Today
we will begin a short series of posts
about the
Ark of the Covenant
and other
'vessels of the Temple"
In the original Hebrew
the Ark of the Covenant
has three different main names:
1: “Aron Ha-Brit” {ארון הברית}– literally means ‘the Ark of the Covenant.’ This is the most popular Hebrew name for the Ark and can be found in the Hebrew Bible mainly in the Book of Deuteronomy and the Book of Joshua.
“And Joshua said to the priests,
“Take up the ark of the covenant and
pass on
before the people.”
So they took up the ark of the covenant and went before the people.”
(Joshua 3:6)
2: “Aron Ha-Edut” {ארון העדות}– literally means ‘the Ark of the Testimony’ and can be found in the Book of Exodus in general and in our weekly
Torah portion in particular.
“There I will meet with you, and from
above the mercy seat,
from between the two cherubim
that are on the ark of the testimony…” (Exodus 25:22)
3: “Aron Ha-Elohim” {ארון האלוהים}– literally means
"the Ark of God’
and can be found in the Book of Samuel (1 and 2)
and in the Book of Chronicles (1 and 2).
“And David arose and went with all the people who were
with him from Baale-judah
to bring up from there the ark of God,
which is called by the name of the LORD of hosts
who sits enthroned on the cherubim.”
(2 Samuel 6:2)
Jewish and Christian tradition
presents the Ark of the Covenant as the
physical manifestation of
God’s presence and supreme power
Ancient Israelites marched the Ark into battle and brought
whole cities to their knees.
The Ark was so sacred that touching it meant instant death.
And once it was laid to rest in the Temple of Jerusalem’s
holiest chamber, only the high priest
was allowed in its presence and only once a year.
Then Babylon sacked Jerusalem in the 6th century BCE, and the Ark disappeared.
In the thousands of years since,
its "fate" has stymied "readers of history"
Perhaps most famously, it inspired Steven Spielberg’s blockbuster
Indiana Jones film Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981).
Finding the Ark’s real location probably doesn’t involve an adventuring archaeologist and secretive Nazis,
but what do we know about the Ark’s
final resting place?
One of the most well-known theories about the Ark is linked to Ethiopia’s 14th-century national epic, the Kebra Negast. According to this account, the Queen of Sheba visited King Solomon in Jerusalem during the 10th century BCE and had a son by him on her journey home.
Their son, named Menelik, returned to Jerusalem
once he was of age.
Although Menelik ultimately chose to go back to his mother,
Solomon sent with him a company of Jewish scions.
But unbeknownst to Solomon or Menelik, these companions,
frustrated about leaving Jerusalem,
decided to take a souvenir of sorts: the Ark of the Covenant.
It was too late for Solomon to retrieve the sacred vessel.
Menelik brought the Ark with him to the city of Aksum, and,
with the Ark at his side, he later
conquered a number of surrounding territories for what
would become the Ethiopian empire.
The Kebra Negast and its account of the Ark are major parts of Ethiopia’s national history.
Although many scholars now believe the text to be apocryphal, Ethiopia’s medieval kings—called the Solomonic dynasty—claimed direct descent from Menelik and Solomon. This dynasty ruled until 1974, and their biblical connection was codified in
Emperor Haile Selassie I’s 1931 and 1955 constitutions.
Apart from the Ethiopian government, the country’s largest religious denomination, the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, understands the Kebra Negast to be legitimate Christian history.
According to church leaders,
the Ark of the Covenant has for centuries been closely guarded
in Aksum at the
Church of St. Mary of Zion
Not even the high priest of Aksum can enter its resting chamber.
Its sole custodian is a virgin monk
who cannot
leave the sacred grounds
until his death
The Ark’s influence,
though, is felt throughout the Ethiopian Orthodox world.
Each one of their churches houses its own tabot, a sacred replica of the Ark.
Tabots are kept in the Qeddest Qeddusan, or
Holy of Holies,
and are only taken out during festivals and times of need.
Indeed, each tabot is venerated
as if it were the Ark itself.
Despite being an integral part of Ethiopian Orthodoxy,
the nature of the Ark’s supposed guardianship
at Aksum has made the church’s claim to ownership unverifiable.
Most historians think that if it existed, the more than 3,000-year-old relic either disintegrated over time or was destroyed.
But this, too, is only speculation.
For many,
the final fate of the Ark remains a fascinating mystery
Ark of the Covenant, Hebrew Aron Ha-berit,
in
Judaism and Christianity,
the ornate, gold-plated wooden chest that in biblical times
housed the two tablets of the Law
given to Moses by God
The Ark rested in the Holy of Holies
inside the Tabernacle
of the ancient Temple of Jerusalem and was seen
only by the high priest of the Israelites on Yom Kippur,
the Day of Atonement
The Levites
(priestly functionaries)carried the Ark with them
during the Hebrews’ wanderings in the wilderness
Following the conquest of Canaan, the Promised Land, the Ark
resided at Shiloh,
but from time to time it was carried into battle by the Israelites.
Taken to Jerusalem by King David,
it was eventually placed in the Temple by King Solomon.
The final fate of the Ark is unknown
https://danielbotkin6.wixsite.com/gatesofeden/single-post/2020/08/29/the-warrior-king-and-his-captive-bride
Chronicles 13-15
New International Version Bringing Back the Ark
David conferred with each of his officers,
the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds.
He then said to the whole assembly of Israel, “If it seems good to you and if it is the will of the Lord our God, let us send word far and wide to the rest of our people throughout the territories of Israel, and also to the priests and Levites who are with them in their towns and pasturelands, to come and join us.
Let us bring the ark of our God back to us,
for we did not inquire-of during the
reign of Saul.” The whole assembly agreed to do this,
because it seemed right to all the people
So David assembled all Israel, from the Shihor River in Egypt to Lebo Hamath, to bring the ark of God from Kiriath Jearim.
David and all Israel went to Baalah of Judah (Kiriath Jearim) to bring up from there the ark of God the Lord,
who is enthroned between the cherubim-- the ark that is
called by the Name
7 They moved the ark of God from Abinadab’s house on a new cart,
with Uzzah and Ahio guiding it.
David and all the Israelites were
celebrating with all their might before God,
with songs and with harps, lyres, timbrels, cymbals and trumpets.
When they came to the threshing floor of Kidon,
Uzzah reached out his hand to steady the ark, because the oxen stumbled.
The Lord’s anger burned against Uzzah, and he struck him down because he had put his hand on the ark. So he died there before God.
Then David was angry because the Lord’s wrath had broken out against Uzzah, and to this day that place is called Perez Uzzah.
David was afraid of God that day and asked,
“How can I ever bring the ark of God to me?”
He did not take the ark to be with him in the City of David. Instead, he took it to the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite.
The ark of God remained with the family of Obed-Edom
in his house for three months,
and the Lord blessed his household and everything he had
David’s House and Family
Now Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David, along with cedar logs, stonemasons and carpenters to build a palace for him.
And David knew that the Lord had established him as king over Israel
and that his kingdom had been highly exalted for the sake of his people Israel
In Jerusalem David took more wives and became the father of more sons and daughters. These are the names of the children born to him there:
Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, Solomon, Ibhar, Elishua, Elpelet, Nogah, Nepheg, Japhia, 7 Elishama, Beeliada and Eliphelet.
David Defeats the Philistines
When the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king over all Israel,
they went up in full force to search for him, but David heard about it and went out to meet them.
Now the Philistines had come and raided the Valley of Rephaim;
so
David inquired of God:
"Shall I go and attack the Philistines?
Will you deliver them into my hands?”
The Lord answered him,
“Go, I will deliver them into your hands.”
So David and his men went up to Baal Perazim,
and there he defeated them.
He said,
“As waters break out, God has broken
out against my enemies
by my hand.”
So that place was called Baal Perazim. 12
The "Philistines" had abandoned "their gods" there,
and David gave orders to burn them in the fire
Once more the Philistines raided the valley;
so David inquired of God again, and God answered him,
“Do not go directly after them, but circle around them and attack them in front of the poplar trees. As soon as you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the poplar trees, move out to battle, because that will mean God has gone out in front of you to strike the Philistine army.” So David did as God commanded him, and they struck down the Philistine army,
all the way from Gibeon to Gezer.
So David’s fame spread throughout every land,
and the Lord made all the nations fear him.
The Ark Brought to Jerusalem
After David had constructed buildings for himself in the City of David,
he prepared a place for the ark of God and pitched a tent for it.
Then David said, “No one but the Levites may carry the ark of God, because the Lord chose them to carry the ark of the Lord and to
minister before him forever.”
David assembled all Israel in Jerusalem to
bring up the ark of the Lord to the place he had prepared for it
He called together the descendants of Aaron and the Levites:
5 From the descendants of Kohath,
Uriel the leader and 120 relatives;
6 from the descendants of Merari,
Asaiah the leader and 220 relatives;
7 from the descendants of Gershon,[f]
Joel the leader and 130 relatives;
8 from the descendants of Elizaphan,
Shemaiah the leader and 200 relatives;
9 from the descendants of Hebron,
Eliel the leader and 80 relatives;
10 from the descendants of Uzziel,
Amminadab the leader and 112 relatives.
Then David summoned Zadok and Abiathar the priests, and Uriel, Asaiah, Joel, Shemaiah, Eliel and Amminadab the Levites.
He said to them, “You are the heads of the Levitical families; you and your fellow Levites are to consecrate yourselves and bring up the ark of the Lord, the God of Israel, to the place I have prepared for it.
It was because you, the Levites,
did not bring it up the first time that the Lord our God
broke out in anger against us.
We did not inquire of him about how to do it in the prescribed way.”
So the priests and Levites consecrated themselves
in order to bring up the ark of the Lord, the God of Israel.
And the Levites carried the ark of God with the poles on their shoulders,
as Moses had commanded in accordance with the word of the Lord.
David told the leaders of the Levites
to appoint their fellow Levites as musicians
to make a joyful sound with musical instruments: lyres, harps and cymbals.
So the Levites appointed Heman son of Joel; from his relatives, Asaph son of Berekiah; and from their relatives the Merarites, Ethan son of Kushaiah; 18 and with them their relatives next in rank: Zechariah,[g] Jaaziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, Obed-Edom and Jeiel,
the gatekeepers
The musicians Heman, Asaph and Ethan were to sound the bronze cymbals; 20 Zechariah, Jaaziel,[i] Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Maaseiah and Benaiah were to play the lyres according to alamoth,[j]21 and Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, Obed-Edom, Jeiel and Azaziah were to play the harps, directing according to sheminith.[k] 22 Kenaniah
the head Levite was in charge of the singing; that was
his responsibility because he was skillful at it.
23 Berekiah and Elkanah were to be doorkeepers for the ark.24 Shebaniah, Joshaphat, Nethanel, Amasai, Zechariah, Benaiah and Eliezer the priests were to blow trumpets before the ark of God. Obed-Edom and Jehiah
were also to be doorkeepers for the ark.
So David and the elders of Israel
and the commanders of units of a thousand went to
bring up the
ark of the covenant of the Lord
from the house of Obed-Edom, with rejoicing.
Because God had helped the Levites who were carrying the ark of the covenant of the Lord, seven bulls and seven rams were sacrificed.
Now David was clothed in a robe of fine linen,
as were all the Levites who were carrying the ark,
and as were the musicians, and Kenaniah, who was in charge of the
singing of the choirs.
David also wore a linen ephod.
So all Israelbrought up the ark of the covenant of the Lord with shouts,
with the sounding of rams’ horns and trumpets,
and of cymbals, and the playing of lyres and harps. As the ark of the covenant of the Lord was entering the City of David, Michal daughter of Saul watched from a window.
And when she saw King David dancing and celebrating, she despised him in her heart. Saul had become king primarily because the Israelites felt a need for a military commander to lead them in battles
(1 Samuel 8:20).
At that point, Israel was a loose confederation of tribes who looked to Samuel as Judge and
worshipped Yahweh together.
Saul united them to some degree and led them in an united army,
primarily in defensive battles
against their enemies
David establishes a new capital city in Jerusalem in neutral territory,
designed to unite all the tribes
Under him, the Philistines are not just resisted, but vanquished.
But more than just being a successful military leader and diplomat,
David loves the Lord. Under Saul, worship of the Lord had languished.
Saul had disobeyed the Lord's direction through Samuel
(1 Samuel 13:13; 15:11).
The ark had been lost a generation before and never returned to its place in the Tabernacle
(1 Samuel 4-6).
In his paranoia, Saul had slaughtered the priests
who tended the tabernacle at Nob (1 Samuel 22:18-19), and no longer was able to seek the Lord because Abiathar, the remaining priest,
had taken the ephod with him when he had fled to David
(1 Samuel 22:20; 23:6).
The worship of Yahweh was so diminished that
Saul is reduced to seeking guidance from the witch of Endor,
a spiritualist medium
(1 Samuel 28).
David longs to renew the nation in the worship of Yahweh.
To do that he wants to bring the long-neglected ark
into his new capital city as a sign that the Lord,
the true King over Israel,
is once again in the midst of his people.[185]
He also wants to unite the people,
with Jerusalem as both their political and religious center
Bringing the Ark from the House of Abinadab (6:1-2)
This is not just an idle whim. David brings together
"the whole assembly of Israel,"
as well as representatives from his army,
and seeks to get their "buy-in" to a decision
to bring the ark back. The Chronicler records his
speech to the assembled multitude:
"If it seems good to you and if it is the will of the LORD our God,
let us send word far and wide to the rest of our brothers throughout the territories of Israel,
and also to the priests and Levites
who are with them in their towns and pasturelands,
to come and join us.
Let us bring the ark of our God back to us,
for we did not inquire of it during the reign of Saul."
(1 Chronicles 13:2-3)
The assembly agrees. As a wise leader, David elevates the restoration
of Yahweh worship to be a national goal,
not just the fulfillment of a king's pet project.
As you may recall, the Philistines had captured the ark when Samuel was a child.
The glory had departed from Israel" (1 Samuel 4:21-22).
The Philistines had paraded the ark as a trophy of war in Ashdod, Gath, and Ekron, but as long as they kept it, sickness followed (1 Samuel 5). No Philistine city wanted it. Finally, after seven months, they returned it to Israelite territory on a new cart pulled by two cows.
Initially it was in the priestly city of Beth-Shemesh, but because they were judged for treating the ark carelessly (1 Samuel 6), the ark was finally moved to the city of Kiriath Jearim (also known as Baalah), a town about nine miles west of Jerusalem.[187]
(See Appendix 7. Locations of the Ark and the Tabernacle.)
"They took it to Abinadab's house on the hill and consecrated Eleazar his son to guard the ark of the LORD." (1 Samuel 7:1)
There the ark remained throughout the judgeship of Samuel
and the reign of Saul.
Now,
bringing back the ark becomes a national event:
"So David assembled all the Israelites, from the Shihor
River in Egypt to Lebo Hamath, to bring
the ark of God
from Kiriath Jearim. David and all the Israelites with him went to Baalah of Judah (Kiriath Jearim) to bring up from there the ark of God the LORD, who is enthroned between the cherubim --
the ark that is called by the Name."
(1 Chronicles 13:5-6)
Transporting the Ark Man's Way (6:3-10)
Apparently,
David didn't seek the Lord -- or read the Torah --
about how the ark should be transported.
Rather, his method of transport seems to be similar to
the Philistine approach of putting the ark on a
new cart pulled by two cows
(1 Samuel 6:7).
The celebration of bringing the ark to Jerusalem begins with great joy
"3 They set the ark of God on a new cart and brought it from the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill.
Uzzah and Ahio, sons of Abinadab, were guiding the new cart
4 with the ark of God on it, and Ahio was walking in front of it. 5
David and the whole house of Israel were celebrating[188]
with all their might before the LORD, with songs and with harps, lyres, tambourines, sistrums[189]and cymbals." (6:3-5)
Then things go terribly wrong.
"6 When they came to the threshing floor of Nacon, Uzzah reached out and took hold of the ark of God, because the oxen stumbled. 7
The LORD's anger burned against Uzzah because of his irreverent act;[190] therefore God struck him down and he died there
beside the ark of God."
(6:6-7)
This recalls the severe punishment upon the men of Beth Shemesh
for -looking- in the ark
(1 Samuel 6:19).
At that time, they had said:
"Who can stand in the presence of the LORD,
this holy God?"
(1 Samuel 6:20).
The Holy God insists that holy things
be treated with reverence
in the manner he has prescribed!
Notice David's reaction.
"Then David was angry because the LORD's wrath had broken out against Uzzah, and to this day that place is called Perez Uzzah. David was afraid of the LORD that day and said,
'How can the ark of the LORD ever come to me?'"
Why is David angry? The text doesn't tell us, but we can surmise two reasons:
to move the ark to the nearby home of Obed-Edom the Gittite.
In this case, the Gath referred to is probably not the nearby Philistine city of Gath, but rather the Levitical city of Gath-Rimmon,
a few miles east of Joppa (Joshua 21:24; 1 Chronicles 6:59).[191]
This is likely, because we hear later of an Obed-Edom
who is a prominent Levite
who had seven sons, "for God had blessed Obed-Edom."
(1 Chronicles 26:5),[192]
seemingly referring to the next verse in our text:
"The ark of the LORD
remained in the house
of Obed-Edom the Gittite for three months, and
the LORD blessed him and his entire household."
(6:11)
Q1. (2 Samuel 6:1-10) Why does God strike Uzzah? Why is David so angry? Now King David was told,
'The LORD has blessed the household of Obed-Edom
and everything he has, because of the
ark of God
When David learns that Obed-Edom is being blessed with the "dangerous" ark at his house, David realizes that the ark itself is not the problem.
He wants that blessing in the City of David! He begins to research in the Torah about how the ark is supposed to be transported, and discovers:
"No one but the Levites
may carry the ark of God, because the LORD
chose them to carry
the ark of the LORD
and to minister before him forever."
(1 Chronicles 15:2)
This is the way the ark was carried across the
Jordan River as Joshua led the people into
the Promised Land
(Joshua 3:3; 6:6).
However, since this had been hundreds of years before, people had forgotten.
Nevertheless, instructions for carrying the ark are found several times in the Pentateuch
(Numbers 4:4-15, 19-20; 7:9; Deuteronomy 10:8; 31:9).
Specifically,
the Kohathite clan of the Levites is charged with carrying the sacred objects from the tabernacle, and it just happens that Obed-Edom
is a Levite
from the Kohathite town of Gath-Rimmon
(Joshua 21:20-24).[193]
David now instructs the Levites:
"It was because you, the Levites,
did not bring it up the first time that the LORD our God
broke out in anger against us.
We did not inquire of him about how to do it in the prescribed way."
(1 Chronicles 15:13)
He makes sure that the priests and Levites
consecrate themselves according the
Torah before this ceremony
(1 Chronicles 15:14).
Then David tries a second time:
So David went down and brought up the ark of God
from the house of Obed-Edom to the City of David with rejoicing.
When those who were carrying the ark of the LORD
had taken six steps, he sacrificed a bull and a fattened calf."
(6:12-13)
This time, David makes sure to do God's will in
God's way.
It's interesting that they're rejoicing, after their previous aborted celebration.
But David knows what he had done wrong and he has made it right.
He and the people come with faith before the Lord
and God honors them in it.
Q2. (2 Samuel 6:11-13)
How should the ark have been transported?
How are Uzzah and
David responsible if they don't know the provisions of the Mosaic Law?
What does David's mistake in this incident teach us about
seeking to do
God's will?
David leads his people in worship in the procession.
"David, wearing a linen ephod, danced[195] before the LORD with all his might, 15 while he and the entire house of Israel brought up the ark of the LORD with shouts and the sound of trumpets." (6:14)
David is personally absorbed in joyful worship of his God.
This is not some formal exercise, but worship from the heart -- and with the arms, legs, and feet. David is dancing, and doesn't
seem to care that it might seem undignified.
When David's wife Michal questions him about
behavior below the dignity of a king, he responds:
"I will become even more undignified than this, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes...." (6:22)
A few years ago, Matt Redman wrote "Undignified."
I have never really liked the song, but I must admit that the lyrics reflect the
scripture rather accurately:
"I will dance, I will sing
To be mad for my King.
Nothing, Lord, is hindering
The passion in my soul
And I'll become even more
Undignified than this.
Some would say it's foolishness but
I'll become even more
Undignified than this."[196]
Often we are inhibited in our worship
by what others might think of us. What will people think if I say
"Amen" or if I lift my hands in worship?
What will people think if I am so entranced with worship that
I forget everyone around me and just focus on Him?
It is before the Lord that we worship!
Free church Protestants don't understand Anglicans, Lutherans, Catholics, and the Orthodox who
worship liturgically -- and vice versa! Pentecostals accuse quieter evangelicals of being
"God's frozen people," while the quieter judge the Pentecostals
as "holy rollers."
Foolishness!
Our worship reflects both our culture and our traditions. God had to remind Samuel on one occasion:
"The LORD does not look at the things man looks at.
Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD
looks at the heart."
(1 Samuel 16:7)
When we worship, we focus on an "audience of One."
It doesn't really matter what others think.
But it matters greatly what God thinks of our worship!
One of the great lessons of the Psalms is the importance of praise.
The Psalms were not designed to be read silently,
but to be sung out, at the very least, to be read aloud.
The Psalms are designed to help us experience praise,
to enter into it ourselves.
One of the revolutions we have seen in the church since the Jesus Movement of the 60s and 70s is how we worship God. Praises to God are more prominent now that the testimony songs characteristic of gospel music of a previous era. It is common in churches of all varieties to see people lift their hands in worship as they sing and pray.
Q3. (2 Samuel 6:14, 22)
How would you describe David's approach to worship?
What does his dancing here teach us? What do we learn about praise from the psalms he wrote? Does what others might think affect your ability to worship?
How has God been working in your life to teach you
to worship him in spirit and in truth?
David can't very well return the ark to the tabernacle at Shiloh.
Shiloh had been destroyed!
(Jeremiah 7:12).
The tabernacle had been moved to the priestly city of Nob, but the ark had never been there and Saul had slaughtered the town's priests and their families. The ancient tabernacle is now to be found at
"the high place at Gibeon"
(1 Chronicles 16:39-40; 21:29; 2 Chronicles 1:3, 13; 1 Kings 3:4),
in a Levitical city
where personnel continued sacrifices
David wants the center of Yahweh worship to be in the capital at Jerusalem, not in some "priestly" town.
So he sets up a tent for the ark in Jerusalem, in hopes of eventually building a proper temple to house it.
"17 They brought the ark of the LORD and set it in its place inside the tent (ʾōhel) that David had pitched for it, and David sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings before the LORD. 18 After he had finished sacrificing the burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the LORD Almighty. 19 Then he gave a loaf of bread, a cake of dates and a cake of raisins to each person in the whole crowd of Israelites, both men and women. And all the people went to their homes." (6:17-19)
Worship in the Tent in Jerusalem (1 Chronicles 16:4-6)
David is the great architect of worship before the Lord in Jerusalem. Compared to the emphasis on sacrifice at the Tabernacle in the Wilderness, worship before the ark in Jerusalem is characterized by praise music, much of it written by David and his musical successors -- Asaph and others.
This passage will give you the flavor of this worship that David instituted:
"He appointed some of the Levites to minister before the ark of the LORD, to make petition, to give thanks, and to praise the LORD, the God of Israel.... They were to play the lyres and harps, Asaph was to sound the cymbals, 6 and Benaiah and Jahaziel the priests were to blow the trumpets regularly before the ark of the covenant of God." (1 Chronicles 16:4-6)
However, David didn't restrict praise-worship only before the ark.
Sacrifices continued at the high place in Gibeon -- along with musical praise.
"Heman and Jeduthun were responsible for the sounding of the trumpets and cymbals and for the playing of the other instruments for sacred song.
The sons of Jeduthun were stationed at the gate."
(1 Chronicles 16:42)
Some see "David's Tabernacle" being renewed in our day.
I have spelled out my understanding of this in
Appendix 5. The Tabernacle of David Today (2 Samuel 6:17; Acts 15:16).
Michal Despises David (6:20-23)David is the great Praise Leader of Israel. But sadly, that very praise is misunderstood by one of the people closest to him, Michel, David's wife.
"And when she saw King David leaping and dancing before the LORD, she despised him in her heart." (6:16b) "Despised" is bāzâ, "to despise, disdain, hold in contempt ... to accord little worth to something."[199] When David comes home, happy in the Lord, ready to share his joy with his family, he is met by a rebuke from his wife.
"When David returned home to bless his household, Michal daughter of Saul came out to meet him and said, 'How the king of Israel has distinguished himself today, uncovering[200] in the sight of the slave girls of his servants as any vulgar[201] fellow would!'" (6:20)
Here is David's response:
"21 David said to Michal, 'It was before the LORD, who chose me rather than your father or anyone from his house when he appointed me ruler over the LORD's people Israel -- I will celebrate before the LORD. 22 I will become even more undignified than this, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes. But by these slave girls you spoke of, I will be held in honor.'23 And Michal daughter of Saul had no children to the day of her death." (2 Samuel 6:21-23)
David's answer indicates that there is no longer any great love between the two. His response involves three elements:
1. God's choice of David over Saul's dynasty.
It sounds like Michal resents David. She had loved him once, when he was the young warrior honored by her father the king (1 Samuel 18:20). However, for years she had been the wife of Paltiel, one of Saul's supporters and a fellow Benjamite. Paltiel obviously loved her deeply, for when she was to be returned to her legitimate husband, David, Paltiel "went with her, weeping behind her all the way to Bahurim" (3:16). Though she had been David's first wife, by the time Michal was returned, she seems to have been David's seventh wife in terms of status -- and all the rest bore him children! (3:2-5). Her once high status as a king's daughter is but a memory -- and she resents it! David understands this, and that is why he reminds her that God had made him king in the place of her father Saul:
"... The LORD ... chose me rather than your father or anyone from his house when he appointed me ruler over the LORD's people Israel." (6:21)
2. Humility vs. pride.
David isn't afraid to humble himself before the Lord. He knows Yahweh's character: "You save the humble
but bring low those whose eyes are haughty."
(Psalm 18:27)
Some commentators believe that David's short ephod exposed his genitals to the eyes of the low-class slave girls when he leaped in dance. That's possible, of course, but I think it's more likely that Michal is objecting to the fact that David takes off his royal robe to wear the simple ephod of a priest, and thus "uncovers" himself as if he were a commoner, rather than wearing the royal robes of a king.[202] The NIV's translation "vulgar" misleads us, I think. The word rêq doesn't suggest sexual vulgarity, only the idea of being common ("empty, vain, worthless"), rather than dignified as a king might be expected to be. Assuming that David is wearing the priestly ephod specified in the Torah, he will also be wearing a linen undergarment prescribed for this very reason -- to prevent a priest from exposing himself (Exodus 20:26).
David had spent years in desert camps fleeing Michal's father Saul.
He knows homelessness and hunger. He knows fear and faith. However, all her life, Michal has been pampered as a king's daughter, and later as the wife of an important person the king chose to favor. She knows only luxury and has developed a sense of class superiority that
sometimes accompanies wealth and position.
It is significant that David doesn't defend himself against a charge of exposing his sexual organs, as some believe happened. Rather, his answer justifies humbling himself before the Lord. The word translated "undignified" (NIV), "contemptible" (NRSV), "vile" (KJV)
has the idea of being of little account, that is abased,
or seen as humble.
3. The priority of worship. David defends his act of worship as not for anyone's benefit but God's. Michal sees only the exterior -- because she isn't a co-worshipper, only an observer. God sees David's heart.
'It was before the LORD.... I will celebrate before the LORD." (6:21)
Q4. (2 Samuel 6:16, 20-23) What has happened to Michal that she is so bitter at David? How does her bitterness cause her to misjudge what she sees? Are you bitter towards God about something in your past? What effect might it have on your spiritual life? How can you find healing from the bitterness? What would have happened if David had conformed his worship expression to his wife's preferences?
Available as a book in paperback, Kindle, and PDF formats.
We have traced David's journey from exile to Hebron and finally to king in the new capital of Jerusalem. He has capped this return to power by making central the joy of his life -- worship. In the next lesson, we'll see what happens when David seeks to take his love for the Lord to the next level --
to build Him a temple Prayer
Father, I want to learn to worship you in a way that pleases You, that allows a humble and loving heart to express itself unfettered before You. Help me. Heal me so that I might worship You truly! In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.
Key Verses
"David and the whole house of Israel were celebrating with all their might before the LORD, with songs and with harps, lyres, tambourines,
sistrums and cymbals."
(2 Samuel 6:5)
"David, wearing a linen ephod, danced before the LORD with all his might, while he and the entire house of Israel brought up the ark of the LORD with shouts and the sound of trumpets." (2 Samuel 6:14-15)
Before Moses and Aaron are to appear before Pharaoh, God commands them: “And the Lord spoke unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying: ‘When Pharaoh shall speak unto you, saying: Show a wonder for you; then thou shalt say unto Aaron: Take thy rod, and cast it down before Pharaoh, that it become a serpent’” (Exodus 7:8-9). Pharaoh is the first biblical figure who immediately refuses to accept God’s words. Perhaps in light of Pharaoh’s declaration, at the end of last week’s Torah reading – “Who is the Lord, that I should hearken unto His voice to let Israel go? I know not the Lord, and moreover I will not let Israel go” (Exod. 5:2) – God knows in advance that the Egyptian ruler will demand to be shown a “wonder” (mofet, in Hebrew) that will prove the validity of the message that is being delivered to him. For that reason, God instructs Moses and Aaron how they must conduct themselves when they make their initial appearance before Pharaoh.
As can be deduced from the above, a
0"wonder” is a small miracle.
Aaron throws down his staff at Pharaoh’s feet and the staff turns into a serpent. On seeing this wonder, Pharaoh responds with a wonder of his own:
“Then Pharaoh also called for the wise men and the sorcerers; and they also, the magicians of Egypt, did in like manner with their secret arts. For they cast down every man his rod, and they became serpents” (Exod. 7:11-12). Pharaoh’s magicians are apparently capable of conducting such a metamorphosis
and transforming a rod into a serpent. So, Pharaoh scores a tie in the first quarter of this game
In bringing in his magicians to imitate Aaron’s actions,
the Egyptian leader is seeking to create a balance of power.
If they can buttress their message with a single wonder,
Moses and Aaron’s power can be shown to be greater than Pharaoh’s,
and the Egyptian ruler will be forced to free the Israelites.
On the other hand, if he can provide a counter-wonder of equal magnitude, he will not feel obligated to free them.
In the picture of the balance of power that Pharaoh imagines, the presentation of a wonder followed by the presentation of a counter-wonder of equal strength will, in essence, recalibrate the balance of power between himself and God, and will therefore free the ruler from the obligation of obeying God’s word. Although God initiates the wonder of the rod being transformed into a serpent, Pharaoh, in bringing in his sorcerers to perform the same wonder, thinks that he is calling the shots in this game.
Since the serpents metaphorically confront each other
and since the power of Aaron’s wonder seems
to have been equaled by that of the magicians’ counter-wonder,
the matter seems to be settled according to the rules of the game established by Pharaoh. Now, however, the paradigm is shattered: “but Aaron’s rod swallowed up their rods” (Exod. 7:12). At this moment, the limited game of mutual presentations that Pharaoh has constructed becomes a farce. While Aaron’s serpent “follows” the very rules of the game that Pharaoh thinks he has dictated (according to which, each serpent expresses or reflects the power of its owner’s words), the tables are actually turned on Pharaoh:
The moment the wonders are essentially balanced out,
their significance as embodiments of power
is canceled and they become representations
of their respective owners.
The scene then shifts from a display of wonders to the manifestation of a mythological power struggle between Pharaoh and God. The metamorphosis turns the space in which Moses, Aaron, Pharaoh and Pharaoh’s wise men, sorcerers and magicians operate into a stage. This space, which is a parallel of reality, embodies that reality, reflects it and
perhaps even prophesizes its future
Pharaoh’s reaction is predictable: “And Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he hearkened not unto them; as the Lord had spoken” (Exod. 7:13). Here as well, just as in last week’s Torah portion, the moment the rules of the game that have been established by Pharaoh collapse, he refuses to recognize the new situation.
The swallowing up of Pharaoh’s magicians’ serpents by Aaron’s serpent is an allusion to Pharaoh’s dreams, as described in Genesis 41. When Aaron throws his rod down at Pharaoh’s feet and it becomes a serpent, Pharaoh instructs his magicians to follow suit. In this manner, he hopes to achieve a balance of power. At this moment, however, he sees before his very eyes what he thinks is the embodiment of the dreams of his predecessor on the Egyptian throne.
This time, the swallowing-up image is the precise reverse of Joseph’s interpretation. In this week’s Torah reading, it is not a call to prepare for the future in order to ensure the Egyptian kingdom’s survival, but rather the expression of the inherent fissure in Pharaoh’s stable picture of his world. The history of the Egyptian kings becomes a literary tool in Aaron’s hands: Through the scene that Pharaoh stage-manages, Aaron – or rather, God, who has sent him – creates the allusion to the dreams of the previous Pharaoh, and reminds the present one “who knew not Joseph” (Exod. 1:8) of Joseph’s interpretation. Pharaoh is given the hint that time is a dynamic entity: The future swallows up the present, just as Aaron’s serpent swallows up the magicians’ serpents, and Pharaoh’s time will come.
The Budding of Aaron’s Rod
And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 2 “Speak to the children of Israel, and get from them a rod from each father’s house, all their leaders according to their fathers’ houses—twelve rods. Write each man’s name on his rod. 3 And you shall write Aaron’s name on the rod of Levi. For there shall be one rod for the head of each father’s house. 4 Then you shall place them in the tabernacle of meeting before the Testimony, where I meet with you. 5 And it shall be that the rod of the man whom I choose will blossom; thus I will rid Myself of the complaints of the children of Israel, which they make against you.”
6 So Moses spoke to the children of Israel, and each of their leaders gave him a rod apiece, for each leader according to their fathers’ houses, twelve rods; and the rod of Aaron was among their rods. 7 And Moses placed the rods before the Lord in the tabernacle of witness.
8 Now it came to pass on the next day that Moses went into the tabernacle of witness, and behold, the rod of Aaron, of the house of Levi, had sprouted and put forth buds, had produced blossoms and yielded ripe almonds. 9 Then Moses brought out all the rods from before the Lord to all the children of Israel; and they looked, and each man took his rod.
10 And the Lord said to Moses, “Bring Aaron’s rod back before the Testimony, to be kept as a sign against the rebels, that you may put their complaints away from Me, lest they die.” 11 Thus did Moses; just as the Lord had commanded him, so he did.
12 So the children of Israel spoke to Moses, saying, “Surely we die, we perish, we all perish! 13 Whoever even comes near the tabernacle of the Lord must die. Shall we all utterly die?”
Duties of Priests and Levites18 Then the Lord said to Aaron: “You and your sons and your father’s house with you shall bear the [a]iniquity related to the sanctuary, and you and your sons with you shall bear the iniquity associated with your priesthood. 2 Also bring with you your brethren of the tribe of Levi, the tribe of your father, that they may be joined with you and serve you while you and your sons are with you before the tabernacle of [b]witness. 3 They shall attend to your [c]needs and all the needs of the tabernacle; but they shall not come near the articles of the sanctuary and the altar, lest they die—they and you also. 4 They shall be joined with you and attend to the needs of the tabernacle of meeting, for all the work of the tabernacle; but an outsider shall not come near you. 5 And you shall attend to the duties of the sanctuary and the duties of the altar, that there may be no more wrath on the children of Israel. 6 Behold, I Myself have taken your brethren the Levites from among the children of Israel; they are a gift to you, given by the Lord, to do the work of the tabernacle of meeting. 7 Therefore you and your sons with you shall attend to your priesthood for everything at the altar and behind the veil; and you shall serve. I give your priesthood to you as a gift for service, but the outsider who comes near shall be put to death.”
Offerings for Support of the Priests8 And the Lord spoke to Aaron: “Here, I Myself have also given you [d]charge of My heave offerings, all the holy gifts of the children of Israel; I have given them as a portion to you and your sons, as an ordinance forever. 9 This shall be yours of the most holy things reserved from the fire: every offering of theirs, every grain offering and every sin offering and every trespass offering which they render to Me, shall be most holy for you and your sons. 10 In a most holy place you shall eat it; every male shall eat it. It shall be holy to you.
11 “This also is yours: the heave offering of their gift, with all the wave offerings of the children of Israel; I have given them to you, and your sons and daughters with you, as an ordinance forever. Everyone who is [e]clean in your house may eat it.
12 “All the [f]best of the oil, all the best of the new wine and the grain, their firstfruits which they offer to the Lord, I have given them to you. 13 Whatever first ripe fruit is in their land, which they bring to the Lord, shall be yours. Everyone who is clean in your house may eat it.
14 “Every [g]devoted thing in Israel shall be yours.
15 “Everything that first opens the womb of all flesh, which they bring to the Lord, whether man or beast, shall be yours; nevertheless the firstborn of man you shall surely redeem, and the firstborn of unclean animals you shall redeem. 16 And those redeemed of the devoted things you shall redeem when one month old, according to your valuation, for five shekels of silver, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, which is twenty gerahs. 17 But the firstborn of a cow, the firstborn of a sheep, or the firstborn of a goat you shall not redeem; they are holy. You shall sprinkle their blood on the altar, and burn their fat asan offering made by fire for a sweet aroma to the Lord. 18 And their flesh shall be yours, just as the wave[h] breast and the right thigh are yours.
19 “All the heave offerings of the holy things, which the children of Israel offer to the Lord, I have given to you and your sons and daughters with you as an ordinance forever; it is a covenant of salt forever before the Lord with you and your descendants with you.”
20 Then the Lord said to Aaron: “You shall have no inheritance in their land, nor shall you have any portion among them; I amyour portion and your inheritance among the children of Israel.
Tithes for Support of the Levites21 “Behold, I have given the children of Levi all the tithes in Israel as [i]an inheritance in return for the work which they perform, the work of the tabernacle of meeting. 22 Hereafter the children of Israel shall not come near the tabernacle of meeting, lest they bear sin and die. 23 But the Levites shall perform the work of the tabernacle of meeting, and they shall bear their iniquity; it shall be a statute forever, throughout your generations, that among the children of Israel they shall have no inheritance. 24 For the tithes of the children of Israel, which they offer up as a heave offering to the Lord, I have given to the Levites [j]as an inheritance; therefore I have said to them, ‘Among the children of Israel they shall have no inheritance.’ ”
The Tithe of the Levites25 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 26 “Speak thus to the Levites, and say to them: ‘When you take from the children of Israel the tithes which I have given you from them as your inheritance, then you shall offer up a heave offering of it to the Lord, a tenth of the tithe. 27 And your heave offering shall be reckoned to you as though it were the grain of the threshing floor and as the fullness of the winepress. 28 Thus you shall also offer a heave offering to the Lord from all your tithes which you receive from the children of Israel, and you shall give the Lord’s heave offering from it to Aaron the priest. 29 Of all your gifts you shall offer up every heave offering due to the Lord, from all the [k]best of them, the consecrated part of them.’ 30 Therefore you shall say to them: ‘When you have lifted up the best of it, then the rest shall be accounted to the Levites as the produce of the threshing floor and as the produce of the winepress. 31 You may eat it in any place, you and your households, for it is your [l]reward for your work in the tabernacle of meeting. 32 And you shall bear no sin because of it, when you have lifted up the best of it. But you shall not profane the holy gifts of the children of Israel, lest you die.’ ”
Aaron’s rod, or staff, played an important part in God’s plan to lead the Israelites out of Egypt and into the Promised Land. In ancient Israelite culture, a rod was a symbol of authority. Shepherds used rods to guide and correct their flocks (Psalm 23:4). When God called the shepherd Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egypt, He demonstrated His power by performing miracles using Moses’ rod (Exodus 4:1–5; Numbers 20:11). God also chose Moses’ brother, Aaron, to perform miracles with his own rod (Exodus 7:19; 8:5, 16).
Aaron’s rod was the one that turned into a snake in Pharaoh’s court; when the Egyptian magi also turned their staffs into snakes, the snake that had been Aaron’s rod swallowed theirs up (Exodus 7:8–10). It was Aaron’s rod that God used to turn the water of Egypt into blood (Exodus 7:19–21). And it was Aaron’s rod that summoned the plagues of the frogs (Exodus 8:5–6) and gnats (verses 16–17). After Moses and Aaron had led the Israelites out of captivity, God set apart Aaron and his sons as priests (Exodus 28:1; Numbers 18:1). The rest of the Levites were to minister to the Lord in the tabernacle, offer sacrifices, and hear from God for the good of the whole nation.
The most famous story of Aaron’s rod begins with a few of the Levites becoming disgruntled about the extra authority given to Moses and Aaron. In Numbers 16, Korah, who was also a Levite, joined with two others, Dathan and Abiram, to incite a rebellion against Moses and Aaron. In verse 3 Korah says to Moses, “You have gone too far! The whole community of Israel has been set apart by the Lord, and he is with all of us. What right do you have to act as though you are greater than the rest of the Lord’s people?” Because of this defiance of the Lord’s authority, God caused the earth to open up and swallow these three men and their families (verses 28–33).
However, rather than submit to the Lord, the other tribal leaders jointed the revolt. Numbers 16:41 says, “But the very next morning the whole community of Israel began muttering again against Moses and Aaron, saying, ‘You have killed the Lord’s people!’” The Lord desired to wipe out the whole company, but Moses and Aaron fell on their faces and pleaded with Him not to destroy them. God relented and, instead, sent a plague throughout the company of rebellious Israel; the plague killed 14,700 of them (verse 49).
To put an end to the unrest, God once again used Aaron’s rod for a miracle. God commanded Moses to have the leader of each tribe of Israel bring his rod or staff to the tent of meeting, with Aaron’s rod representing the tribe of Levi. Each of the twelve leaders was to have his name inscribed on his rod. The Lord told Moses, “Buds will sprout on the staff belonging to the man I choose. Then I will finally put an end to the people’s murmuring and complaining against you” (Numbers 17:5). They left their rods before the Lord, and in the morning “Aaron’s staff, representing the tribe of Levi, had sprouted, budded, blossomed, and produced ripe almonds” (verse 8). Aaron’s rod didn’t just sprout buds; it brought forth flowers and fruit, a clear demonstration of the power of the One who gives life. Verse 10 says, “And the Lord said to Moses: ‘Place Aaron’s staff permanently before the Ark of the Covenant to serve as a warning to rebels. This should put an end to their complaints against me and prevent any further deaths.’”
Hebrews 9:4 tells us that Aaron’s rod remained in the Ark of the Covenant as a testimony of God’s choice of Aaron and Moses to lead His people. Aaron’s rod was also a reminder that God does not put up with rebellion against Himself or His chosen representatives on earth (1 Corinthians 10:10). Those who murmur, complain, and cause division within the Body of Christ are to be rebuked (James 5:9; 1 Timothy 5:20; 2 Timothy 2:23). God’s plans on this earth are far beyond any single human being. He desires that we work together, in one accord, to obey Him and reflect His glory.
In the Bible, rods and staffs play a significant role. For instance, shepherds used their staffs to direct their sheep (Psa. 23:4). A staff (Heb. mish'enah) is a long slender stick with a hook on one end. It was used primarily to guide sheep, but also to lift a separated newborn and bring it back to its mother. Shepherds also would carry rods (Heb. shebet) which, in that era, conveyed authority, power, and discipline, but they were also used as a defensive weapon. It was a club-like device and was normally shorter than a staff. SEE the flowers and ripe almonds growing from this rod, or stick. This is the rod of Aaron. These flowers and the ripe fruit grew out of Aaron’s rod in just one night! Let’s see why.
The Israelites have been wandering in the wilderness
for a while now
Some of the people don’t think Moses should be the leader, or that Aaron should be the high priest. Koʹrah is one who thinks this way, and so are Daʹthan, A·biʹram and 250 leaders of the people. These all come and say to Moses: ‘Why is it that you put yourself above the rest of us?’
Moses tells Koʹrah and his followers: ‘Tomorrow morning take fire holders and put incense in them. Then come to Jehovah’s tabernacle. We will see whom Jehovah will choose.’
The next day Koʹrah and his 250 followers come to the tabernacle. Many others come along to support these men. Jehovah is very angry. ‘Get away from the tents of these bad men,’ Moses says. ‘Don’t touch anything that belongs to them.’ The people listen, and move away from the tents of Koʹrah, Daʹthan and A·biʹram.
Then Moses says: ‘By this you will know whom Jehovah has chosen. The ground will open and swallow up these bad men.’
As soon as Moses stops talking, the ground opens. Koʹrah’s tent and belongings and Daʹthan and A·biʹram and those with them go down, and the ground closes over them. When the people hear the cries of those falling into the ground, they shout: ‘Run! The earth might swallow us too!’
Koʹrah and his 250 followers are still near the tabernacle. So Jehovah sends fire, and all of them are burned up. Then Jehovah tells Aaron’s son E·le·aʹzar to take the fire holders of the dead men and to make a thin covering for the altar with them. This altar covering is to serve as a warning to the Israelites that no one besides Aaron and his sons should act as priests for Jehovah.
But Jehovah wants to make very clear that it is Aaron and his sons whom he has chosen to be priests. So he tells Moses: ‘Have a leader of each tribe of Israel bring his rod. For the tribe of Levi, have Aaron bring his rod. Then put each of these rods in the tabernacle in front of the ark of the covenant. The rod of the man that I have chosen as priest will grow flowers.’
When Moses looks the next morning, why, Aaron’s rod has these flowers and ripe almonds growing out of it! So do you see now why Jehovah caused Aaron’s rod to grow flowers?
Elsewhere in Scripture, the Hebrew word may differ and be interpreted as either a rod or a staff. Such is the case with Moses’s rod/staff (Heb. matteh) in Exodus 4:2 and Aaron’s rod/staff (Heb. matteh) in Exodus 7:9. Moses used a staff—the rod of God (Exod. 4:20)—to lead the Israelites out of Egypt (Exod. 4:1-5; Num. 20:11), and used it later as well (Num. 17:5, 8).
Aaron used a rod to assist his brother Moses and Israel. By the power of the Holy Spirt, Aaron’s rod was turned into a snake in Pharaoh’s court that swallowed the Egyptian priest’s snakes (Exod. 7:8-10). Aaron’s rod was used during the ten plagues to turn water into blood (Exod. 7:19-21), to bring frogs (Exod. 8:5-6), and gnats (Exod. 8:16-17). Ultimately, Aaron’s rod was placed before the Lord in the ark of the covenant (Num. 17:10; Heb. 9:4) as a sign against those who would rebel against the Lord.
When God does his miracles, signs and wonders, he is free to use whatever means he chooses. While he didn’t need rods or staffs to accomplish his will, he did choose to use them. Why? We know that many ancient Near East religions and persons of authority in that era carried rods or staffs. It's likely that by using a rod or staff in his ordination of signs, God was showing not only his power and authority but especially that he was the King of kings, the King with absolute and ultimate power and authority. In Hebrew this is expressed as Melech Malchei HaMelachim or the Kings of Kings of Kings.
Aaron provides his rod to represent the tribe of Levi, and
"it put forth buds, produced blossoms, and bore ripe almonds"
(Numbers 17:8),
as an evidence of the exclusive right to the priesthood of the tribe of Levi.
AARON'S ROD (Numbers 17 and Hebrews 9:4):
Immediately after the incidents connected with the rebellion of Korah, Dathan and Abiram against the leadership of Moses and the priestly primacy of Aaron (Numbers 16), it became necessary to indicate and emphasize the Divine appointment of Aaron. Therefore, at the command of Yahweh, Moses directs that twelve almond rods, one for each tribe with the prince's name engraved thereon, be placed within the Tent of the Testimony. When Moses entered the tent the following day, he found that Aaron's rod had budded, blossomed and borne fruit, "the three stages of vegetable life being thus simultaneously visible." When the miraculous sign was seen by the people, they accepted it as final; nor was there ever again any question of Aaron's priestly right. The rod was kept "before the testimony" in the sanctuary ever after as a token of the Divine will (Numbers 17:10). The writer of Hebrews, probably following a later Jewish tradition, mentions the rod as kept in the Holy of Holies within the ark (Hebrews 9:4; compare 1?Kings 8:9). See PRIEST, III.
The victory of Aaron’s rod over those of the magicians does not lead to any catharsis being experienced by the reader or to any change of heart on the part of Pharaoh. Just as he did when Moses and Aaron first appeared before him, the Egyptian ruler decides to ignore the message they now deliver. A comic effect is created because of the gap between the reader’s perception of the situation and Pharaoh’s perception of it. Unlike the ruler who seems unwilling to recognize the meaning of the demonstration of Aaron’s rod-turned-serpent swallowing up the rods-turned-serpents of Pharaoh’s magicians – the reader already comprehends how this demonstration symbolizes Pharaoh’s ultimate and necessary demise.
However, there is perhaps an additional stratum in this demonstration. The swallowing up of Pharaoh’s serpents is an allusion to an image appearing in chapter 41 of Genesis, when Pharaoh has his dreams of the thin cows swallowing up the fat cows and the thin sheaves of wheat swallowing up the fat sheaves. His dreams trouble him deeply, and rightly so.
Generally speaking, cannibalism appears in nature when a threat looms over the horizon: Only when they feel a present and immediate danger to their very lives do animals attack and consume their own kind. The dreams seen by Pharaoh, ruler of the “eternal” Egyptian kingdom, express an abnormal reaction to a threat; the threat, however, is invisible, and Pharaoh needs an interpretation that will grant meaning to the dream in another fashion. In Joseph’s interpretation, the cows and the sheaves of wheat do not attest to a crack in Pharaoh’s eternal kingdom but are simply presented as different time sequences. “The kingdom is not eternal because nothing human can ever be eternal,” is what Joseph is, in fact, telling Pharaoh. “The good years will pass and will be replaced by bad ones and thus – the solution is so simple – the abundance of the plentiful years must be saved for the lean ones.” Joseph replaces Pharaoh’s vision of a threat to his eternal kingdom with a dynamic picture of a changing reality in which one must prepare for the future.
St. Mary Magdalene, also called Mary of Magdala,
(flourished 1st century CE, Palestine; feast day July 22),
one of Jesus’ most celebrated disciples, famous, according to Mark 16:9–10 and John 20:14–17,
for being the first person
to see the
resurrected Christ
Titian: Noli me tangereThe unchallenged facts about her life establish that Jesus cleansed her of seven demons (Luke 8:2 and Mark 16:9), probably implying that he cured her of a physical disorder rather than the popular notion that he freed her of evil spirits. She was one of the women who accompanied and aided Jesus in Galilee(Luke 8:1–2), and all four canonical Gospels attest that she witnessed Jesus’ crucifixion and burial; John 19:25–26 further notes that she stood by the cross, near the Virgin Mary and the unidentified Apostle whom Jesus loved. Having seen where Jesus was buried (Mark 15:47), she went with two other women on Eastermorning to the tomb to anoint the corpse. Finding the tomb empty, Mary ran to the disciples. She returned with St. Peter, who, astonished, left her. Christ then appeared to Mary and, according to John 20:17, instructed her to tell the Apostles that he was ascending to God.
The Gospels reveal her to be of practical character. Origen and other early textual interpreters usually viewed her as distinct from the mystical Mary of Bethany, who anointed Jesus’ feet and wiped them with her hair (John 12:3–7), and from the penitent woman whose sins Jesus pardoned for anointing him in a like fashion (Luke 7:37–48). The Eastern Church also distinguishes between the three, but, after they were identified as one and the same by St. Gregory the Great, Mary Magdalene’s cult flourished in the West. This identification has since been challenged, and modern scholars feel that the three women are distinct.
Gnostics, pre-Christians and early Christians who believed that matter is evil and redemption is attained by an enlightened elite through faith alone, regarded her as a medium of secret revelation, so described in their Gospel of Mary, Gospel of Philip, and Pistis Sophia. According to Eastern tradition, she accompanied St. John the Evangelist to Ephesus (near modern Selçuk, Turkey), where she died and was buried.
https://youtu.be/WtBp33JIkEc
we will begin a short series of posts
about the
Ark of the Covenant
and other
'vessels of the Temple"
In the original Hebrew
the Ark of the Covenant
has three different main names:
1: “Aron Ha-Brit” {ארון הברית}– literally means ‘the Ark of the Covenant.’ This is the most popular Hebrew name for the Ark and can be found in the Hebrew Bible mainly in the Book of Deuteronomy and the Book of Joshua.
“And Joshua said to the priests,
“Take up the ark of the covenant and
pass on
before the people.”
So they took up the ark of the covenant and went before the people.”
(Joshua 3:6)
2: “Aron Ha-Edut” {ארון העדות}– literally means ‘the Ark of the Testimony’ and can be found in the Book of Exodus in general and in our weekly
Torah portion in particular.
“There I will meet with you, and from
above the mercy seat,
from between the two cherubim
that are on the ark of the testimony…” (Exodus 25:22)
3: “Aron Ha-Elohim” {ארון האלוהים}– literally means
"the Ark of God’
and can be found in the Book of Samuel (1 and 2)
and in the Book of Chronicles (1 and 2).
“And David arose and went with all the people who were
with him from Baale-judah
to bring up from there the ark of God,
which is called by the name of the LORD of hosts
who sits enthroned on the cherubim.”
(2 Samuel 6:2)
Jewish and Christian tradition
presents the Ark of the Covenant as the
physical manifestation of
God’s presence and supreme power
Ancient Israelites marched the Ark into battle and brought
whole cities to their knees.
The Ark was so sacred that touching it meant instant death.
And once it was laid to rest in the Temple of Jerusalem’s
holiest chamber, only the high priest
was allowed in its presence and only once a year.
Then Babylon sacked Jerusalem in the 6th century BCE, and the Ark disappeared.
In the thousands of years since,
its "fate" has stymied "readers of history"
Perhaps most famously, it inspired Steven Spielberg’s blockbuster
Indiana Jones film Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981).
Finding the Ark’s real location probably doesn’t involve an adventuring archaeologist and secretive Nazis,
but what do we know about the Ark’s
final resting place?
One of the most well-known theories about the Ark is linked to Ethiopia’s 14th-century national epic, the Kebra Negast. According to this account, the Queen of Sheba visited King Solomon in Jerusalem during the 10th century BCE and had a son by him on her journey home.
Their son, named Menelik, returned to Jerusalem
once he was of age.
Although Menelik ultimately chose to go back to his mother,
Solomon sent with him a company of Jewish scions.
But unbeknownst to Solomon or Menelik, these companions,
frustrated about leaving Jerusalem,
decided to take a souvenir of sorts: the Ark of the Covenant.
It was too late for Solomon to retrieve the sacred vessel.
Menelik brought the Ark with him to the city of Aksum, and,
with the Ark at his side, he later
conquered a number of surrounding territories for what
would become the Ethiopian empire.
The Kebra Negast and its account of the Ark are major parts of Ethiopia’s national history.
Although many scholars now believe the text to be apocryphal, Ethiopia’s medieval kings—called the Solomonic dynasty—claimed direct descent from Menelik and Solomon. This dynasty ruled until 1974, and their biblical connection was codified in
Emperor Haile Selassie I’s 1931 and 1955 constitutions.
Apart from the Ethiopian government, the country’s largest religious denomination, the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, understands the Kebra Negast to be legitimate Christian history.
According to church leaders,
the Ark of the Covenant has for centuries been closely guarded
in Aksum at the
Church of St. Mary of Zion
Not even the high priest of Aksum can enter its resting chamber.
Its sole custodian is a virgin monk
who cannot
leave the sacred grounds
until his death
The Ark’s influence,
though, is felt throughout the Ethiopian Orthodox world.
Each one of their churches houses its own tabot, a sacred replica of the Ark.
Tabots are kept in the Qeddest Qeddusan, or
Holy of Holies,
and are only taken out during festivals and times of need.
Indeed, each tabot is venerated
as if it were the Ark itself.
Despite being an integral part of Ethiopian Orthodoxy,
the nature of the Ark’s supposed guardianship
at Aksum has made the church’s claim to ownership unverifiable.
Most historians think that if it existed, the more than 3,000-year-old relic either disintegrated over time or was destroyed.
But this, too, is only speculation.
For many,
the final fate of the Ark remains a fascinating mystery
Ark of the Covenant, Hebrew Aron Ha-berit,
in
Judaism and Christianity,
the ornate, gold-plated wooden chest that in biblical times
housed the two tablets of the Law
given to Moses by God
The Ark rested in the Holy of Holies
inside the Tabernacle
of the ancient Temple of Jerusalem and was seen
only by the high priest of the Israelites on Yom Kippur,
the Day of Atonement
The Levites
(priestly functionaries)carried the Ark with them
during the Hebrews’ wanderings in the wilderness
Following the conquest of Canaan, the Promised Land, the Ark
resided at Shiloh,
but from time to time it was carried into battle by the Israelites.
Taken to Jerusalem by King David,
it was eventually placed in the Temple by King Solomon.
The final fate of the Ark is unknown
https://danielbotkin6.wixsite.com/gatesofeden/single-post/2020/08/29/the-warrior-king-and-his-captive-bride
Chronicles 13-15
New International Version Bringing Back the Ark
David conferred with each of his officers,
the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds.
He then said to the whole assembly of Israel, “If it seems good to you and if it is the will of the Lord our God, let us send word far and wide to the rest of our people throughout the territories of Israel, and also to the priests and Levites who are with them in their towns and pasturelands, to come and join us.
Let us bring the ark of our God back to us,
for we did not inquire-of during the
reign of Saul.” The whole assembly agreed to do this,
because it seemed right to all the people
So David assembled all Israel, from the Shihor River in Egypt to Lebo Hamath, to bring the ark of God from Kiriath Jearim.
David and all Israel went to Baalah of Judah (Kiriath Jearim) to bring up from there the ark of God the Lord,
who is enthroned between the cherubim-- the ark that is
called by the Name
7 They moved the ark of God from Abinadab’s house on a new cart,
with Uzzah and Ahio guiding it.
David and all the Israelites were
celebrating with all their might before God,
with songs and with harps, lyres, timbrels, cymbals and trumpets.
When they came to the threshing floor of Kidon,
Uzzah reached out his hand to steady the ark, because the oxen stumbled.
The Lord’s anger burned against Uzzah, and he struck him down because he had put his hand on the ark. So he died there before God.
Then David was angry because the Lord’s wrath had broken out against Uzzah, and to this day that place is called Perez Uzzah.
David was afraid of God that day and asked,
“How can I ever bring the ark of God to me?”
He did not take the ark to be with him in the City of David. Instead, he took it to the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite.
The ark of God remained with the family of Obed-Edom
in his house for three months,
and the Lord blessed his household and everything he had
David’s House and Family
Now Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David, along with cedar logs, stonemasons and carpenters to build a palace for him.
And David knew that the Lord had established him as king over Israel
and that his kingdom had been highly exalted for the sake of his people Israel
In Jerusalem David took more wives and became the father of more sons and daughters. These are the names of the children born to him there:
Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, Solomon, Ibhar, Elishua, Elpelet, Nogah, Nepheg, Japhia, 7 Elishama, Beeliada and Eliphelet.
David Defeats the Philistines
When the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king over all Israel,
they went up in full force to search for him, but David heard about it and went out to meet them.
Now the Philistines had come and raided the Valley of Rephaim;
so
David inquired of God:
"Shall I go and attack the Philistines?
Will you deliver them into my hands?”
The Lord answered him,
“Go, I will deliver them into your hands.”
So David and his men went up to Baal Perazim,
and there he defeated them.
He said,
“As waters break out, God has broken
out against my enemies
by my hand.”
So that place was called Baal Perazim. 12
The "Philistines" had abandoned "their gods" there,
and David gave orders to burn them in the fire
Once more the Philistines raided the valley;
so David inquired of God again, and God answered him,
“Do not go directly after them, but circle around them and attack them in front of the poplar trees. As soon as you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the poplar trees, move out to battle, because that will mean God has gone out in front of you to strike the Philistine army.” So David did as God commanded him, and they struck down the Philistine army,
all the way from Gibeon to Gezer.
So David’s fame spread throughout every land,
and the Lord made all the nations fear him.
The Ark Brought to Jerusalem
After David had constructed buildings for himself in the City of David,
he prepared a place for the ark of God and pitched a tent for it.
Then David said, “No one but the Levites may carry the ark of God, because the Lord chose them to carry the ark of the Lord and to
minister before him forever.”
David assembled all Israel in Jerusalem to
bring up the ark of the Lord to the place he had prepared for it
He called together the descendants of Aaron and the Levites:
5 From the descendants of Kohath,
Uriel the leader and 120 relatives;
6 from the descendants of Merari,
Asaiah the leader and 220 relatives;
7 from the descendants of Gershon,[f]
Joel the leader and 130 relatives;
8 from the descendants of Elizaphan,
Shemaiah the leader and 200 relatives;
9 from the descendants of Hebron,
Eliel the leader and 80 relatives;
10 from the descendants of Uzziel,
Amminadab the leader and 112 relatives.
Then David summoned Zadok and Abiathar the priests, and Uriel, Asaiah, Joel, Shemaiah, Eliel and Amminadab the Levites.
He said to them, “You are the heads of the Levitical families; you and your fellow Levites are to consecrate yourselves and bring up the ark of the Lord, the God of Israel, to the place I have prepared for it.
It was because you, the Levites,
did not bring it up the first time that the Lord our God
broke out in anger against us.
We did not inquire of him about how to do it in the prescribed way.”
So the priests and Levites consecrated themselves
in order to bring up the ark of the Lord, the God of Israel.
And the Levites carried the ark of God with the poles on their shoulders,
as Moses had commanded in accordance with the word of the Lord.
David told the leaders of the Levites
to appoint their fellow Levites as musicians
to make a joyful sound with musical instruments: lyres, harps and cymbals.
So the Levites appointed Heman son of Joel; from his relatives, Asaph son of Berekiah; and from their relatives the Merarites, Ethan son of Kushaiah; 18 and with them their relatives next in rank: Zechariah,[g] Jaaziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, Obed-Edom and Jeiel,
the gatekeepers
The musicians Heman, Asaph and Ethan were to sound the bronze cymbals; 20 Zechariah, Jaaziel,[i] Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Maaseiah and Benaiah were to play the lyres according to alamoth,[j]21 and Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, Obed-Edom, Jeiel and Azaziah were to play the harps, directing according to sheminith.[k] 22 Kenaniah
the head Levite was in charge of the singing; that was
his responsibility because he was skillful at it.
23 Berekiah and Elkanah were to be doorkeepers for the ark.24 Shebaniah, Joshaphat, Nethanel, Amasai, Zechariah, Benaiah and Eliezer the priests were to blow trumpets before the ark of God. Obed-Edom and Jehiah
were also to be doorkeepers for the ark.
So David and the elders of Israel
and the commanders of units of a thousand went to
bring up the
ark of the covenant of the Lord
from the house of Obed-Edom, with rejoicing.
Because God had helped the Levites who were carrying the ark of the covenant of the Lord, seven bulls and seven rams were sacrificed.
Now David was clothed in a robe of fine linen,
as were all the Levites who were carrying the ark,
and as were the musicians, and Kenaniah, who was in charge of the
singing of the choirs.
David also wore a linen ephod.
So all Israelbrought up the ark of the covenant of the Lord with shouts,
with the sounding of rams’ horns and trumpets,
and of cymbals, and the playing of lyres and harps. As the ark of the covenant of the Lord was entering the City of David, Michal daughter of Saul watched from a window.
And when she saw King David dancing and celebrating, she despised him in her heart. Saul had become king primarily because the Israelites felt a need for a military commander to lead them in battles
(1 Samuel 8:20).
At that point, Israel was a loose confederation of tribes who looked to Samuel as Judge and
worshipped Yahweh together.
Saul united them to some degree and led them in an united army,
primarily in defensive battles
against their enemies
David establishes a new capital city in Jerusalem in neutral territory,
designed to unite all the tribes
Under him, the Philistines are not just resisted, but vanquished.
But more than just being a successful military leader and diplomat,
David loves the Lord. Under Saul, worship of the Lord had languished.
Saul had disobeyed the Lord's direction through Samuel
(1 Samuel 13:13; 15:11).
The ark had been lost a generation before and never returned to its place in the Tabernacle
(1 Samuel 4-6).
In his paranoia, Saul had slaughtered the priests
who tended the tabernacle at Nob (1 Samuel 22:18-19), and no longer was able to seek the Lord because Abiathar, the remaining priest,
had taken the ephod with him when he had fled to David
(1 Samuel 22:20; 23:6).
The worship of Yahweh was so diminished that
Saul is reduced to seeking guidance from the witch of Endor,
a spiritualist medium
(1 Samuel 28).
David longs to renew the nation in the worship of Yahweh.
To do that he wants to bring the long-neglected ark
into his new capital city as a sign that the Lord,
the true King over Israel,
is once again in the midst of his people.[185]
He also wants to unite the people,
with Jerusalem as both their political and religious center
Bringing the Ark from the House of Abinadab (6:1-2)
This is not just an idle whim. David brings together
"the whole assembly of Israel,"
as well as representatives from his army,
and seeks to get their "buy-in" to a decision
to bring the ark back. The Chronicler records his
speech to the assembled multitude:
"If it seems good to you and if it is the will of the LORD our God,
let us send word far and wide to the rest of our brothers throughout the territories of Israel,
and also to the priests and Levites
who are with them in their towns and pasturelands,
to come and join us.
Let us bring the ark of our God back to us,
for we did not inquire of it during the reign of Saul."
(1 Chronicles 13:2-3)
The assembly agrees. As a wise leader, David elevates the restoration
of Yahweh worship to be a national goal,
not just the fulfillment of a king's pet project.
As you may recall, the Philistines had captured the ark when Samuel was a child.
The glory had departed from Israel" (1 Samuel 4:21-22).
The Philistines had paraded the ark as a trophy of war in Ashdod, Gath, and Ekron, but as long as they kept it, sickness followed (1 Samuel 5). No Philistine city wanted it. Finally, after seven months, they returned it to Israelite territory on a new cart pulled by two cows.
Initially it was in the priestly city of Beth-Shemesh, but because they were judged for treating the ark carelessly (1 Samuel 6), the ark was finally moved to the city of Kiriath Jearim (also known as Baalah), a town about nine miles west of Jerusalem.[187]
(See Appendix 7. Locations of the Ark and the Tabernacle.)
"They took it to Abinadab's house on the hill and consecrated Eleazar his son to guard the ark of the LORD." (1 Samuel 7:1)
There the ark remained throughout the judgeship of Samuel
and the reign of Saul.
Now,
bringing back the ark becomes a national event:
"So David assembled all the Israelites, from the Shihor
River in Egypt to Lebo Hamath, to bring
the ark of God
from Kiriath Jearim. David and all the Israelites with him went to Baalah of Judah (Kiriath Jearim) to bring up from there the ark of God the LORD, who is enthroned between the cherubim --
the ark that is called by the Name."
(1 Chronicles 13:5-6)
Transporting the Ark Man's Way (6:3-10)
Apparently,
David didn't seek the Lord -- or read the Torah --
about how the ark should be transported.
Rather, his method of transport seems to be similar to
the Philistine approach of putting the ark on a
new cart pulled by two cows
(1 Samuel 6:7).
The celebration of bringing the ark to Jerusalem begins with great joy
"3 They set the ark of God on a new cart and brought it from the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill.
Uzzah and Ahio, sons of Abinadab, were guiding the new cart
4 with the ark of God on it, and Ahio was walking in front of it. 5
David and the whole house of Israel were celebrating[188]
with all their might before the LORD, with songs and with harps, lyres, tambourines, sistrums[189]and cymbals." (6:3-5)
Then things go terribly wrong.
"6 When they came to the threshing floor of Nacon, Uzzah reached out and took hold of the ark of God, because the oxen stumbled. 7
The LORD's anger burned against Uzzah because of his irreverent act;[190] therefore God struck him down and he died there
beside the ark of God."
(6:6-7)
This recalls the severe punishment upon the men of Beth Shemesh
for -looking- in the ark
(1 Samuel 6:19).
At that time, they had said:
"Who can stand in the presence of the LORD,
this holy God?"
(1 Samuel 6:20).
The Holy God insists that holy things
be treated with reverence
in the manner he has prescribed!
Notice David's reaction.
"Then David was angry because the LORD's wrath had broken out against Uzzah, and to this day that place is called Perez Uzzah. David was afraid of the LORD that day and said,
'How can the ark of the LORD ever come to me?'"
Why is David angry? The text doesn't tell us, but we can surmise two reasons:
- Misunderstood. David has done this with the best of intentions. He loves the Lord and wants Yahweh to be honored in Israel's capital of Jerusalem. His motives are right, he feels, so why would God bring judgment? He has been misunderstood.
- Humiliated. David has been publicly humiliated. The national celebration he has planned in front of 30,000 onlookers has ended with disaster, as if God doesn't approve of moving the ark. In people's eyes, David's relationship with God is being questioned.
to move the ark to the nearby home of Obed-Edom the Gittite.
In this case, the Gath referred to is probably not the nearby Philistine city of Gath, but rather the Levitical city of Gath-Rimmon,
a few miles east of Joppa (Joshua 21:24; 1 Chronicles 6:59).[191]
This is likely, because we hear later of an Obed-Edom
who is a prominent Levite
who had seven sons, "for God had blessed Obed-Edom."
(1 Chronicles 26:5),[192]
seemingly referring to the next verse in our text:
"The ark of the LORD
remained in the house
of Obed-Edom the Gittite for three months, and
the LORD blessed him and his entire household."
(6:11)
Q1. (2 Samuel 6:1-10) Why does God strike Uzzah? Why is David so angry? Now King David was told,
'The LORD has blessed the household of Obed-Edom
and everything he has, because of the
ark of God
When David learns that Obed-Edom is being blessed with the "dangerous" ark at his house, David realizes that the ark itself is not the problem.
He wants that blessing in the City of David! He begins to research in the Torah about how the ark is supposed to be transported, and discovers:
"No one but the Levites
may carry the ark of God, because the LORD
chose them to carry
the ark of the LORD
and to minister before him forever."
(1 Chronicles 15:2)
This is the way the ark was carried across the
Jordan River as Joshua led the people into
the Promised Land
(Joshua 3:3; 6:6).
However, since this had been hundreds of years before, people had forgotten.
Nevertheless, instructions for carrying the ark are found several times in the Pentateuch
(Numbers 4:4-15, 19-20; 7:9; Deuteronomy 10:8; 31:9).
Specifically,
the Kohathite clan of the Levites is charged with carrying the sacred objects from the tabernacle, and it just happens that Obed-Edom
is a Levite
from the Kohathite town of Gath-Rimmon
(Joshua 21:20-24).[193]
David now instructs the Levites:
"It was because you, the Levites,
did not bring it up the first time that the LORD our God
broke out in anger against us.
We did not inquire of him about how to do it in the prescribed way."
(1 Chronicles 15:13)
He makes sure that the priests and Levites
consecrate themselves according the
Torah before this ceremony
(1 Chronicles 15:14).
Then David tries a second time:
So David went down and brought up the ark of God
from the house of Obed-Edom to the City of David with rejoicing.
When those who were carrying the ark of the LORD
had taken six steps, he sacrificed a bull and a fattened calf."
(6:12-13)
This time, David makes sure to do God's will in
God's way.
It's interesting that they're rejoicing, after their previous aborted celebration.
But David knows what he had done wrong and he has made it right.
He and the people come with faith before the Lord
and God honors them in it.
Q2. (2 Samuel 6:11-13)
How should the ark have been transported?
How are Uzzah and
David responsible if they don't know the provisions of the Mosaic Law?
What does David's mistake in this incident teach us about
seeking to do
God's will?
David leads his people in worship in the procession.
"David, wearing a linen ephod, danced[195] before the LORD with all his might, 15 while he and the entire house of Israel brought up the ark of the LORD with shouts and the sound of trumpets." (6:14)
David is personally absorbed in joyful worship of his God.
This is not some formal exercise, but worship from the heart -- and with the arms, legs, and feet. David is dancing, and doesn't
seem to care that it might seem undignified.
When David's wife Michal questions him about
behavior below the dignity of a king, he responds:
"I will become even more undignified than this, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes...." (6:22)
A few years ago, Matt Redman wrote "Undignified."
I have never really liked the song, but I must admit that the lyrics reflect the
scripture rather accurately:
"I will dance, I will sing
To be mad for my King.
Nothing, Lord, is hindering
The passion in my soul
And I'll become even more
Undignified than this.
Some would say it's foolishness but
I'll become even more
Undignified than this."[196]
Often we are inhibited in our worship
by what others might think of us. What will people think if I say
"Amen" or if I lift my hands in worship?
What will people think if I am so entranced with worship that
I forget everyone around me and just focus on Him?
It is before the Lord that we worship!
Free church Protestants don't understand Anglicans, Lutherans, Catholics, and the Orthodox who
worship liturgically -- and vice versa! Pentecostals accuse quieter evangelicals of being
"God's frozen people," while the quieter judge the Pentecostals
as "holy rollers."
Foolishness!
Our worship reflects both our culture and our traditions. God had to remind Samuel on one occasion:
"The LORD does not look at the things man looks at.
Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD
looks at the heart."
(1 Samuel 16:7)
When we worship, we focus on an "audience of One."
It doesn't really matter what others think.
But it matters greatly what God thinks of our worship!
One of the great lessons of the Psalms is the importance of praise.
The Psalms were not designed to be read silently,
but to be sung out, at the very least, to be read aloud.
The Psalms are designed to help us experience praise,
to enter into it ourselves.
One of the revolutions we have seen in the church since the Jesus Movement of the 60s and 70s is how we worship God. Praises to God are more prominent now that the testimony songs characteristic of gospel music of a previous era. It is common in churches of all varieties to see people lift their hands in worship as they sing and pray.
Q3. (2 Samuel 6:14, 22)
How would you describe David's approach to worship?
What does his dancing here teach us? What do we learn about praise from the psalms he wrote? Does what others might think affect your ability to worship?
How has God been working in your life to teach you
to worship him in spirit and in truth?
David can't very well return the ark to the tabernacle at Shiloh.
Shiloh had been destroyed!
(Jeremiah 7:12).
The tabernacle had been moved to the priestly city of Nob, but the ark had never been there and Saul had slaughtered the town's priests and their families. The ancient tabernacle is now to be found at
"the high place at Gibeon"
(1 Chronicles 16:39-40; 21:29; 2 Chronicles 1:3, 13; 1 Kings 3:4),
in a Levitical city
where personnel continued sacrifices
David wants the center of Yahweh worship to be in the capital at Jerusalem, not in some "priestly" town.
So he sets up a tent for the ark in Jerusalem, in hopes of eventually building a proper temple to house it.
"17 They brought the ark of the LORD and set it in its place inside the tent (ʾōhel) that David had pitched for it, and David sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings before the LORD. 18 After he had finished sacrificing the burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the LORD Almighty. 19 Then he gave a loaf of bread, a cake of dates and a cake of raisins to each person in the whole crowd of Israelites, both men and women. And all the people went to their homes." (6:17-19)
Worship in the Tent in Jerusalem (1 Chronicles 16:4-6)
David is the great architect of worship before the Lord in Jerusalem. Compared to the emphasis on sacrifice at the Tabernacle in the Wilderness, worship before the ark in Jerusalem is characterized by praise music, much of it written by David and his musical successors -- Asaph and others.
This passage will give you the flavor of this worship that David instituted:
"He appointed some of the Levites to minister before the ark of the LORD, to make petition, to give thanks, and to praise the LORD, the God of Israel.... They were to play the lyres and harps, Asaph was to sound the cymbals, 6 and Benaiah and Jahaziel the priests were to blow the trumpets regularly before the ark of the covenant of God." (1 Chronicles 16:4-6)
However, David didn't restrict praise-worship only before the ark.
Sacrifices continued at the high place in Gibeon -- along with musical praise.
"Heman and Jeduthun were responsible for the sounding of the trumpets and cymbals and for the playing of the other instruments for sacred song.
The sons of Jeduthun were stationed at the gate."
(1 Chronicles 16:42)
Some see "David's Tabernacle" being renewed in our day.
I have spelled out my understanding of this in
Appendix 5. The Tabernacle of David Today (2 Samuel 6:17; Acts 15:16).
Michal Despises David (6:20-23)David is the great Praise Leader of Israel. But sadly, that very praise is misunderstood by one of the people closest to him, Michel, David's wife.
"And when she saw King David leaping and dancing before the LORD, she despised him in her heart." (6:16b) "Despised" is bāzâ, "to despise, disdain, hold in contempt ... to accord little worth to something."[199] When David comes home, happy in the Lord, ready to share his joy with his family, he is met by a rebuke from his wife.
"When David returned home to bless his household, Michal daughter of Saul came out to meet him and said, 'How the king of Israel has distinguished himself today, uncovering[200] in the sight of the slave girls of his servants as any vulgar[201] fellow would!'" (6:20)
Here is David's response:
"21 David said to Michal, 'It was before the LORD, who chose me rather than your father or anyone from his house when he appointed me ruler over the LORD's people Israel -- I will celebrate before the LORD. 22 I will become even more undignified than this, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes. But by these slave girls you spoke of, I will be held in honor.'23 And Michal daughter of Saul had no children to the day of her death." (2 Samuel 6:21-23)
David's answer indicates that there is no longer any great love between the two. His response involves three elements:
1. God's choice of David over Saul's dynasty.
It sounds like Michal resents David. She had loved him once, when he was the young warrior honored by her father the king (1 Samuel 18:20). However, for years she had been the wife of Paltiel, one of Saul's supporters and a fellow Benjamite. Paltiel obviously loved her deeply, for when she was to be returned to her legitimate husband, David, Paltiel "went with her, weeping behind her all the way to Bahurim" (3:16). Though she had been David's first wife, by the time Michal was returned, she seems to have been David's seventh wife in terms of status -- and all the rest bore him children! (3:2-5). Her once high status as a king's daughter is but a memory -- and she resents it! David understands this, and that is why he reminds her that God had made him king in the place of her father Saul:
"... The LORD ... chose me rather than your father or anyone from his house when he appointed me ruler over the LORD's people Israel." (6:21)
2. Humility vs. pride.
David isn't afraid to humble himself before the Lord. He knows Yahweh's character: "You save the humble
but bring low those whose eyes are haughty."
(Psalm 18:27)
Some commentators believe that David's short ephod exposed his genitals to the eyes of the low-class slave girls when he leaped in dance. That's possible, of course, but I think it's more likely that Michal is objecting to the fact that David takes off his royal robe to wear the simple ephod of a priest, and thus "uncovers" himself as if he were a commoner, rather than wearing the royal robes of a king.[202] The NIV's translation "vulgar" misleads us, I think. The word rêq doesn't suggest sexual vulgarity, only the idea of being common ("empty, vain, worthless"), rather than dignified as a king might be expected to be. Assuming that David is wearing the priestly ephod specified in the Torah, he will also be wearing a linen undergarment prescribed for this very reason -- to prevent a priest from exposing himself (Exodus 20:26).
David had spent years in desert camps fleeing Michal's father Saul.
He knows homelessness and hunger. He knows fear and faith. However, all her life, Michal has been pampered as a king's daughter, and later as the wife of an important person the king chose to favor. She knows only luxury and has developed a sense of class superiority that
sometimes accompanies wealth and position.
It is significant that David doesn't defend himself against a charge of exposing his sexual organs, as some believe happened. Rather, his answer justifies humbling himself before the Lord. The word translated "undignified" (NIV), "contemptible" (NRSV), "vile" (KJV)
has the idea of being of little account, that is abased,
or seen as humble.
3. The priority of worship. David defends his act of worship as not for anyone's benefit but God's. Michal sees only the exterior -- because she isn't a co-worshipper, only an observer. God sees David's heart.
'It was before the LORD.... I will celebrate before the LORD." (6:21)
Q4. (2 Samuel 6:16, 20-23) What has happened to Michal that she is so bitter at David? How does her bitterness cause her to misjudge what she sees? Are you bitter towards God about something in your past? What effect might it have on your spiritual life? How can you find healing from the bitterness? What would have happened if David had conformed his worship expression to his wife's preferences?
- Seeking God's Way. David brings the ark to Jerusalem, but he doesn't take time to study the Word to see how it should be done. When he consults the Word, God blesses his efforts. We are to do God's will God's way!
- Desire to Worship. David sets an example before us of joyful, self-less worship. He doesn't seem to care what others think; he will worship his God! So often we are passive about worship. One of the messages of this lesson and the Book of Psalms is involvement in and love of worship.
- Bitterness and Despising. Michal despises her husband's enthusiastic worship of Yahweh because she allowed bitterness into her heart. We should search and cleanse our hearts so that our hurts don't keep us from understanding what God loves and desires of us.
Available as a book in paperback, Kindle, and PDF formats.
We have traced David's journey from exile to Hebron and finally to king in the new capital of Jerusalem. He has capped this return to power by making central the joy of his life -- worship. In the next lesson, we'll see what happens when David seeks to take his love for the Lord to the next level --
to build Him a temple Prayer
Father, I want to learn to worship you in a way that pleases You, that allows a humble and loving heart to express itself unfettered before You. Help me. Heal me so that I might worship You truly! In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.
Key Verses
"David and the whole house of Israel were celebrating with all their might before the LORD, with songs and with harps, lyres, tambourines,
sistrums and cymbals."
(2 Samuel 6:5)
"David, wearing a linen ephod, danced before the LORD with all his might, while he and the entire house of Israel brought up the ark of the LORD with shouts and the sound of trumpets." (2 Samuel 6:14-15)
Before Moses and Aaron are to appear before Pharaoh, God commands them: “And the Lord spoke unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying: ‘When Pharaoh shall speak unto you, saying: Show a wonder for you; then thou shalt say unto Aaron: Take thy rod, and cast it down before Pharaoh, that it become a serpent’” (Exodus 7:8-9). Pharaoh is the first biblical figure who immediately refuses to accept God’s words. Perhaps in light of Pharaoh’s declaration, at the end of last week’s Torah reading – “Who is the Lord, that I should hearken unto His voice to let Israel go? I know not the Lord, and moreover I will not let Israel go” (Exod. 5:2) – God knows in advance that the Egyptian ruler will demand to be shown a “wonder” (mofet, in Hebrew) that will prove the validity of the message that is being delivered to him. For that reason, God instructs Moses and Aaron how they must conduct themselves when they make their initial appearance before Pharaoh.
As can be deduced from the above, a
0"wonder” is a small miracle.
Aaron throws down his staff at Pharaoh’s feet and the staff turns into a serpent. On seeing this wonder, Pharaoh responds with a wonder of his own:
“Then Pharaoh also called for the wise men and the sorcerers; and they also, the magicians of Egypt, did in like manner with their secret arts. For they cast down every man his rod, and they became serpents” (Exod. 7:11-12). Pharaoh’s magicians are apparently capable of conducting such a metamorphosis
and transforming a rod into a serpent. So, Pharaoh scores a tie in the first quarter of this game
In bringing in his magicians to imitate Aaron’s actions,
the Egyptian leader is seeking to create a balance of power.
If they can buttress their message with a single wonder,
Moses and Aaron’s power can be shown to be greater than Pharaoh’s,
and the Egyptian ruler will be forced to free the Israelites.
On the other hand, if he can provide a counter-wonder of equal magnitude, he will not feel obligated to free them.
In the picture of the balance of power that Pharaoh imagines, the presentation of a wonder followed by the presentation of a counter-wonder of equal strength will, in essence, recalibrate the balance of power between himself and God, and will therefore free the ruler from the obligation of obeying God’s word. Although God initiates the wonder of the rod being transformed into a serpent, Pharaoh, in bringing in his sorcerers to perform the same wonder, thinks that he is calling the shots in this game.
Since the serpents metaphorically confront each other
and since the power of Aaron’s wonder seems
to have been equaled by that of the magicians’ counter-wonder,
the matter seems to be settled according to the rules of the game established by Pharaoh. Now, however, the paradigm is shattered: “but Aaron’s rod swallowed up their rods” (Exod. 7:12). At this moment, the limited game of mutual presentations that Pharaoh has constructed becomes a farce. While Aaron’s serpent “follows” the very rules of the game that Pharaoh thinks he has dictated (according to which, each serpent expresses or reflects the power of its owner’s words), the tables are actually turned on Pharaoh:
The moment the wonders are essentially balanced out,
their significance as embodiments of power
is canceled and they become representations
of their respective owners.
The scene then shifts from a display of wonders to the manifestation of a mythological power struggle between Pharaoh and God. The metamorphosis turns the space in which Moses, Aaron, Pharaoh and Pharaoh’s wise men, sorcerers and magicians operate into a stage. This space, which is a parallel of reality, embodies that reality, reflects it and
perhaps even prophesizes its future
Pharaoh’s reaction is predictable: “And Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he hearkened not unto them; as the Lord had spoken” (Exod. 7:13). Here as well, just as in last week’s Torah portion, the moment the rules of the game that have been established by Pharaoh collapse, he refuses to recognize the new situation.
The swallowing up of Pharaoh’s magicians’ serpents by Aaron’s serpent is an allusion to Pharaoh’s dreams, as described in Genesis 41. When Aaron throws his rod down at Pharaoh’s feet and it becomes a serpent, Pharaoh instructs his magicians to follow suit. In this manner, he hopes to achieve a balance of power. At this moment, however, he sees before his very eyes what he thinks is the embodiment of the dreams of his predecessor on the Egyptian throne.
This time, the swallowing-up image is the precise reverse of Joseph’s interpretation. In this week’s Torah reading, it is not a call to prepare for the future in order to ensure the Egyptian kingdom’s survival, but rather the expression of the inherent fissure in Pharaoh’s stable picture of his world. The history of the Egyptian kings becomes a literary tool in Aaron’s hands: Through the scene that Pharaoh stage-manages, Aaron – or rather, God, who has sent him – creates the allusion to the dreams of the previous Pharaoh, and reminds the present one “who knew not Joseph” (Exod. 1:8) of Joseph’s interpretation. Pharaoh is given the hint that time is a dynamic entity: The future swallows up the present, just as Aaron’s serpent swallows up the magicians’ serpents, and Pharaoh’s time will come.
The Budding of Aaron’s Rod
And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 2 “Speak to the children of Israel, and get from them a rod from each father’s house, all their leaders according to their fathers’ houses—twelve rods. Write each man’s name on his rod. 3 And you shall write Aaron’s name on the rod of Levi. For there shall be one rod for the head of each father’s house. 4 Then you shall place them in the tabernacle of meeting before the Testimony, where I meet with you. 5 And it shall be that the rod of the man whom I choose will blossom; thus I will rid Myself of the complaints of the children of Israel, which they make against you.”
6 So Moses spoke to the children of Israel, and each of their leaders gave him a rod apiece, for each leader according to their fathers’ houses, twelve rods; and the rod of Aaron was among their rods. 7 And Moses placed the rods before the Lord in the tabernacle of witness.
8 Now it came to pass on the next day that Moses went into the tabernacle of witness, and behold, the rod of Aaron, of the house of Levi, had sprouted and put forth buds, had produced blossoms and yielded ripe almonds. 9 Then Moses brought out all the rods from before the Lord to all the children of Israel; and they looked, and each man took his rod.
10 And the Lord said to Moses, “Bring Aaron’s rod back before the Testimony, to be kept as a sign against the rebels, that you may put their complaints away from Me, lest they die.” 11 Thus did Moses; just as the Lord had commanded him, so he did.
12 So the children of Israel spoke to Moses, saying, “Surely we die, we perish, we all perish! 13 Whoever even comes near the tabernacle of the Lord must die. Shall we all utterly die?”
Duties of Priests and Levites18 Then the Lord said to Aaron: “You and your sons and your father’s house with you shall bear the [a]iniquity related to the sanctuary, and you and your sons with you shall bear the iniquity associated with your priesthood. 2 Also bring with you your brethren of the tribe of Levi, the tribe of your father, that they may be joined with you and serve you while you and your sons are with you before the tabernacle of [b]witness. 3 They shall attend to your [c]needs and all the needs of the tabernacle; but they shall not come near the articles of the sanctuary and the altar, lest they die—they and you also. 4 They shall be joined with you and attend to the needs of the tabernacle of meeting, for all the work of the tabernacle; but an outsider shall not come near you. 5 And you shall attend to the duties of the sanctuary and the duties of the altar, that there may be no more wrath on the children of Israel. 6 Behold, I Myself have taken your brethren the Levites from among the children of Israel; they are a gift to you, given by the Lord, to do the work of the tabernacle of meeting. 7 Therefore you and your sons with you shall attend to your priesthood for everything at the altar and behind the veil; and you shall serve. I give your priesthood to you as a gift for service, but the outsider who comes near shall be put to death.”
Offerings for Support of the Priests8 And the Lord spoke to Aaron: “Here, I Myself have also given you [d]charge of My heave offerings, all the holy gifts of the children of Israel; I have given them as a portion to you and your sons, as an ordinance forever. 9 This shall be yours of the most holy things reserved from the fire: every offering of theirs, every grain offering and every sin offering and every trespass offering which they render to Me, shall be most holy for you and your sons. 10 In a most holy place you shall eat it; every male shall eat it. It shall be holy to you.
11 “This also is yours: the heave offering of their gift, with all the wave offerings of the children of Israel; I have given them to you, and your sons and daughters with you, as an ordinance forever. Everyone who is [e]clean in your house may eat it.
12 “All the [f]best of the oil, all the best of the new wine and the grain, their firstfruits which they offer to the Lord, I have given them to you. 13 Whatever first ripe fruit is in their land, which they bring to the Lord, shall be yours. Everyone who is clean in your house may eat it.
14 “Every [g]devoted thing in Israel shall be yours.
15 “Everything that first opens the womb of all flesh, which they bring to the Lord, whether man or beast, shall be yours; nevertheless the firstborn of man you shall surely redeem, and the firstborn of unclean animals you shall redeem. 16 And those redeemed of the devoted things you shall redeem when one month old, according to your valuation, for five shekels of silver, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, which is twenty gerahs. 17 But the firstborn of a cow, the firstborn of a sheep, or the firstborn of a goat you shall not redeem; they are holy. You shall sprinkle their blood on the altar, and burn their fat asan offering made by fire for a sweet aroma to the Lord. 18 And their flesh shall be yours, just as the wave[h] breast and the right thigh are yours.
19 “All the heave offerings of the holy things, which the children of Israel offer to the Lord, I have given to you and your sons and daughters with you as an ordinance forever; it is a covenant of salt forever before the Lord with you and your descendants with you.”
20 Then the Lord said to Aaron: “You shall have no inheritance in their land, nor shall you have any portion among them; I amyour portion and your inheritance among the children of Israel.
Tithes for Support of the Levites21 “Behold, I have given the children of Levi all the tithes in Israel as [i]an inheritance in return for the work which they perform, the work of the tabernacle of meeting. 22 Hereafter the children of Israel shall not come near the tabernacle of meeting, lest they bear sin and die. 23 But the Levites shall perform the work of the tabernacle of meeting, and they shall bear their iniquity; it shall be a statute forever, throughout your generations, that among the children of Israel they shall have no inheritance. 24 For the tithes of the children of Israel, which they offer up as a heave offering to the Lord, I have given to the Levites [j]as an inheritance; therefore I have said to them, ‘Among the children of Israel they shall have no inheritance.’ ”
The Tithe of the Levites25 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 26 “Speak thus to the Levites, and say to them: ‘When you take from the children of Israel the tithes which I have given you from them as your inheritance, then you shall offer up a heave offering of it to the Lord, a tenth of the tithe. 27 And your heave offering shall be reckoned to you as though it were the grain of the threshing floor and as the fullness of the winepress. 28 Thus you shall also offer a heave offering to the Lord from all your tithes which you receive from the children of Israel, and you shall give the Lord’s heave offering from it to Aaron the priest. 29 Of all your gifts you shall offer up every heave offering due to the Lord, from all the [k]best of them, the consecrated part of them.’ 30 Therefore you shall say to them: ‘When you have lifted up the best of it, then the rest shall be accounted to the Levites as the produce of the threshing floor and as the produce of the winepress. 31 You may eat it in any place, you and your households, for it is your [l]reward for your work in the tabernacle of meeting. 32 And you shall bear no sin because of it, when you have lifted up the best of it. But you shall not profane the holy gifts of the children of Israel, lest you die.’ ”
Aaron’s rod, or staff, played an important part in God’s plan to lead the Israelites out of Egypt and into the Promised Land. In ancient Israelite culture, a rod was a symbol of authority. Shepherds used rods to guide and correct their flocks (Psalm 23:4). When God called the shepherd Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egypt, He demonstrated His power by performing miracles using Moses’ rod (Exodus 4:1–5; Numbers 20:11). God also chose Moses’ brother, Aaron, to perform miracles with his own rod (Exodus 7:19; 8:5, 16).
Aaron’s rod was the one that turned into a snake in Pharaoh’s court; when the Egyptian magi also turned their staffs into snakes, the snake that had been Aaron’s rod swallowed theirs up (Exodus 7:8–10). It was Aaron’s rod that God used to turn the water of Egypt into blood (Exodus 7:19–21). And it was Aaron’s rod that summoned the plagues of the frogs (Exodus 8:5–6) and gnats (verses 16–17). After Moses and Aaron had led the Israelites out of captivity, God set apart Aaron and his sons as priests (Exodus 28:1; Numbers 18:1). The rest of the Levites were to minister to the Lord in the tabernacle, offer sacrifices, and hear from God for the good of the whole nation.
The most famous story of Aaron’s rod begins with a few of the Levites becoming disgruntled about the extra authority given to Moses and Aaron. In Numbers 16, Korah, who was also a Levite, joined with two others, Dathan and Abiram, to incite a rebellion against Moses and Aaron. In verse 3 Korah says to Moses, “You have gone too far! The whole community of Israel has been set apart by the Lord, and he is with all of us. What right do you have to act as though you are greater than the rest of the Lord’s people?” Because of this defiance of the Lord’s authority, God caused the earth to open up and swallow these three men and their families (verses 28–33).
However, rather than submit to the Lord, the other tribal leaders jointed the revolt. Numbers 16:41 says, “But the very next morning the whole community of Israel began muttering again against Moses and Aaron, saying, ‘You have killed the Lord’s people!’” The Lord desired to wipe out the whole company, but Moses and Aaron fell on their faces and pleaded with Him not to destroy them. God relented and, instead, sent a plague throughout the company of rebellious Israel; the plague killed 14,700 of them (verse 49).
To put an end to the unrest, God once again used Aaron’s rod for a miracle. God commanded Moses to have the leader of each tribe of Israel bring his rod or staff to the tent of meeting, with Aaron’s rod representing the tribe of Levi. Each of the twelve leaders was to have his name inscribed on his rod. The Lord told Moses, “Buds will sprout on the staff belonging to the man I choose. Then I will finally put an end to the people’s murmuring and complaining against you” (Numbers 17:5). They left their rods before the Lord, and in the morning “Aaron’s staff, representing the tribe of Levi, had sprouted, budded, blossomed, and produced ripe almonds” (verse 8). Aaron’s rod didn’t just sprout buds; it brought forth flowers and fruit, a clear demonstration of the power of the One who gives life. Verse 10 says, “And the Lord said to Moses: ‘Place Aaron’s staff permanently before the Ark of the Covenant to serve as a warning to rebels. This should put an end to their complaints against me and prevent any further deaths.’”
Hebrews 9:4 tells us that Aaron’s rod remained in the Ark of the Covenant as a testimony of God’s choice of Aaron and Moses to lead His people. Aaron’s rod was also a reminder that God does not put up with rebellion against Himself or His chosen representatives on earth (1 Corinthians 10:10). Those who murmur, complain, and cause division within the Body of Christ are to be rebuked (James 5:9; 1 Timothy 5:20; 2 Timothy 2:23). God’s plans on this earth are far beyond any single human being. He desires that we work together, in one accord, to obey Him and reflect His glory.
In the Bible, rods and staffs play a significant role. For instance, shepherds used their staffs to direct their sheep (Psa. 23:4). A staff (Heb. mish'enah) is a long slender stick with a hook on one end. It was used primarily to guide sheep, but also to lift a separated newborn and bring it back to its mother. Shepherds also would carry rods (Heb. shebet) which, in that era, conveyed authority, power, and discipline, but they were also used as a defensive weapon. It was a club-like device and was normally shorter than a staff. SEE the flowers and ripe almonds growing from this rod, or stick. This is the rod of Aaron. These flowers and the ripe fruit grew out of Aaron’s rod in just one night! Let’s see why.
The Israelites have been wandering in the wilderness
for a while now
Some of the people don’t think Moses should be the leader, or that Aaron should be the high priest. Koʹrah is one who thinks this way, and so are Daʹthan, A·biʹram and 250 leaders of the people. These all come and say to Moses: ‘Why is it that you put yourself above the rest of us?’
Moses tells Koʹrah and his followers: ‘Tomorrow morning take fire holders and put incense in them. Then come to Jehovah’s tabernacle. We will see whom Jehovah will choose.’
The next day Koʹrah and his 250 followers come to the tabernacle. Many others come along to support these men. Jehovah is very angry. ‘Get away from the tents of these bad men,’ Moses says. ‘Don’t touch anything that belongs to them.’ The people listen, and move away from the tents of Koʹrah, Daʹthan and A·biʹram.
Then Moses says: ‘By this you will know whom Jehovah has chosen. The ground will open and swallow up these bad men.’
As soon as Moses stops talking, the ground opens. Koʹrah’s tent and belongings and Daʹthan and A·biʹram and those with them go down, and the ground closes over them. When the people hear the cries of those falling into the ground, they shout: ‘Run! The earth might swallow us too!’
Koʹrah and his 250 followers are still near the tabernacle. So Jehovah sends fire, and all of them are burned up. Then Jehovah tells Aaron’s son E·le·aʹzar to take the fire holders of the dead men and to make a thin covering for the altar with them. This altar covering is to serve as a warning to the Israelites that no one besides Aaron and his sons should act as priests for Jehovah.
But Jehovah wants to make very clear that it is Aaron and his sons whom he has chosen to be priests. So he tells Moses: ‘Have a leader of each tribe of Israel bring his rod. For the tribe of Levi, have Aaron bring his rod. Then put each of these rods in the tabernacle in front of the ark of the covenant. The rod of the man that I have chosen as priest will grow flowers.’
When Moses looks the next morning, why, Aaron’s rod has these flowers and ripe almonds growing out of it! So do you see now why Jehovah caused Aaron’s rod to grow flowers?
Elsewhere in Scripture, the Hebrew word may differ and be interpreted as either a rod or a staff. Such is the case with Moses’s rod/staff (Heb. matteh) in Exodus 4:2 and Aaron’s rod/staff (Heb. matteh) in Exodus 7:9. Moses used a staff—the rod of God (Exod. 4:20)—to lead the Israelites out of Egypt (Exod. 4:1-5; Num. 20:11), and used it later as well (Num. 17:5, 8).
Aaron used a rod to assist his brother Moses and Israel. By the power of the Holy Spirt, Aaron’s rod was turned into a snake in Pharaoh’s court that swallowed the Egyptian priest’s snakes (Exod. 7:8-10). Aaron’s rod was used during the ten plagues to turn water into blood (Exod. 7:19-21), to bring frogs (Exod. 8:5-6), and gnats (Exod. 8:16-17). Ultimately, Aaron’s rod was placed before the Lord in the ark of the covenant (Num. 17:10; Heb. 9:4) as a sign against those who would rebel against the Lord.
When God does his miracles, signs and wonders, he is free to use whatever means he chooses. While he didn’t need rods or staffs to accomplish his will, he did choose to use them. Why? We know that many ancient Near East religions and persons of authority in that era carried rods or staffs. It's likely that by using a rod or staff in his ordination of signs, God was showing not only his power and authority but especially that he was the King of kings, the King with absolute and ultimate power and authority. In Hebrew this is expressed as Melech Malchei HaMelachim or the Kings of Kings of Kings.
Aaron provides his rod to represent the tribe of Levi, and
"it put forth buds, produced blossoms, and bore ripe almonds"
(Numbers 17:8),
as an evidence of the exclusive right to the priesthood of the tribe of Levi.
AARON'S ROD (Numbers 17 and Hebrews 9:4):
Immediately after the incidents connected with the rebellion of Korah, Dathan and Abiram against the leadership of Moses and the priestly primacy of Aaron (Numbers 16), it became necessary to indicate and emphasize the Divine appointment of Aaron. Therefore, at the command of Yahweh, Moses directs that twelve almond rods, one for each tribe with the prince's name engraved thereon, be placed within the Tent of the Testimony. When Moses entered the tent the following day, he found that Aaron's rod had budded, blossomed and borne fruit, "the three stages of vegetable life being thus simultaneously visible." When the miraculous sign was seen by the people, they accepted it as final; nor was there ever again any question of Aaron's priestly right. The rod was kept "before the testimony" in the sanctuary ever after as a token of the Divine will (Numbers 17:10). The writer of Hebrews, probably following a later Jewish tradition, mentions the rod as kept in the Holy of Holies within the ark (Hebrews 9:4; compare 1?Kings 8:9). See PRIEST, III.
The victory of Aaron’s rod over those of the magicians does not lead to any catharsis being experienced by the reader or to any change of heart on the part of Pharaoh. Just as he did when Moses and Aaron first appeared before him, the Egyptian ruler decides to ignore the message they now deliver. A comic effect is created because of the gap between the reader’s perception of the situation and Pharaoh’s perception of it. Unlike the ruler who seems unwilling to recognize the meaning of the demonstration of Aaron’s rod-turned-serpent swallowing up the rods-turned-serpents of Pharaoh’s magicians – the reader already comprehends how this demonstration symbolizes Pharaoh’s ultimate and necessary demise.
However, there is perhaps an additional stratum in this demonstration. The swallowing up of Pharaoh’s serpents is an allusion to an image appearing in chapter 41 of Genesis, when Pharaoh has his dreams of the thin cows swallowing up the fat cows and the thin sheaves of wheat swallowing up the fat sheaves. His dreams trouble him deeply, and rightly so.
Generally speaking, cannibalism appears in nature when a threat looms over the horizon: Only when they feel a present and immediate danger to their very lives do animals attack and consume their own kind. The dreams seen by Pharaoh, ruler of the “eternal” Egyptian kingdom, express an abnormal reaction to a threat; the threat, however, is invisible, and Pharaoh needs an interpretation that will grant meaning to the dream in another fashion. In Joseph’s interpretation, the cows and the sheaves of wheat do not attest to a crack in Pharaoh’s eternal kingdom but are simply presented as different time sequences. “The kingdom is not eternal because nothing human can ever be eternal,” is what Joseph is, in fact, telling Pharaoh. “The good years will pass and will be replaced by bad ones and thus – the solution is so simple – the abundance of the plentiful years must be saved for the lean ones.” Joseph replaces Pharaoh’s vision of a threat to his eternal kingdom with a dynamic picture of a changing reality in which one must prepare for the future.
St. Mary Magdalene, also called Mary of Magdala,
(flourished 1st century CE, Palestine; feast day July 22),
one of Jesus’ most celebrated disciples, famous, according to Mark 16:9–10 and John 20:14–17,
for being the first person
to see the
resurrected Christ
Titian: Noli me tangereThe unchallenged facts about her life establish that Jesus cleansed her of seven demons (Luke 8:2 and Mark 16:9), probably implying that he cured her of a physical disorder rather than the popular notion that he freed her of evil spirits. She was one of the women who accompanied and aided Jesus in Galilee(Luke 8:1–2), and all four canonical Gospels attest that she witnessed Jesus’ crucifixion and burial; John 19:25–26 further notes that she stood by the cross, near the Virgin Mary and the unidentified Apostle whom Jesus loved. Having seen where Jesus was buried (Mark 15:47), she went with two other women on Eastermorning to the tomb to anoint the corpse. Finding the tomb empty, Mary ran to the disciples. She returned with St. Peter, who, astonished, left her. Christ then appeared to Mary and, according to John 20:17, instructed her to tell the Apostles that he was ascending to God.
The Gospels reveal her to be of practical character. Origen and other early textual interpreters usually viewed her as distinct from the mystical Mary of Bethany, who anointed Jesus’ feet and wiped them with her hair (John 12:3–7), and from the penitent woman whose sins Jesus pardoned for anointing him in a like fashion (Luke 7:37–48). The Eastern Church also distinguishes between the three, but, after they were identified as one and the same by St. Gregory the Great, Mary Magdalene’s cult flourished in the West. This identification has since been challenged, and modern scholars feel that the three women are distinct.
Gnostics, pre-Christians and early Christians who believed that matter is evil and redemption is attained by an enlightened elite through faith alone, regarded her as a medium of secret revelation, so described in their Gospel of Mary, Gospel of Philip, and Pistis Sophia. According to Eastern tradition, she accompanied St. John the Evangelist to Ephesus (near modern Selçuk, Turkey), where she died and was buried.
https://youtu.be/WtBp33JIkEc
RSS Feed
