The last thing we heard about the ark of the covenant was that it was put into safe storage in Kiriath Jearim (1 Samuel 7:1-2; 14:18). When the ark was returned by the Philistines who had previously captured it, the people received it with joy. However, the same disaster happened then as we read about here in 2 Samuel 6. In both cases, people were struck down by God because they handled the ark without due reverence. When this happened the first time the people were confused and wondered, “Who can stand in the presence of the Lord, this holy God? To whom will the ark go up from here?” (1 Samuel 6:20). As a result, the ark was shut away not to be seen again for many decades. The repetition of this event now surely indicates that there is an important lesson to be learned. What is the lesson? In the ancient Near East people had gods that they could see and handle. Images of gods were treated like good luck charms. God would not be treated like this. Though the ark was not an image of God, it was nevertheless to be treated as holy. The treatment of the ark was to reflect a greater reverence for God himself. So, it was not to be handled carelessly. We don’t have a god. God has us. It is very easy to slip into an idolatry that turns God into ‘a god’ that you have to give you what you want. We exist for God, not God for us. The difference is so important that a failure to grasp this will have eternal consequences.
Think about how you see your relationship to God. Do you treat God as serving your agenda or are you given over to his agenda?
Read 2 Samuel 6:1-11
