October 31, 2024
There is nothing more important or valuable than the presence of God. If you are experiencing His presence—personally, deeply—you have everything that matters and lasts. Without His presence, you are tragically adrift. “Without Me,” Jesus said, “You can do nothing” (John 15:4-5).
The new king of Israel, David, knew this, and the secret of his success since his youthful days on the hillsides of Israel had proved it. God was with him, and that was what mattered. That was why bringing the Ark of the Covenant into the capital city of Israel was so important as one of his first acts when he became King.
The Ark represented God’s presence to all of Israel. Bringing it into Jerusalem was symbolic but also real. It showed the whole nation what was most important. It honored God and placed Him in the most central and visible earthly place. Set on a hill, Jerusalem was the designated capital and the place where the nation looked.
FIRST ATTEMPT
David made an attempt to bring the Ark to Israel, but a foolish error by one of the men who carried it cost that man his life. David learned there was more to this. He left the Ark where it was for three months … months where he, no doubt, studied and prayed about what went wrong and how to remedy it.
ACCORDING TO GOD’S ORDER
Now David was ready and listen to what he had learned. He approaches God’s presence in a humble, holy way and according to the order that God had previously prescribed.
“You are the heads of the fathers’ households of the Levites; consecrate yourselves both you and your relatives, that you may bring up the ark of the Lord God of Israel to the place that I have prepared for it. Because you did not carry it at the first, the Lord our God made an outburst on us, for we did not seek Him according to the ordinance.”
So the priests and the Levites consecrated themselves to bring up the ark of the Lord God of Israel. The sons of the Levites carried the ark of God on their shoulders with the poles thereon, as Moses had commanded according to the word of the Lord. (1 Chronicles 15:12-15)
The Levites were designated by God to deal with God's things and perform spiritual service in a certain way. The first step was to “consecrate” themselves. This word means to “purify, make ready, be holy.” When their lives were spiritually ready, they successfully transported the ark. The second step was to transport the ark “according to the ordinance” as God had commanded.
OUR CONSECRATION
There is something essential for us here. For surely, we desire the presence of God in our lives. He is always present in the true believer, but we are often not aware of and relying upon His presence. It is possible to have His presence, but not acknowledge or experience His presence, which is the cause of all spiritual failure in believers’ lives. And experiencing His presence is not automatic.
If you long for God, consecrate yourself. It is the first and best thing you can do to draw near. James would reiterate this as he speaks to the church.
Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. (James 4:8)
Lay aside all that might be displeasing to Him. Deal with all known sin as God reveals it. Let go of any false god that you have adored and turn your full attention to Him. The man or woman who draws near with a humble, holy heart will be rewarded with the highest prize for God says, “I will draw near to you.”
“He who has God and everything has no more than he who has God alone.” (C.S. Lewis, “The Weight of Glory”)
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