The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1889-10-10
SUNDAY SCHOOL.
urBLE LESSON FOR OCTOBER is.
The Ark Brought TO Zion,"2 Sam,
uel 4, liz 2-Golden Text, Ia.
81 T.-Comments.

having taken the stronghold of the Jehusites.
which up to this time had been a continued
disgrace in their midst, he at once thinks of
the Ark of God, pitches tent for II in
Jerusalem ". IN and proceeds TO bring IL
| thither. As soon as Israel, redeemed from
| Egypt and brought down to Mt Sinai,
\ entered into covenant with Jehovah 20 he
| His peculiar people, n kingdom of priests
| CEx. xix, o, ~, He commanded Tabernacle
| to be erected, in which He might dwell in
their midst as their King aud Lawgiver.
| The Ark OF the covenant was the first vessel
| OF the Tabernable concerning which He
gave commandment to Moses. and = knowl-
edge Of IL and its significance and history is
essential TO right understanding of this
lesson.
| 1. Again, David gathered together all tho
| chosen men of Israel, thirty thousand The
| previous chapter tells in It's closing verses OF
the gathering OF Israel to defeat their enc
| mics the Philistincs, and how David, on two
different occasions and by different methods,
successfully overcame them, being guided by
the Lord in answer TO prayer CHAP. ", 10
| 2;g but this is gathering not 20 overcome
enemies, but to rejoice in the Lord: and it
was held after due consultation with the
captains Of thousands and hundreds and
every leader. Il Chr. xiii, l-5D
| = And David arose, and went with all
the people to bring up from thence
the Ark Of God' The margin of this verse,
and alsoI Chr. xiii, g. says that they went
70 Baalsh, that is To Kirjath- -iearin; the ark
| had been here in the house of Abiuadab since
the time when the Philistiues sent IL home in
| new cart drawn by two milk cows, leaving
! their calves shut up at home. IL had been
with the Philistines seven months the Tabcr-
nacle being at Shiloh, from whence
| the ark had been taken. Il Sam.
w, n. (Which is called by the Name, even
the Name Of the Lord of Hosts that sittcth
upon the cherubim." R. W Here ia tho
most intimate association Of the Ark with
tho name Of Jehovah; It is n wondrous typo
| OF the Lord Jesus Christ as the end Of tho
| law for Righteousness 20 every one that be-
lieveth (Rom x, ~; as our mercy seat or
Precipitation for sins compare Heb. tx, 3.
| and Rom iii, %, II. V. margin): and as one
with His church, the light and glory of earth
| IN the days Of the New Jerusalem. The
| wood and gold are suggestive OF the human
ity and divinity of Christ; the mercy scat is
explainedby the passages already given; the
tables of testimony, safely kept in the Ark,
| speak Of Him who came 90 fulfill all right
eousness, and of whom IL is written ~ de-
light TO Thy will, my God; yea, Thy law
is within my heart Ps x, 81, while the
thought that the cherubm represent the
church, His body, is sufficiently established
by the fact that they were beaten out of the
same pieces of gold which formed the mercy
seat Tex. XIV, 10, margn).
3. And they set the Ark of God upon n
new Cart David failed TO inquire OF the
Lord in this matter, else we should not have
had this sad record. lie knew better for
hear him: Then David said, none ought to
carry the ark VI God but the Ievites. for
them hath the Lord chosen 10 carry the Ark
OF God and TO minister unto Him forever II
Chr. XIV, y. Why then did he'not do right
at the first Some of us would say, | didn't
think, or it didn't seem necessary TO pray
about 30 small n matter; thoro was no dam
ger, you know; 10 wasn't like going 10 war
with the enemy, just going over b. Klriath-
jearim to bring the Ark Of Jerusalem, and IL
IL came all right in new cart from the
Philistines, why not bring il in new cart
10 Jerusalem So David had 10 learn by
thastisement that Gods appointed way is the
pnly way and that He will not tolerate any
new cart business among His redeemed
people.
lG4,5 "Ahis went before the Ark: and
David and all the house of Israel played be-
fore the Lord on all manner of Instruments"
IL was n grand display and in "A good cause
and the man who would dare 10 find fault,
simply because the Ark was in cart drawn
by oxen instead Of being on the shoulders of
the LeviteS, would deserve 10 be called mar
row minded aud croaker: nevertheless he
would stand in the minority with God and
be blessed man even though against tho
King.
q. 'Uzzah put forth his hand 10 the Arl, of
God, and took hold Of it; for the oxen stum-
bed.' (AIargin and r. Va Tho worst stmn-
be was ON the part of David when he en-
ployed this method, but that was not SO
manifest nor did IL seem to endanger the
safety Of the Ark as much as this stumble Of
the oxen The danger of wrong step does
not always appear at first and the sin Is
often made manifest only through failure on
the part Of those not directly responsible.
Z. ''rhe anger OF the Lord WAS sindled
against Uzzah, and God smote him there for
his error" Uzzah signifies strength, and
strength is good thing, but the work Of tho
Lord is not dependent upon the strength of
men; His strength Is made perfect in our
meekneSS and His work is accomplished not
! by the might or power of man but by tho
Spirit OF the Lord of Hosts III Cor xii, -:
Xech. iv., ~. In reference 10 the sin OF
| Uzzah IL IS written in Mum. iy., 10, 20 that
the high priest and his sons were TO prepare
the holy vessels to be carried, and that the
sons of Kohath, who carried them, were not
TO touch them, nor even go in 10 see when
they were covered, upon pain Of death;
Uzzah in taking hold of tho Ark dsObeyed
this command, as did also the men of Beth
sheme.h IL Sam vi, l9; although thero
seems To have been some reason for U2zah's
| act, and there was none whatever for them.
| Learn that there can bo no excuse for disObe-
/ dience
S. "And David was dspleasedn IL Is n
sad affair when the servant of the Lord, be
he King or peasant, becomes dspleascd with
his Master. IL shows how disobedience al
! ways lesds TO other sins and strikes at the
very root of fellowship with God. A God Of
| Love can do no wrong, can 10y no means
make mistake, and the only right thing for
| His children to do is to walk with Hin in
| cheerful submission.
.. "And David was afraid of the Lord that
| day" Another result Of his SIN which pray
er and obedience would have saved him
| from.
TO- II, 'The lord blessed Obed-cdom and
| all MS household David refused at that
time TO have anything more TO do with the
| Ark, and so il was carried into the house Of
| Obed-edom, where IL remained three months.
A three months blessing for Obed-edom and
! three months loss To David, for the infer
| enco is that David did not return 10 tho Lord
with all his heart during this period, but con-
| tinued out of fellowship with God.
| H. $50 David went and brought mp the
| Ark of God from the house of Obed-edom
into the city OF David with gladness.n lie
hears OF the blessing that has come 90 the
| house Of Obed-edom, and now does what he
| should have done three months before, He
eonfesses his sin, saying 20 the l.eyites, as he
| called upon them 20 bear the Ark: Because
| We did il not at the first the Lord our God
| made breach upon us, for that we sought
| Him not after the due order" But now tho
| Leyites having sanctfed themselves, bare
| tho Ark OF God upon their shoulders, with
the slaves thereon, as Moses commanded, ac-
| cording to the Word Of the Lord Il Chr. XIV,
| l2-l5l. Learn the blessedness of strict ohedi-
ence and learn also that were jesus is re-