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Wednesday, May 5, 2021

Bible in One Year Day 125 (2 Samuel 6 - 7, 1 Chronicles 9, Psalm 89)

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Day 125: Covenant with David 

Chapter 6: The Ark of the Covenant is brought to Jerusalem

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2 Samuel 6:1-11 ~ The Disastrous First Attempt to bring the Ark to Jerusalem

The Ark of the Covenant, also called the Ark of Yahweh and the Ark of the Testimony (Ex 25:22; 40:3), was Israel's most sacred shrine. David calls upon thirty thousand Israelites warriors to accompany him to retrieve the Ark of the Covenant from Baalah, the old name of Kiriath-Jearim (Josh 15:60; 18:14), and to take it to Jerusalem.

Kiriath-Jearim was a city in the tribe of Judah (Josh 18:14) that was a little more than eight miles north of Jerusalem. It was the town to which the Ark of the Covenant was sent after the Philistines and the Israelites of Beth-Shemesh discovered possessing it caused Yahweh to inflict disaster upon those who did not give the Ark proper reverence (1 Sam 5:1-12). After their frightening experience with the Ark, the Philistines decided to return the Ark to Israelite territory and the Ark went to Beth-Shemesh, but when some people of the town treated the Ark disrespectfully, Yahweh struck down seventy people (1 Sam 6:10-19). The people of Beth-Sheesh then asked the people of the near-by town of Kiriath-Jearim if they would take the Ark. The people of Kiriath-Jearim took the Ark and gave it to Abinadab (probably a chief priest) and his son Eleazar who was consecrated to guard the Ark of Yahweh. We are told the Ark remained there for some twenty years (1 Sam 7:2).

Question: Has God also given His New Covenant people a physical sign as visible evidence that He dwells among His people? What is it?

Answer: The consecrated Host of the Eucharist.

David arranged for a new cart that had never been used before to move the Ark, but it was a bad decision. Just as the celebration was at its height, Abinadab's son Uzzah reached out his hand to steady the Ark on the cart and was struck dead. There is nothing like this kind of incident to dampen the party mood.

Do not miss the detail in verse 6 that the striking down of Uzzah occurred just as the Ark came to a threshing floor. In the Bible threshing floors and harvest imagery often serve as symbols of judgment. It is where the grain is separated from the unusable chaff in the same way God judges and separates the righteous from the sinner. 

Coming to the "threshing floor" is the moment Uzzah faced his divine judgment.
Question: Why did God strike Uzzah?
Answer: A sinless God cannot be touched or approached by a person who is not in a state of grace. It is obvious that Uzzah was not in a state of grace.

Question: What did St. Paul write about the way to receive the Eucharist and the danger for those not in a state of grace in 1 Cor 11:27-32?
Answer: He warned that one must make an examination of conscience to determine that one is free of sin and in a state of grace or that person who receives the Eucharist in sin or who does not recognize the Body of Christ is answerable for such an offense and is eating and drinking to one's own condemnation. He attributes the illness and even death of some of the congregation to abuse of the Eucharist.

Question: What lesson should the Israelites have learned from this terrible experience?
Answer: The Ark is not like the meaningless false images of the pagans. The Ark is holy because it is the dwelling place of Almighty God among His people. The Israelites had been taking this concept for granted and this event was a reminder that a holy God cannot come into direct contact with a sinful people.


King David Dancing Before the Ark


2 Samuel 6:12-19 ~ The Successful Attempt to bring the Ark to Jerusalem

The Ark of the Covenant remained in the hill country of Judah for three months and during that time God blessed the family of Obed-Edom. It is a prefiguring of God's blessing on the Gentiles through their acceptance of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the New Covenant. The Fathers of the Church saw a link between the Ark of God remaining in a house in the Judean hill country and the Virgin Mary's visit to her kinswoman Elizabeth in the Judean hill country that also lasted three months (Lk 1:56). They saw Mary as the Ark of the New Covenant.

David is dressed in some sort of liturgical garment, and he is dancing before the Ark as a sign of his joy in the presence of his God. As the procession nears the palace, David's first wife, Saul's daughter Michal sees him from the palace window.

Question: What is ironic about Michal viewing David through a window? See 1 Sam 19:12.
Answer: Michal views David, the man she once loved but now despises, through a window. She once helped the David she loved escape from her father through a window, saving his life.

Michal had once loved David enough to defy her father and risk her life to help him escape. In those years he made no attempt to rescue her and now, having been forcefully removed from the household of her second husband, her love has turned to contempt and perhaps hatred.

It has been suggested by some scholars that David is taking on the role of the priests of Yahweh and has offered the sacrifices himself. He is described as wearing an "ephod" but this does not mean that he is wearing the priestly ephod since the word is used in a variety of ways in the Old Testament; it may refer to a simply tunic (see 1 Sam 2:18 where the boy Samuel wore a linen ephod). For David to assume a priestly role would be a violation of the Law under which only the descendants of Aaron are permitted to offer the sacrifices, and it was the reason God withdrew His support for Saul in 1 Samuel 10-14 when Saul presumed to assume the priestly role to offer the sacrifices himself. God is merciful, God is just and God is consistent in His dealings with mankind.

2 Samuel 6:20-23 ~ Saul's Daughter Criticizes David

Question: What is Michal's sarcastic criticism of David?
Answer: In his behavior of dancing before the Ark, he has disgraced himself by acting like a fool in a manner not befitting a king but pleasing to common servant girls, the implication being her father would never have behaved so disgracefully. There might also be a hint of jealousy over David's acquisition of and fondness for other wives/women.

Question: What was David's response to the criticism?
Answer: David's response brings out the depth and simplicity of his faith:

  1. He was dancing only for God and not for serving girls; he doesn't care what anyone else thinks.
  2. He reminds her that God chose him to be king of Israel over her father.
  3. She may not hold him in honor, but the common people do.


This does not mean that God punished Michal for her criticism and left her barren; it simply means that she lived out her life a prisoner in David's harem and he did not grant her the intimacy of marriage.


Chapter 7: Yahweh's Royal Covenant with David ~ The Charter for Humanity


2 Samuel 7:1-17 ~ The Prophecy of the Prophet Nathan

One of the key words in this chapter is the Hebrew word bayith (pronounced bah'-yith) which is translated in the NJB as: house, dynasty, place, temple, family, or lineage in chapter 7. 

David uses the same word, bayith = "house," seven times to respond to God in his prayer in verses 18-29. In Hebrew seven is the word savah/sheba/shibah, meaning "to be complete" (established in the seven-day Creation event). Seven is the number of spiritual perfection, fullness and completion. It is also the number signifying both covenant (to swear a covenant oath is to "seven oneself"), and it is the number of the Holy Spirit. Together the two parts of the narrative make a significant 7-8/8-7 combination. It is a significant combination in the importance of numbers in Scripture and signifies an event in moving forward God's Divine Plan for mankind's salvation.

The second key word is the Hebrew word ebed, which means "servant." Watch for the word "servant" in chapter 7; the NJB does a good job of accurately representing the use this word in the narrative.

Nathan (2 Sam 7:2-4, 17; 12:1, 7, 13-15, 25; 1 Kng 1:8, 11, 22-24, 32-34, 38-45; 1 Chr 17:1-3, 15; Ps 51 title; Sir 47:1) and Gad (1 Sam 22:5; 2 Sam 24:11-14, 18-19; 1 Chr 21:9-13, 18-19) are David's court prophets. The inspired writer of 1 Chronicles mentions the writings of Samuel, Nathan, and Gad as the source for his history (29:29-30 and 2 Chr 9:29), and he also mentions that Nathan and Gad had a hand implementing the musical role David assigned to the Levites in the Temple liturgy (2 Chr 29:25). Concerning Nathan, Sirach writes: After him [Samuel] arose Nathan, to prophesy in the time of David (Sir 47:1).

Unlike other kings of the ancient Near East, Israel's kings did not rule with absolute power. Israel's kings were agents/servants of God and it was the prophet who communicated God's instructions to the king. It was also the prophet's duty to confront the king with moral failures. The kings of Israel were to be subservient to the Torah of God (Divine Law was the stipulation of the Law in Ten Commandments and further instruction in the Law Codes found in the books of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy, including the laws for a king (Dt 17:14-20).

Question: When David was peacefully settled in Jerusalem in his "house," why did he consult his prophet, Nathan, telling him that he wanted to build a "house" for Yahweh? What was Nathan's initial response?
Answer: David did not consider it fitting that he should live comfortably in his palace while the Ark that was the dwelling place of God resided in a tent. David wanted to build a "house" for Yahweh. In verse 3 Nathan agreed with his plan and told David to proceed because God was with him.

However, that night God came to Nathan in a dream.

Question: What message did God tell Nathan to deliver to David? List seven points.
Answer: God's message to David:

  1. It is presumptuous of him to think that God needed a house/temple like pagan gods. God cannot be confined to one place.
  2. God has been with David from his youth and will continue to bless David as the Shepherd of His people.
  3. Instead of David building God a "house," God will reward David by building him a "house" that is a Davidic dynasty.
  4. God will appoint a son of David to succeed him.
  5. That son will build God a "house."
  6. God will be a "father" to David's son(s) and will never withdraw His covenant love from David's "house/dynasty."
  7. David's "house/dynasty" will endure forever.

Nathan delivers God's message to David beginning with the typical formula statement of a prophetic message from Yahweh: "Yahweh says this"/ "Thus says Yahweh."
Question: God told David (through the prophet Nathan) that David's son will build God a "house" in Jerusalem (verse 13). In the parallel account in 1 Chronicles, what reason is given for not allowing him to build God's Temple? See 1 Chr 22:7-10.
Answer: It is because David has been a man of war and his son, Solomon, will be a man of peace.

Question: Is God rejecting David because he is a man of war? Why does God want David's son to build His Temple?
Answer: God does not reject David for being a man of war. In his wars David has fulfilled the destiny God gave him for securing Israel as a nation, and God has blessed him in his battles, giving David his victories. But God does not want His dwelling place associated with violence and war like the false gods of other nations. He wants His dwelling place to be thought of in the context of peace and spiritual rest.

David is not to build a "house" for God, but God will build a "house" for David. The substance of the prophecy Nathan delivers to David is a promise of the perpetuity of the Davidic dynasty (verses 12-16). T

Question: How does God define the nature of those punishments He will inflict David's successors who fall into sin in verse 14, using the example of a "rod"? See Mic 4:14-5:3.

Answer: The punishments will be temporal "such as men use" and not eternal; David's dynasty will not be "cut off" from God's Divine Plan like Saul's dynasty.

The establishment of the Davidic Covenant is a step forward in God's Divine Plan to send the Redeemer-Messiah first promised in Genesis 3:15. It is a "Charter for Humanity," forming the first in a series of prophecies relating to the Davidic Messiah. 

Question: How many covenants did God make in the Old Testament? How many covenants did God make in the New Testament? How many covenants are with individuals and how many constitute a corporate covenant with one body of people? See the list of Yahweh's covenants. What kind of pattern or combination do you see in the covenant plan?
Answer: There are six covenants between God and individuals and one corporate covenant between God and Israel for a total of seven covenants in the Old Testament. There is only one covenant in the New Testament and that is the eternal covenant with Jesus Christ and His Church. The New Covenant in Christ is both an individual covenant with God the Son and a corporate covenant with His Church. It is a 7/8 combination.

Question: The corporate covenant treaty between God and Israel was a conditional covenant based upon Israel's obedience to God's Law and God's blessings for obedience to the Law but also God's punishments for disobedience. What are the conditions of the Davidic covenant?
Answer: There are no conditions. God alone provides the guarantee of the covenant.

The covenant with David is called a "non-conditional" or "royal grant covenant" as opposed to a conditional covenant/covenant treaty (see Sir 45:25; 47:11). Some covenants have elements of both.
Conditional covenants have an "if" clause: There are blessings for obedience and curses (redemptive judgments) for disobedience:

Non-conditional covenants:

Question: What person in salvation history fulfills the royal grant covenant God made with David that his throne will endure forever? How does this person fulfill that promise?
Answer: It is Jesus who fulfills the royal grant covenant God made with David that his throne will endure forever. The Kingdom over which Jesus Christ rules is the Church on earth and the Church of saints in Heaven. Through the New Covenant, He has made us one "flesh" in kinship with Him through the gift of His Body and Blood in the Eucharist. We celebrate and renew our covenant in Christ in every Eucharistic celebration, giving thanks for our redemption and looking forward to the day when we will be stand before His throne in Paradise.

Nathan's message to David establishes the charter for the advancement of God's Divine Plan for man's salvation. The hereditary monarchy is the center of the prophecy. David's dynastic succession is assured and the specific role of God's Temple among His chosen people in the capital city of Jerusalem is to be part of that plan. The covenant promise that David's throne is to last forever points to the Messiah who will be a descendant of David. Every future Davidic king will prefigure the Messiah and will have the following qualities:

  1. He will be a "son" in his relationship to God (verse 14).
  2. He will be punished when necessary, but the punishment will be temporary and David's line will not be cut off like Saul's (verses 14b-15).
  3. There will always be an heir since the Davidic dynasty will last forever (verses 12-13, 15-16 and as expressed by Solomon in 1 Kng 8:24-26 ).


2 Samuel 7:18-29 ~ David's Prayer in Response to God's Covenant Promise

David is overwhelmed by Yahweh's generosity and so he goes immediately into the tent that houses the Ark of the Covenant to pray in the presence of Yahweh.
Question: Is David being overly modest in verse 18? See 1 Sam 16:11; 18:23; Mic 5:1.
Answer: David is not being modest in verse 18 when he acknowledges that he comes from a humble background. Bethlehem is a small and insignificant village, his father was not wealthy, and his clan is one of the smallest of Judah's clans (Mic 5:1). He acknowledges that God has taken him from the sheepfold to the throne room and yet, God graciously offers to do more for His shepherd-king.

David acknowledges that since God is omnificent, He knows everything including all that is in David's heart that he might not have the words to express since he is so overcome with gratitude.
Question: What theological belief does David express in verse 22?
Answer: He expresses his belief in monotheism; that Yahweh is the One and only God.

David bows to God's will and accepts His judgment that he is not the man to build God's Temple in Jerusalem.

David will make himself useful to God in planning for the future Temple by gathering the necessary materials (1 Chr 22:14-16). God will ease his disappointment by confiding in him the Temple architecture and having David draw up the plans that God will give him for its construction, which David will share with his son (1 Chr 28:11-19).

Solomon and each future king of the Davidic dynasty will be an imperfect Biblical "type" of the Davidic Redeemer-Messiah who is the ideal king of the everlasting covenant that is to come.

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A Daily Defense 
Day 125 Arrogance and Truth 


CHALLENGE:“How can Christians be so arrogant as to think they alone have the truth?”

DEFENSE: Nobody has a monopoly on the truth. Almost every perspective—religious and otherwise—has elements of truth in it. If it didn’t, then nobody would believe it. All human beings possess the gift of reason, and we all use it to discover aspects of the truth.

“The Catholic Church rejects nothing that is true and holy in [other] religions. She regards with sincere reverence those ways of conduct and of life, those precepts and teachings which, though differing in many aspects from the ones she holds and sets forth, nonetheless often reflect a ray of that Truth which enlightens all men” (Vatican II, Nostra Aetate 2).

Consequently, we can use the truths that we hold in common as a basis for mutual respect and dialogue: “The missionary task implies a respectful dialogue with those who do not yet accept the Gospel. Believers can profit from this dialogue by learning to appreciate better those elements of truth and grace which are found among peoples, and which are, as it were, a secret presence of God” (CCC 856; cf. CCC 39, 843).

At the same time, Christians recognize that they have been given truth in the Person of Jesus Christ, who is “the way, and the truth, and the life” (John 14:6). This is not arrogance. One is not being arrogant by supposing that he has learned a truth. We do not say that a student of math or science or history is arrogant if his teacher has taught him a truth in one of these fields. The same is true of Christians who have been taught by Jesus.

Indeed, Christians hold that their faith is a gift from God, not something they have earned or deserved. Many of the truths God has revealed exceed the power of human reason to discover, and it is only because of God’s grace that we have come to learn them and to have the opportunity to share them with others.

Jimmy Akin, A Daily Defense: 365 Days (Plus One) to Becoming a Better Apologist

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