Part 2 - Obed-Edom

OK, so we saw that Uzzah bore the consequences of David's failure to seek the Lord in regard to the details of bringing the ark up to Jerusalem.  If you weren't sure about that, check out 1 Chronicles 13:1-4: 

1 David conferred with each of his officers, the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds. 2 He then said to the whole assembly of Israel, "If it seems good to you and if it is the will of the LORD our God, let us send word far and wide to the rest of our brothers throughout the territories of Israel, and also to the priests and Levites who are with them in their towns and pasturelands, to come and join us. 3 Let us bring the ark of our God back to us, for we did not inquire of [a] it [b] during the reign of Saul." 4 The whole assembly agreed to do this, because it seemed right to all the people.

"It seemed right to all the people" - Oh my!  May God forgive us when we are doing what 'seems right to all the people' - sound familiar??

But moving on, after Uzzah's demise, David is afraid to bring the ark up to Jerusalem.  "Instead, he took it aside to the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite. 14 The ark of God remained with the family of Obed-Edom in his house for three months, and the LORD blessed his household and everything he had."  (1 Chronicles 13:13-14)

Obed-Edom was a Gittite - a resident of Gath - but apparently NOT a native.  We learn (in the genealogies of 1 Chronicles 25) that Obed-Edom was a descendent of Korah - a  Levite who was given responsibility as a gatekeeper for the temple.  And it is reiterated that "God had blessed him."

As Christians, God has given us greater treasure than the Israelites ever experienced.  We have the Holy Spirit - the very presence of God himself - living within us.  God is available to us through prayer every moment of our day!  We have the Word of God - in fact, most of us have several copies in various translations so that we can more easily grasp the meaning behind each word.  And yet how often do we read it?  Do we really study what we find there?  Do we share it with others?  Do we approach prayer with a reverence that demonstrates that we are speaking to a Holy God?  Or do we treat God casually. 

The ark of the covenant resided with Abinadab for over 20 years - do you suppose that his family became comfortable having it there?  Did they toss a blanket over it and use it as a coffee table?  They say that "Familiarity breeds contempt" - may we never become so 'familiar' with God that we treat Him or His Word with contempt.