2 Samuel 6:12b-15, 17-19
Chapter 6
12
King David was told that the Lord had blessed the family of Obed-edom and all that belonged to him because of the Ark of God, so he went to bring up the Ark of God from the house of Obed-edom to the city of David, rejoicing.
13
After those who carried the Ark of the Lord had walked six paces, they sacrificed an ox and a fattened calf.
14
David whirled round dancing with all his heart before the Lord, wearing a linen ephod,
15
for he and all the Israelites brought up the Ark of the Lord, shouting joyfully and sounding the horn.
17
They brought the Ark of the Lord and laid it in its place in the tent David had pitched for it. Then David offered burnt and peace offerings before the Lord.
18
Once the offerings had been made, David blessed the people in the name of the Lord of Hosts,
19
and distributed to each of them, to each man and woman of the entire assembly of Israel, a loaf of bread, a portion of meat, and a raisin cake. With this, all the people left for their homes.
Commentaries
The Ark Is Transported to Jerusalem.
For Jerusalem to hold unifying power, it must also serve as the religious center of the tribes. Saul overlooked this aspect. The Ark was in Shiloh during Eli’s time, was captured by the Philistines, and upon its return, went to Kiriath Jearim. The Ark is the ultimate religious object. David decides to move it to his new capital and gather the leading priests there. He aims to turn the move into a national religious event, an occasion to strengthen spiritual unity, with Jerusalem as its center from then on. A tragic accident (6s) is seen by those present as God’s punishment for a perceived desecration. Sacredness is still understood in a very concrete, almost physical way, although the author personalizes the deadly impact of the sacred. Just as man cannot see God without dying, the profane cannot touch the holy object without consequence; remember the sacredness of Mount Sinai. David’s response to Michal’s sarcasm (20-22) conveys a key principle of spirituality: David is a servant of God, which is why he feels compelled to dance—a seemingly trivial act that might seem humiliating to human pride. Yet David knows that the Lord has chosen him as his servant; his glory lies in honoring the sovereign, and ordinary people will recognize the importance of this gesture.