SERIES K --- ISRAEL’S GOLDEN AGE --- LESSON 01

BRING BACK THE ARK

THE RETURN OF THE ARK

From 2 Samuel 6:1-11; 1 Chronicles 13

One day King David consulted with all the officers of the land who commanded the hundreds and the thousands. This included about every leader in Israel. When he found that they were in agreement with him, David then spoke to the entire assembly of Israel. ‘If you agree with me,’ he said, ‘and if we are sure that Adonai wants us to do this, let us gathers all the people of Israel, including the priests and the Levites in their cities and the surrounding lands. Then let us bring the Ark of YHVH, which was neglected during the reign of King Saul and house it here in Jerusalem.’ The assembly of Israel agreed that this was the right thing to do, so David called for an assembly of all Israelites from Shihor of Egypt to Hemath [Hamath]. When the people came together, David went with them to Baalah [Baale], which is also called Kirjath-jearim, which was in Judah, to bring the Ark of YHVH back to Jerusalem. It was said that Adonai Himself was enthroned between the cherubim on the cover of the Ark. The Ark was carried from the house of Abinadab, which was on a hillside in Kirjath-jearim and placed on a new cart. Uzza and Ahio, Abinadab’s sons, guided the cart and Ahio walked in front of it. Thirty thousand of Israel’s leaders were there with David that day. When the Ark began to move toward Jerusalem, David and the leaders started a celebration, waving evergreen branches and playing a number of musical instruments lyres, harps, tambourines, castanets and cymbals. When the procession arrived at the threshing floor of Nachon, the oxen pulling the cart stumbled, causing the Ark to begin to slide. Uzza put his hand on the Ark to steady it, but when he did so, Adonai was displeased and struck him down and he died on the spot. The Ark was such a sacred object that no one was allowed to touch it. David was disturbed that Adonai had done this to Uzza, so he named that place Perez-uzzah, [Wrath upon Uzza] and it kept that name until the time this was written. David was so upset by what had happened that he was afraid to bring the Ark into Jerusalem, the City of David. ‘How can I bring the Ark to Jerusalem when this kind of thing happens?’ David wondered. He left the Ark at the home of Obed-edom, the Gittite, near Kirjath-jearim. This proved to be a blessing for Obed-edom, for during the three months that the Ark was with him, Adonai caused his entire household to prosper.

COMMENTARY

CARTS AND WAGONS OF BIBLE TIMES

Carts and wagons have been around since earliest times. Some of the first wheels were solid, usually made of wood. Later they were made with spokes, some with metal rims. The wheels of the two-wheeled carts were attached to axles which were behind the centre of the wagon body. Other carts had a driver’s seat, and in still others the driver stood, or sat in a saddle at the front. Four-wheeled wagons or chariots were used also, although they were more difficult to manoeuvre on rough land than the two-wheeled type. Sometimes the carts had covers over the tops, something like the covered wagons of the American West. Various materials were used in the construction of wagons and carts, including wood, reeds and date-palm fibres, tin, copper, bronze, iron and other metal combinations. Axle grease was made of fish and oxen fat. The wagon which the Philistines made to carry the Ark back to Israel had a box suspended over one side to hold the gold figurines that they sent to appease the Israelites. The Philistines were familiar with carts and wagons, for they already were using them in transportation and war. For the Philistines, the wheeled vehicle was very useful in their flat lands where they lived. But the Israelites lived in the hill country, so wheeled vehicles were not so helpful to them. The Israelites had lived in Canaan for quite some time before they made much use of wheeled carts, wagons or chariots. On one occasion, David crippled some horses he captured, keeping only a few, which suggested that he had little use for them. He did use an ox cart on one occasion, when he first attempted to bring the Ark to Jerusalem, but the unstable condition of the cart almost brought disaster. The cart must have been used more commonly by the Israelites later. During the Exile, Assyrians carved pictures of the captive Israelites, carrying their goods into captivity in two-wheeled carts.

"Let him that stole, steal no more: but let him rather labour, and work with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give unto him that needeth."

Ep 4

You can't pay someone to make your offering to God for you. You have to do it yourself. One making a burnt offering at the Tabernacle had to kill and butcher the animal himself. The worshiper's hand on the head of his offering indicates a personal relationship, a delegation of agency to the animal. "God, this is me with all my strengths and weaknesses, my sins, and my good deeds too." There's no substitute for personal involvement in worship, sacrifice, and charity.
#leviticus 1:3-7 #vayikra

https://vimeo.com/809516333

Some seasons of life are harder than others, but the Father is still with us and guiding us. Sometimes it's okay to just slow down and focus only on things that are most important, letting the other things go. https://archive.aweber.com/awlist6425868/OJH.k

There are different Hebrew words used for sacrificial offerings. E.g. Korban means to "draw near", hinting at its ability to enable our approach to God. Olah is a burnt offering and means "elevation". The smoke rises to heaven and draws our spirits up with it.

https://www.americantorah.com/....2017/03/26/vayikra-a

On this date in history, 03/20/1777: A young lady of Woodbridge, New Jersey, captures a drunk Hessian soldier. #otd #tdih https://www.historycarper.com/....1777/04/26/young-wom

I spoke a little on last comic about the fact that in different parts of the world there are things that are off-limits when it comes to eating. Things that are disgusting. In our Bibles there is a Hebrew word that is used in several places that holds a meaning of disgusting: תועבה. It is most commonly translated as "abomination". In English, we don't typically think of something as an abomination being similar to something that is disgusting. If you read those same verses and replace abomination with disgusting, while it doesn't change the meaning, it does make it a lot clearer. For example, the first use of the word in Genesis 43:32 - "...because the Egyptians might not eat bread with the Hebrews; for that is disgusting to the Egyptians."

Does the Bible call out anything as disgusting to eat? Yes it does. In Deuteronomy 14, just before giving the list of animals that are and are not food, God emphasizes this list in verse 3 with "Do not eat any disgusting thing". Just like in the comic, we see something like regurgitation as disgusting, God sees certain animals as disgusting and not meant for food. When we look into the functions of those animals listed, we can see why God made this distinction.

I call out functions because some will say that "such and such animal is just as gross as those in the disgusting category". If we are honest with ourselves, this is questioning God at best, and rebellion at worst. God created the animals and would know what He created for what purpose. If He said xyz animal is not for food, we should be okay with that. Just like if he says abc animal is okay for food, we should be okay with that as well. It is not our place to try and reason that whatever animal we are looking at should or shouldn't fit whatever mold, UNLESS we are looking at it from the descriptions that God already gave us in His Word.

https://thestraightandnarrow.cfw.me/comics/597

#bible #bibleverse #bibleverseimages #biblestudy #biblestudynotes #church #christian #webcomic #webcomicseries #cartoon

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Thought for Today: Monday March 20:

One of the signs of the last days before the returning of Moshiach, the Bible says: [People will be disobedient to their parents] – 2 Timothy 3:2. Instead of obeying the Commandment [Honour your father and your mother], they will bring dishonour to them. Does this Command become irrelevant as we grow older? Is it only meant for children? NO! Not at all. As long as our parents are alive, we are Commanded to Honour and respect them. They were not perfect – but they were the ones YHVH gave you, and you should honour them because of that – His Gift.