The first thing David does upon establishing Jerusalem as the new capital city is to bring the Ark back. We looked at this when we went through 2 Samuel a few months ago. But I saw new things here in 1 Chronicles.

David consulted with all of his leaders, the commanders of thousands and of hundreds. Then David addressed the entire assembly of Israel, “If it seems right to you, and it is GOD’s will, let’s invite all our relatives wherever they are throughout Israel, along with their relatives, including their priests and Levites from their cities and surrounding pastures, to join us. And let’s bring the Ark of our God back—the Ark that was out of sight, out of mind during the days of Saul.” (1 Chronicles 13.1 – 3, MSG)

First, I’ve never stopped to think that the Ark had been gone a long time. It was taken into battle by the sons of Eli back as recorded in 1 Samuel 4. After some fun in Philistia, the Ark comes back to Israel as recorded in 1 Samuel 6. That’s before Saul’s kingship, so the Ark has been gone a long time: “Out of sight out of mind during the days of Saul.”

We know that David moved the Ark incorrectly (We might say “imagination and creativity” instead of “following directions.”) And Chronicles makes it abundantly clear why David got it right the second time:

After David built houses for himself in the City of David, he cleared a place for the Ark and pitched a tent for it. Then David gave orders: “No one carries the Ark of God except the Levites; GOD designated them and them only to carry the Ark of GOD and be available full time for service in the work of worship.” (1 Chronicles 15.1, 2, MSG)

So the priests and Levites consecrated themselves to bring up the Ark of the GOD of Israel. The Levites carried the Ark of God exactly as Moses, instructed by GOD, commanded—carried it with poles on their shoulders, careful not to touch it with their hands. (1 Chronicles 15.14, 15, MSG)

Do you think they were being careful? I quoted Annie Dillard (again) about three months ago, but her words seem appropriate here also:

On the whole, I do not find Christians, outside of the catacombs, sufficiently sensible of conditions. Does anyone have the foggiest idea what sort of power we so blithely invoke? Or, as I suspect, does no one believe a word of it? The churches are children playing on the floor with their chemistry sets, mixing up a batch of TNT to kill a Sunday morning. It is madness to wear ladies’ straw hats and velvet hats to church; we should all be wearing crash helmets. Ushers should issue life preservers and signal flares; they should lash us to our pews. For the sleeping god may wake someday and take offense, or the waking god may draw us out to where we can never return. ― Annie Dillard, “An Expedition to the Pole” from Teaching a Stone to Talk (1982)

Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire. (Hebrews 12.28, ESV)