The Power of God’s Presence
Now King David was told, “The LORD has blessed the household of Obed-Edom and everything he has, because of the ark of God.” So David went to bring up the ark of God from the house of Obed-Edom to the City of David with rejoicing. (2Sam 6:12)
Talk about an important visitation, and the anxious waiting and preparations for the visit of the Pope is a good illustration. But Ugandan minds will more freshly remember the recent foiled Mbale trip that captured local and international media attention; who is this Hon. Amama Mbabazi whose visitation was so firmly resisted by a police immensely deployed in the Eastern city and the roads leading there? Let us for now examine a related yet much greater subject, not a dignified but a divine visitation – the power of God’s presence.
When king David had settled in the new capital city of Jerusalem, he decided to bring to the palace the Ark of God. This Ark was originally made to be in the specified Tabernacle and these in combination were a representation of the presence of God. Moses had meetings with God here and received instructions that he would take to the Israelites. David was therefore symbolically bringing to Jerusalem a divine visitation. Matthew Henry describes the event:
It might well put them into a transport of joy to see the ark rise out of obscurity and move towards a public station. It is better to have the ark in a house than not at all, … but it is very desirable to have it in a tent pitched on purpose for it, where the resort to it may be more free and open. As secret worship is better the more secret it is, so public worship is better the more public it is; and we have reason to rejoice when restraints are taken off, and the ark of God finds welcome in the city of David, and has not only the protection and support, but the countenance and encouragement, of the civil powers.
Along the journey of the Ark of God, there are lessons to learn: First, that God is exalted above all earthly powers and is worthy of honour and worship by all, great and small. Second, that He is a Holy God to be worshipped in reverence and awe; the death of Uzzah who transgressed was an illustration of this point. Third, that a powerful blessing accompanies God’s Presence; that blessing filled the household of Obed-Edom, but was later transported to the entire nation when David finally brought the Ark to Jerusalem. In Jesus Christ the divine visitation was fully perfected, the outreach limitlessly extended to all tribes of the entire world, and blessed are we who embrace and live in Him.
God bless you all.