Bible Commentaries
2 Samuel 6

Verses 1-23

Chapter 6

And again, David gathered together the chosen men of Israel, thirty thousand of them. And David arose, and went and all the people that were with him from Baale of Judah, to bring from there the ark of God ( 2 Samuel 6:1-2 ),

Now Baale of Judah is actually Kirjath-Jearim, it's about eight miles from Jerusalem. It is where they had brought the ark of God. So he was coming now to bring the ark of God into Jerusalem. In coming to Kirjath-Jearim, what they did is make a new cart, and they put the Ark of the Covenant on this new cart, and they got these oxen to pull the cart. As they were coming with all of this big celebration, the oxen pulling the cart with the Ark of the Covenant upon it, the ox, one of the oxen tripped and the cart began to shake, and the Ark of the Covenant looked like it was going to fall. This one fellow reached forth his hand, Uzzah, and he reached out his hand to steady the ark of God so it wouldn't fall, and when he reached out his hand to touch the ark of God, God smote him dead.

This angered David, number one, with God, and it put a fear in David's heart. He said, "Hey man that thing's powerful. Who among us can live around that thing?" Seeing the power of God against anyone who would dare to violate the word of God, David really got panicked, because he knew that he wasn't doing that close, "Who can live around this thing?" So he just had to turn in, and he had to go back to Jerusalem empty, not taking the Ark of the Covenant. But he just put it in there at the house of Obededom.

It is interesting though that as David sought to bring the Ark of the Covenant back, rather than going back to the book of the law to see how God had ordered the Ark of the Covenant to be transported, David was following the Philistine example. When they sent the Ark of the Covenant back, they had built a cart, and they took oxen and had it pulled back with the cart pulled by oxen. Now that was the Philistines' method of transporting the ark. However, the law of God said that when they bore the ark, they were to put these staves through the rings, and it was to be borne by four priests. So David really wasn't following the law of God in building this new cart, and having it pulled by oxen. He was not following God's pattern, but the Philistine pattern. It had, of course, disastrous results.

So they just put the ark there at the house of Obededom, and God began to bless Obededom like everything, because the Ark of the Covenant was there. For three months this guy was just blessed of God. They came and told David, "Wow is Obededom ever being blessed because of the Ark of the Covenant." So David decided, "All right, I'll go and get it and I'll bring it on into Jerusalem."

So this time now he went back to the scriptures to follow the law of the Lord, and he had the priests bear the Ark of the Covenant, and when they would walk six steps, he would make a sacrifice unto the Lord. Then go three, six more steps, and he'd offer another sacrifice unto the Lord. He was out there, he had on just a linen robe, a common garment, took off his kingly robes and everything, and was just dressed in a common garment, of a common person, out with the crowd dancing with all of his might before the Lord. I mean he was just having a hilarious time. He was so excited bringing the Ark of the Covenant into Jerusalem, with tremendous excitement and joy. The people were praising the Lord, offering sacrifices, dancing before the Lord, David in the middle of them, dancing with all of his might. Just singing praises unto God as the Ark of the Covenant was coming unto Jerusalem.

And his wife the daughter of Saul [Michal] looked out the window, and saw him doing that; and she hated him in her heart ( 2 Samuel 6:16 ).

So David had a big party, gave everybody a big portion of meat, jug of wine, sent them on their way, blessed all of the people. Everybody was thrilled. He was on cloud nine, "All right" just so thrilled. He came in to bless his house, just overflowing, and who should meet him at the door but ice sickles, Michal.

And she said, Didn't the king behave himself gloriously today, uncovering yourself in front of all those handmaidens, [they're gonna despise you] ( 2 Samuel 6:20 ).

Boy, that big, cold put down, cold blanket. You know it is so hard when you've had such a glorious experience with the Lord, and you're just floating. You meet someone that says, "Well, aren't you just the one." You know, "Ugh." Well David's not one to be messed with.

And he said to her, [He gets very caustic with her, he said,] it was before the LORD, which chose me [cut, cut, cut] before your father, and before his house, to appoint me ruler over the people of the LORD, over Israel: therefore I will play before the LORD ( 2 Samuel 6:21 ).

"That was before the Lord. I wasn't out there before the people." You, just making a big show out there in front of all those people, out there dancing, making a big show, making a big thing of yourself." David said, "It was before the Lord who chose me before your father, and his house. And I'm gonna play before the Lord."

And I will be yet even more vile than this, and will be base in my own sight: and of these maidservants which you have spoken of, I'll be held in honour of them. Therefore Michal the daughter of Saul had no child unto the day of her death ( 2 Samuel 6:22-23 ).

He actually disgraced her by refusing then to have relationships with her, and refused her the honor of having a child, which in that culture was a most important thing for a woman was to bear a child, a son, especially for her husband, and David got even. He was not one that you really wanted to mess with. "