israel,

ordaining that Thanksgiving be sung, and

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then he goes home to bless his household.

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Psalm 106 begins, "Praise the Lord.

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Oh, give thanks to the Lord

for he is good, for his

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steadfast love endures forever.

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Who can utter the mighty deeds of

the Lord or declare all his praise?

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Blessed are they who observe justice,

who do righteousness at all times.

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And just as we watch David with

the arc, we aren't just called

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to live a life of worship.

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We're called to walk

righteously before a holy God.

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This Psalm tells Israel's history

and their battle with falling

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into patterns of wickedness.

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There's even a little

shout out to Phineas.

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And in verse 44, nevertheless,

he looked upon their distress.

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When he heard their cry, for their

sake, he remembered his covenant

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and relented according to the

abundance of his steadfast love.

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As I took communion this

weekend, I was convicted about

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several areas of sin in my life.

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I'm forever grateful for Jesus's sacrifice

that paid for my sins, but it's not an

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excuse to continue when I know my heart

is far from where he wants it to be.

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Thankfully, in Psalm 107, we can

notice that in so many different

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circumstances, the Lord redeems us.

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Speaker 70: Praise the Lord.

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Oh, give thanks to the

Lord for he is good.

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For his steadfast love endures forever.

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Who can utter the mighty deeds of

the Lord or declare all his praise?

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Blessed are they who observe justice,

who do righteousness at all times.

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Both we and our fathers have sinned.

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We have committed iniquity.

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We have done wickedness.

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Our fathers, when they were in Egypt,

did not consider your wondrous works.

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They did not remember the abundance

of your steadfast love, but

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rebelled by the sea at the Red Sea.

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Yet he saved them for his name's sake,

that he might make known his mighty power.

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Speaker 69: Whether we're in a desert

place, not of our choosing, or if we're

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in darkness because we've rebelled

against God or reaping consequences

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from having other priorities.

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Over and over, we read, then they cried

to the Lord in their trouble, and he

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delivered them from their distress.

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And the chapter concludes, " Whoever is

wise, let him attend to these things.

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Let them consider the steadfast love

of the Heavenly Father, we thank you

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that the power of your steadfast love so

greatly surpasses our capability for sin.

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We thank you that you redeem us out

of so many situations and that you're

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ready and available to forgive us

and deliver us when we call to you.

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As we give you praise for your steadfast

and unrelenting love, please don't let

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us take your forgiveness for granted.

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May we not neglect the things that are

important to you, thinking we can still

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draw near because you're merciful.

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That we would not be comfortable

with those areas of our hearts that

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aren't fully surrendered to you.

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Fill us with your Holy Spirit

that we can honor the image

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of you and those around us.

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We thank you for your wondrous works

to the children of man, we ask that

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you give us patience to wait for

how you're working in our kids.

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Help us to be faithful, to teach them

about you, encouraging them to approach

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your throne of grace with confidence,

but also discouraging disobedience

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and rebellion in their hearts.

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We have such an opportunity, especially

when they're young, to make sure

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those things don't take root.

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Give us the strength and the

energy to be faithful and persevere

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for what matters for eternity.

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Thank you for the wonderful, perfect

example of your son, Jesus, that

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always guides us in righteousness.

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in this name that we pray, amen.