Christ our King - and God's ruling presence with his people

Text 1 Chronicles 14 Time 25 11 20 Place Childs Hill Baptist Church (Zoom)

We come this week to 1 Chronicles 15 where we learn how King David, having completed his palace, provides a place for the ark of the covenant in Jerusalem and this time, having learned his lesson, transports the ark in the right manner. Our writer takes opportunity to mention many of the Levites involved and explains how various ones provided musical accompaniment and how others were deputed to be gatekeepers and doorkeepers. He talks of the joy and the sacrifices that marked the occasion and ends by saying how the King himself celebrated, though he was despised for it by his wife Michal, daughter of Saul, for it.

The chapter is of interest as we piece things together a little step further in the history of the kingship of David and the history of the ark. More than that, if we read this chapter with care noting what is said about David and the ark and about the Levites and their activities too, for that matter, there is a lot for us to learn about the Kingship of Messiah and the ruling presence of God, which is chiefly what the ark speaks to. I want to say three things then.

1. Consider the King, his completed project and God's ruling presence with his people

Here in verses 1-3 we read that 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.

As we have said in the past, the building of a palace is the sort of thing eastern kings would do. We associate Buckingham Palace with the Queen or the Palace at Versailles with Louis XIV and so on. We also said that Messiah talks to his disciples about having prepared a place for them (and he clearly means a mansion, a palace, in heaven).

In David's story, having constructed buildings for himself in the City of David, he prepared a place for the ark of God and pitched a tent for it. This parallels the way, having provided redemption for his people through the cross and having risen again and spent time instructing his disciples, Messiah then ascended into heaven and from there sent the Holy Spirit.

Now just as in the Old Testament, God visibly dwelt where the ark of the covenant was, so now he makes his presence known through the Holy Spirit. The Spirit is God and so he is in every place but he makes the presence of God known especially where he draws near. Just as David prepared a place for the ark so the Messiah has poured out the Spirit on all flesh so that we can know and enjoy the nearness of Christ, of God, wherever we may be.

We no longer need to travel to Jerusalem or even to look towards Jerusalem when we pray. No, God's throne is established in our hearts and so at the end of Hebrews 4 the writer is able to say

Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to feel sympathy with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are - yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God's throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

Just as David set up a place to where his people could go, so our King has set it up so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need, whenever it may come.

Let's not take this tremendous privilege for granted but let's be very thankful and let's take full advantage of our privileges.

2. Understand God's ruling presence with his people, the priesthood and the place of joy and sacrifice

1. The importance of the priests

Previously David had made the mistake of simply trying to carry the ark on an ox cart. It had ended in disaster. Why David had not done things in the correct way from the first, we do not know but it was a mistake, only rectified with this second attempt. By this time he has recalled that it was required in the Law that the ark be carried only by Levites. And so we read in verses 4-10 how

He called together the descendants of Aaron and the Levites:

From the descendants of Kohath, Uriel the leader and 120 relatives;

from the descendants of Merari, Asaiah the leader and 220 relatives;

from the descendants of Gershon, Joel the leader and 130 relatives;

from the descendants of Elizaphan, Shemaiah the leader and 200 relatives

from the descendants of Hebron, Eliel the leader and 80 relatives;

from the descendants of Uzziel, Amminadab the leader and 112 relatives.

So some 862 Priests and Levites were involved plus those mentioned in verse 11

Then David summoned Zadok and Abiathar the priests, and Uriel, Asaiah, Joel, Shemaiah, Eliel and Amminadab the Levites.

David spoke to these last eight personally and 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 David now sees that he needs to use the right servants, as Scripture dictated, and that it was important that they were consecrated before beginning their task.

So (14) 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.

Now again we know that the Levitical priesthood is gone. Yes, today you still meet people called Levi or Cohen or some variation on those names, presumably descended from the original Levites and priests in most cases and they usually find a special role for them if they belong to a synagogue. The old covenant is at end, however, and has been replaced by the new covenant.

Now, as you know, under the new covenant, a new priesthood has been introduced - the priesthood of all believers. Every Christian, man or woman of any age, is a priest. The picture here is of a large throng of priests and Levites carrying the ark to the place set aside for it. The New Testament equivalent is when God's people gather and he draws near as he has promised. It is not that God does not or cannot manifest himself to individuals but that he delights to do so especially when Gods people are gathered together in one place.

This is something that one fears some have lost sight of during this period when it's been difficult to meet together in the usual way. It is important that we see that meeting together like this, although it has some advantages, is less than ideal and is not what the New Testament envisages for God's people. Rather we should be aware that it is when God's people come together that we can expect him to come and meet with us. Puritan David Clarkson once preached a sermon with an interesting title “Public worship to be preferred before private”. A typical Puritan, he gives 12 arguments for his contention. Perhaps the best is this - “Public worship is the nearest resemblance of heaven, therefore to be preferred”. When we are in heaven we will have not quiet times on our own. We will all be together worshipping God. Church is a little taste of that. This is also a little taste but less of one.

2. The importance of joyful singing in worship

Then with all that, notice what you get in verses 16-26.

First, in verse 16 we read that 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 some were to carry the ark but others were to provide joyful music.

So (17, 18) the Levites appointed Heman son of Joel; from his relatives, Asaph son of Berekiah; and from their relatives the Merarites, Ethan son of Kushaiah; and with them their relatives next in rank: Zechariah, Jaaziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, Obed-Edom and Jeiel, the gatekeepers. So another 16.

We are told (19) The musicians Heman, Asaph and Ethan were to sound the bronze cymbals; and (20) eight of the gatekeepers Zechariah, Jaaziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Maaseiah and Benaiah were to play the lyres according to alamoth, (a musical term that we are not sure of the meaning of) while the other five (21) Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, Obed-Edom, Jeiel and a man called Azaziah were to play the harps, directing according to sheminith. (another musical term we do not know the meaning of. It comes up in the psalms). Then in verse 22 it says Kenaniah the head Levite was in charge of the singing; that was his responsibility because he was skilful at it.

We are also told (23) that Berekiah and Elkanah were to be doorkeepers for the ark. It was going to be kept in a tent that needed to be guarded. They decided who could come in.

And then back to music (24) and another seven priests Shebaniah, Joshaphat, Nethanel, Amasai, Zechariah, Benaiah and Eliezer the priests were to blow trumpets before the ark of God. This is mentioned separately and so it is likely that this is not music for singing psalms but trumpet blasts to herald the ark.

It then adds that Obed-Edom and Jehiah were also to be doorkeepers for the ark. These are probably different people to those mentioned before. This Obed-Edom though perhaps not a Levite is appointed to this sacred work in view of the fact the ark once rested in his house.

Now all that is very different to New Testament worship. Indeed we are specifically told not to blow trumpets when we give to the Lord under this new covenant! The emphasis is now on simplicity and ideally there will be no musical instruments at all and the singing will no longer be from skilful people like Kenaniah but by all sorts of others, skilful and less skilful.

3 The importance of rejoicing and of sacrifice in worship

Finally, in verses 25 and 26, we are told 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.

So once again the note of rejoicing is sounded. Our worship should be marked by joy. At the same time, however, sacrifice is also important. I would suggest to you that one reason why it would be better to be in the chapel tonight is because it would involve more of a sacrifice on our part - to go out into the cold weather in order to gather. In Malachi 1:8 we read When you offer blind animals for sacrifice, is that not wrong? When you sacrifice lame or diseased animals, is that not wrong? Try offering them to your governor! Would he be pleased with you? Would he accept you?" says the LORD Almighty. At the present time, football fans are not saying "This is okay this watching everything on TV. We don't want to go back to all that hassle of going to games - especially away games. What an effort it involves and it is so time consuming and expensive." No, despite the difficulty the real fans, I would guess, want live football back. If they are keen, we Christians should be even more so.

Are we like the people in Malachi 1:13, 14?

And you say, 'What a burden!' and you sniff at it contemptuously," says the LORD Almighty. "When you bring injured, lame or diseased animals and offer them as sacrifices, should I accept them from your hands?" says the LORD. "Cursed is the cheat who has an acceptable male in his flock and vows to give it, but then sacrifices a blemished animal to the Lord. For I am a great king," says the LORD Almighty, "and my name is to be feared among the nations.

By the way, I am not suggesting there is merit in making things difficult for ourselves. We don't say "Oh good, the roof's leaking". However, the command not to give up meeting together stands and it will involve some sort of sacrifice to achieve.

The same applies to seeking the Lord in private too. I was reading John Owen this week. He says on finding time to meditate

"Choose and separate a fit time or season, a time of freedom from other occasions and diversions. And because it is our duty to redeem time with respect unto holy duties, such a season may be the more useful the more the purchase of it stands us in. We are not at any time to serve God with what costs us nought, nor with any time that comes within the same rule. If we will allow only the refuse of our time unto this duty, when we have nothing else to do, and, it may be, through weariness of occasions are fit for nothing else, we are not to expect any great success in it. ... Both the law of nature and all the laws of holy institutions do require that we should serve God with the best that we have, as all the fat of the inwards was to be offered in sacrifice; and shall we think to offer that time unto God wherein we are unmeet to appear before an earthly ruler? .... trust not to times that will offer themselves. Take them not up at hazard. Let the time itself be a free-will offering to God, taken from the top of the heap, or the choicest part of your useful time."

4. Note how the King himself celebrates God's ruling presence with his people

Then the final, perhaps surprising thing, is in the closing verses of the chapter, verses 27-29. There we read 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 Israel brought 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.

We get a fuller account in 2 Samuel 6 where it says (16-23)

As the ark of the LORD was entering the City of David, Michal daughter of Saul watched from a window. And when she saw King David leaping and dancing before the LORD, she despised him in her heart. They brought the ark of the LORD and set it in its place inside the tent that David had pitched for it, and David sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings before the LORD. and then we read how he blessed the people in the name of the LORD Almighty and gave a loaf of bread, a cake of dates and a cake of raisins to each person and then all the people went to their homes. 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, going around half-naked in full view of the slave girls of his servants as any vulgar fellow would!" 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. 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 honour." And Michal daughter of Saul had no children to the day of her death.

For our purposes, briefly we simply want to make two points.

1. This is the sort of king we have - one who, as it were joins in with us. Yes, he is worthy of our worship in a way that was never true of David but he also comes alongside us as we worship the Father. He served him while on earth and even now our worship is to be in his name. It is in him that we come to God. What enables us to come to the Lord is being in the Lord Jesus Christ.

2. We should not be surprised that just as Michal despised David. So there are those who, though they appear to be part of the Bride of Christ, despise the Lord Jesus because of his condescension, his willingness to abase himself so that we may come to Christ.

So here are some important things to remember - God's presence with his people, worship - joy, sacrifice, Christ's condescension. Remember these things.