Sermon Central
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A Model Of Worship
Contributed by Gary Smith on May 3, 2002 (message contributor)
Summary: David’s dance before the Lord and the people of Israel is a perfect model of true worship of which believers today can enter into.
“A Model Of Worship”
TEXT: 2 Sam 6:12-23 (KJV)
12 And it was told king David, saying, The LORD hath blessed the house of Obededom, and all that pertaineth unto him, because of the ark of God. So David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obededom into the city of David with gladness.
13 And it was so, that when they that bare the ark of the LORD had gone six paces, he sacrificed oxen and fatlings.
14 And David danced before the LORD with all his might; and David was girded with a linen ephod.
15 So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the LORD with shouting, and with the sound of the trumpet.
16 And as the ark of the LORD came into the city of David, Michal Saul’s daughter looked through a window, and saw king David leaping and dancing before the LORD; and she despised him in her heart.
17 And they brought in the ark of the LORD, and set it in his place, in the midst of the tabernacle that David had pitched for it: and David offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the LORD.
18 And as soon as David had made an end of offering burnt offerings and peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the LORD of hosts.
19 And he dealt among all the people, even among the whole multitude of Israel, as well to the women as men, to every one a cake of bread, and a good piece of flesh, and a flagon of wine. So all the people departed every one to his house.
20 Then David returned to bless his household. And Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David, and said, How glorious was the king of Israel to day, who uncovered himself to day in the eyes of the handmaids of his servants, as one of the vain fellows shamelessly uncovereth himself!
21 And David said unto Michal, It was before the LORD, which chose me before thy father, and before all his house, to appoint me ruler over the people of the LORD, over Israel: therefore will I play before the LORD.
22 And I will yet be more vile than thus, and will be base in mine own sight: and of the maidservants which thou hast spoken of, of them shall I be had in honour.
23 Therefore Michal the daughter of Saul had no child unto the day of her death.
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Introduction:
This passage of scripture describes a defining moment in King David’s
life.
It is the story of passionate worship.
As we take just a moment to look back at the history of the Ark of the Covenant, we can certainly understand why David was so excited and so moved to worship with all that is with him.
You see the Ark of the covenant represented God’s Presence.
Everyone knew that the Ark of the Covenant was more than just a gold box, it had no power within itself, but it represented the presented the presence of the Lord of all the earth.
It had but out of Israel’s midst for quite some time, it had been away from Jerusalem the capital city.
It had been stolen by the Philistines.
They had kept it in their possession for 7 months.
During those seven months the Ark of the Covenant proved to be embarrassingly powerful to humiliate both the people and their gods.
So they call in their spiritualist to find a way to get this ark out of their land and back into Israel’s possession.
They build a new cart and hook it to 2 animals and send it on its way.
The ark of the covenant comes to rest in the road at Beth-she-mesh.
There people are busy working in the fields but as they look up and see the ark of the Lord, they stop and begin to worship and rejoice.
Several people are then slain because they want to see what is in the ark and they open it up to take a look.
You see this ark represents God’s Presence and one cannot come in to God’s presence without preparation being made, one cannot touch God in the flesh and live.
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It is then brought nto the home of Abinadab where it will rest for nearly 50 years.
But David sees the need to bring back God’s Presence to the capital
City.
He wasn’t satisfied that the Ark of the Lord was just inside the boarder, he wanted God to be at the heart of his nation.
(1) They quickly build a new cart to carry the ark on.
This new cart represents man trying to come before God
