He ordered the men to take the ark into
Obed-edom's house beside the road and be careful to pick it up by the
poles. Then he went on back to Jerusalem without it. He got out the
Book of Numbers and went over the rules about the ark very carefully.
For three months he studied the matter. Then he went after the ark
again--this time in God's way. He called for the priests and the men
appointed to carry the ark; he organized a band and a great choir of
singers, and went to Obed-edom's house. There they picked up the ark
by the poles and started. Still David was scared, and when they had
moved forward only ten yards ("six paces") he made them stop, while a
sacrifice of oxen and rams was made to the Lord.
David was overjoyed when he saw everything going well, and he began to
dance and to sing. All the way to Jerusalem he danced and shouted for
joy.
David thought a lot of the ark, because it meant the presence of God,
and that meant in this case the blessing of God. As he grew older and
wiser he had greater reverence for God's house and all the holy things
which were tokens of God's presence. In one of the psalms he wrote:
The Lord is in His holy temple;
Let all the earth keep silence before Him.
The least a boy can do for God's honour is to keep quiet in church.
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