Worship on the road to Jerusalem...

Obedience and Joy in the Worship of Our David

(1 Chronicles 15, Preaching: Pastor Stephen Magee, January 7, 2018)

[1] David built houses for himself in the city of David. And he prepared a place for the ark of God and pitched a tent for it. [2] Then David said that no one but the Levites may carry the ark of God, for the LORD had chosen them to carry the ark of the LORD and to minister to him forever. [3] And David assembled all Israel at Jerusalem to bring up the ark of the LORD to its place, which he had prepared for it. [4] And David gathered together the sons of Aaron and the Levites: [5] of the sons of Kohath, Uriel the chief, with 120 of his brothers; [6] of the sons of Merari, Asaiah the chief, with 220 of his brothers; [7] of the sons of Gershom, Joel the chief, with 130 of his brothers; [8] of the sons of Elizaphan, Shemaiah the chief, with 200 of his brothers; [9] of the sons of Hebron, Eliel the chief, with 80 of his brothers; [10] of the sons of Uzziel, Amminadab the chief, with 112 of his brothers. [11] Then David summoned the priests Zadok and Abiathar, and the Levites Uriel, Asaiah, Joel, Shemaiah, Eliel, and Amminadab, [12] and said to them, “You are the heads of the fathers' houses of the Levites. Consecrate yourselves, you and your brothers, so that you may bring up the ark of the LORD, the God of Israel, to the place that I have prepared for it. [13] Because you did not carry it the first time, the LORD our God broke out against us, because we did not seek him according to the rule.” [14] So the priests and the Levites consecrated themselves to bring up the ark of the LORD, the God of Israel. [15] And the Levites carried the ark of God on their shoulders with the poles, as Moses had commanded according to the word of the LORD.

[16] David also commanded the chiefs of the Levites to appoint their brothers as the singers who should play loudly on musical instruments, on harps and lyres and cymbals, to raise sounds of joy. [17] So the Levites appointed Heman the son of Joel; and of his brothers Asaph the son of Berechiah; and of the sons of Merari, their brothers, Ethan the son of Kushaiah; [18] and with them their brothers of the second order, Zechariah, Jaaziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, and Mikneiah, and the gatekeepers Obed-edom and Jeiel. [19] The singers, Heman, Asaph, and Ethan, were to sound bronze cymbals; [20] Zechariah, Aziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Maaseiah, and Benaiah were to play harps according to Alamoth; [21] but Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, Obed-edom, Jeiel, and Azaziah were to lead with lyres according to the Sheminith. [22] Chenaniah, leader of the Levites in music, should direct the music, for he understood it. [23] Berechiah and Elkanah were to be gatekeepers for the ark. [24] Shebaniah, Joshaphat, Nethanel, Amasai, Zechariah, Benaiah, and Eliezer, the priests, should blow the trumpets before the ark of God. Obed-edom and Jehiah were to be gatekeepers for the ark.

[25] So David and the elders of Israel and the commanders of thousands went to bring up the ark of the covenant of the LORD from the house of Obed-edom with rejoicing. [26] And because God helped the Levites who were carrying the ark of the covenant of the LORD, they sacrificed seven bulls and seven rams. [27] David was clothed with a robe of fine linen, as also were all the Levites who were carrying the ark, and the singers and Chenaniah the leader of the music of the singers. And David wore a linen ephod. [28] So all Israel brought up the ark of the covenant of the LORD with shouting, to the sound of the horn, trumpets, and cymbals, and made loud music on harps and lyres.

[29] And as the ark of the covenant of the LORD came to the city of David, Michal the daughter of Saul looked out of the window and saw King David dancing and celebrating, and she despised him in her heart.

Seek Him according to the Word

We live in an age that imagines that the spontaneous is much more likely to be from God than the prepared. David was learning the mistake of such an assumption 3000 years ago. Not only was the destination for the ark planned out on this second attempt, but so was the method of transporting this holy objects. “No one but the Levites may carry the ark of God.” This was not the decision of a committee or of David's own judgment. The Word of God insisted on it. “The Lord had chosen” the Levites “to carry the ark of the Lord and to minister to him forever.”

The king played a crucial and authoritative role in this plan to bring the ark to its new home. “David assembled all Israel at Jerusalem to bring up the ark of the LORD to its place, which he had prepared for it.” This did not mean that the king did everything himself. “David gathered together the sons of Aaron and the Levites.” He also took the divinely appointed divisions of the tribe of Levi seriously. The three clans were identified under their leaders as well as the priesthood which included only “the sons of Aaron.” David “summoned” the key priests and appropriate Levites and instructed them in matters that they needed to know in order to avoid another disaster such as has happened in their first attempt when Uzzah died. “Consecrate yourselves, you and your brothers, so that you may bring up the ark of the Lord, the God of Israel, to the place that I have prepared for it. Because you did not carry it the first time, the Lord our God broke out against us, because we did not seek him according to the rule.” And this is what they did. “The Levites carried the ark of God on their shoulders with the poles, as Moses had commanded according to the word of the Lord.” Rules are not unspiritual when they come from the Almighty. We look for divine precepts in our journey of faith and worship, and we seek to learn from approved examples of what the Lord has clearly accepted.

Raise sounds of joy

This does not mean that obedience was simply a matter of attending to external regulations. The heart also was to be appropriately engaged. David commanded that there should be “sounds of joy.” This included the playing of a variety of instruments and especially singing by those appointed for the task of choral praise. Some of the men noted in the list of Levites not only led others in song, they also composed hymns of praise to the Lord. We read of Heman (Psalm 88), Asaph (Psalms 50, 73-83), and Ethan (Psalm 89) in the book of Psalms. We also note the job given by David to a musical director, Chananiah, who was a “leader of the Levites in music” for the specific reason that the man “understood” the music. Others were appointed as “gatekeepers for the ark” and certain priests were specified to “blow the trumpets before the ark of God.”

David's worship

David's worshiped on the road “with rejoicing.” As he led, the people followed. “God helped the Levites who were carrying the ark of the covenant of the Lord.” Dressed in robes “of fine linen,” David, the Levites carrying the ark, the singers, the music director, and “all Israel” had exuberant worship at this great moment in the story of salvation. Think of it! The Lord's sacramental presence (the ark) was being brought into the city of God! (This was one of the greatest moments in worship history, not to be surpassed until Palm Sunday, when the shouts of Hosannas were heard as Jesus led the people as King of Israel and the true Son of God. Hosanna in the highest!) Back to David's day, the king in his “linen ephod” was celebrating God's arrival and there was “shouting” and “horn, trumpets, and cymbals,” with “harps and lyres.” Yet also blood...

Michal despises her husband

What a day! But not everyone was happy. “As the ark of the covenant of the LORD came to the city of David, Michal the daughter of Saul looked out of the window and saw King David dancing and celebrating, and she despised him in her heart.” If there was a worship war on that great day, it was David and all Israel on one side, and Michal on the other side. If we have worship wars in our day, we need to make sure that we are on the side of our leader, Jesus, attentive to the Word, prepared for joy, and filled with gratitude for the God of our salvation.

Our David and His bride

Fast forward 1000 years: The Lord Jesus, the promised eternal Son of David, served His Father perfectly by the Hebrew Scriptures and “the blood of the eternal covenant” (Hebrews 13:20). 2000 years more: Our obedience in liturgy and life cannot be a lawless OR a joyless enterprise. As those who are united to Christ, it is our duty, discipline, and delight to love the Lord who bids us to serve Him and each other with a Spirit-filled heart (Ephesians 5:18-21). Sadly, there are many who reject this solid Christ-like combination of rejoicing and commandment-keeping.

How can we rightly worship on the move toward the God of our salvation as we ask the Lord to bring home the lost and enliven the halfhearted? Here are three thoughts for this great journey:

1. Listen to what Jesus says about obedience and joy going together. (John 8:31-32)

2. Discover Jesus as the perfect worshiper of the Father. (John 7:8-10 and Hebrews 12:2)

3. When you stumble, get up, and keep walking with confidence in Jesus. (Matthew 10:40-42)

Old Testament Reading—Psalm 38 – O Lord, My Salvation!

Gospel Reading—Matthew 10:40-42

[40] Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me. [41] The one who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet's reward, and the one who receives a righteous person because he is a righteous person will receive a righteous person's reward. [42] And whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward.