The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1889-10-10
THE, ARK BROUGHT TO ZION.

4
l.ssr.asieaai Sunday .ssAesl Lssss. ~
Especially ARRANGED frum 8. O. ouastssly.1
LESSON TRxr-2 Sam. 6:1-10.
0oIDtN TExf--The Lord ioveth the gates
cf Zion more than all the dwellings Of
Jacob.-Ps. ST.
CHNrRAr TRurH-The institutions Of 70.
liRion blessing TO the heart, the home and
the nation.
Trxs--About B. G. 1919, six or seven
years after David became King over Israel
PLACE-The ark was at Kirjath.jearim, ten
miles northwest OF Jerusalem, ON the road
to Joppa p"
PARALLEL AccouNrs-A fuller account 10
givenin Chron. chaps. 10, Is, 10. ~ .4.,e'
INrRoDucrioN-Dsvid was now firmly %.
tablished on his throne. His capital was
fortified, his palace built. He had conquered
several enemies. His next duty was TO re-
establish religion and thus bind the nation
together.
HELPS OVER HARD PLACES Tho ark had
been at Kirjath- Jearim for about seventy
years. 1t hnd been brought there from the
Philistines, who had captured 1t In the bat.
tie to which Elps sons had brought IL Il
Sam. 4:1-16; see Less. q Third Quarter).
All this time there had been great neglect
Of religion. David prepared n place for the
ark on Mount Zion, in Jerusalem Il Chron.
, 15:D. !. The chorei men Of Lsrdel:. dele.
gates or re,resen tatives from all parts Of
the kingdom 2. From: describing the 70
turn to Jerusalem; the assembly gathered
here Bddle 0f Judah: the same ~ Kirjath.
/ jearim forest city, Il Chron. 1850. See
Place. That dweiicth between the eheyss6tm: on
the mercy seat over the ark. Here God had
been accustomed to manifest Him.
SELF 8. Set the ark upon . wsss
cart: in the same way in which IL was
brought by the Philistines Il Sam. 6:7).
But the Philistines had no means Of know.
ing the law. The Israelites should have
known that this was contrary to the law
(Num. 4:15; 7:9). 4. Abinddab: the man In
whose care the ark was placed. He was
probably dead, and his descendsnts took
charge of the ark. Gi6eah: not . proper
name; 1t means hill. 8. Phyed: danced 70
instrumental and vocal music. Psolsriss:
lutes or Tyres. Timbrsls. tamborines. g.
Took hold Of the ark. contrary to express
command (Num. 4:15; Sam. 6:19). 1Ns
ozen shook It: the roads are very rough in
Palestine unfit for carriages, and tho oxen
stumbled Il Chron. 1880. Z TAs anger Of
tie Lord: not passion, but indignation
against sin. And God smots him: - by Q
lightning stroke. The punishment was
severe, but ny Uxsah should have known
better. (0 Neglect Of the law at the begin
ming OF a new era like this would bring
neglect and error into the whole religious
ceremonial. 8. David 0as displedsed: the
death Of Uzzsh broke up all Dsvid's plans,
and was great disappointment to the peo-
pie. This was their part Of the punish
mont. Is. House Of Obsd-edom: probably
near tho city. He was Levite, probably
born in Gath Rimmon Of Manasseh, and
hence called q Gittite; that is, Gathite 70.
So David brought .p ts ark: for . fuller
description, SEQ Chron. chaps. 15 and 10.
Ps. "a, 6S, 132, and the hymns given In
Chron. 10 Cthe same as Ps. los is; %; and
106:47, 49, belong to this occasion.
LESSON FACTs-About seventy years had
passed sinco the ark Of the covensnt had
stood in the tabernacle Of God. They were
years Of great political disturbance and re-
lgious decline. After David had pacined
the civil dissensions Of Israel, and gained
tho ascendancy over his foreign foes, he
turned his attention at once to the state Of
religion ut homo. His hrst thought then
was the restoration Of the ark TO It's former
place, and the renewal Of the worship Of
God according to the ordinances given BY
God to Moses. How he laid his plans. how
he failed to carry them into execution ct
first, and how he finally succeeded, are told
in the lesson.
COMMENTS s-David's motive In wishing to
remove the ark to Jerusalem was good. He
wanted to honor God, and draw back tho
people to their allegiance to their Heavenly
King. In carrying out his plans, he pro-
posed to do every thing on o grand scale,
as beftted the occasion. So he gathered an
army Of thirty thousand men and
with them marched to the house of
Abinadsb-who was Levite, and whose
son Eleazar had been charged to keep tho
ark (sec Sam. 7:D in Gibeah, To. bring
the ARK to his capital with much pomp. In
all this there was nothing wrong, but It
was all frustrated because Of culpable care
lessness. The King ought to have known
that God had commanded that only the L.
vites should carry the ark, and that on their
shoulders. Just - God would allow only
the high priest TO enter the Holy of holies,
and that only once Q year, in order to i'm.
press holy reverence on the people, 20 He
had ordered that mono but Levites should
touch the ark. 1t may be that David thought
that this regulation was Of small account;
since the Philistines had put the ark on
cart. and Abinadab had had II for some
time In his house. But David had NO busi.
ness to do any thinking" that was con.
&eEy W VVob oXprosb COmmoo0. ne
might have known that, for doing Just
this, Aaron's two sons had been struck
dead by God. He should, moreover, have
remembered that God smote the men Of
Beth-shemesh for irreverence (see / Sam.
6:19). In acting % he did David did
wrong, and was culpably careless. This
led to severe punishment. One sin
always leads to another, and the wrong
Of ono man may do harm to snother.
When the ark began TO move the oxen
stumbled, and Uxxah rashly put out his
hand and caught hold Of the ark. A.
consequences, God smote him and he died.
He was smitten, not so much for touching
the ark a. for taking part In the whole
proceeding Of putting the ark on cart,
and not on the shoulders Of the Levites
Uzzah himself was Levite, and ought to
have known better. David did wrong, but
Uzzah did more wrong. The punishment
Of Uzzah was for his own sin, and was Q
great and solemn lesson to ell Israel, and
TO David as well, to obey Gods commands
AOvxyr 10 tha min ,xos Aoxu