Daily Devotional for Monday, December 4

The Mission and Method

“And David arose, and went with all the people that were with him from Baale of Judah, to bring up from thence the ark of God, whose name is called by the name of the Lord of hosts that dwelleth between the cherubim,” 2 Samuel 6:2.

I remember being very young the first time I saw Raiders of the Lost Ark. I had seen a picture of the ark of the covenant at church, and then there it was on the television. They opened the ark attempting to experience God, but we instead saw His wrath using the best special effects Hollywood and the 1980s could offer. Of course, at the time I did not quite understand the truth woven into this fictional story. I just knew I would have nightmares for a while.

When Moses received the Law on Mount Sinai, God included the specifications for designing (Exodus 25:10-22) and handling (Numbers 4:1-20) the ark of the covenant. God wanted to dwell among His people so much that He provided a way to be in their midst. As the ark traveled with the Israelites, so did the presence and power of God. In 1 Samuel 4—6, the Philistines captured the ark, provoking the wrath of God. In 1 Samuel 7:1, 2, the Philistines returned the ark, and it remained in the house of Abinadab for twenty years.

Now that David was setting up the capital city of Jerusalem, he longed for a permanent dwelling place for the presence of God. He gathered up his people for this mission and traveled to Kirjath-jearim or Baale of Judah to retrieve the ark of the covenant and bring it back to Jerusalem. They placed it on a brand new cart and began the journey back. David’s deepest desire at this point was to have the presence of the Lord dwelling among them once again.

THOUGHT FOR TODAY: As a believer, God’s presence is within you. May you desire to bask in His presence as He dwells in you.

Ashley Ridings