[CatherineTorpey]

SUNDAY’S SCRIPTURE
Rev. Darrell Hamilton is preaching tomorrow, which will be wonderful. His text is 2 Samuel 6:1-6.

The 2 books of Samuel are where we read about King David. The First Book of Samuel begins with Saul as king, and then young David conquers the Philistine giant Goliath, and David’s power increases (which means that much of the book is about Saul trying to kill David, who had previously been like a son to him). In 2 Samuel, Saul has died and David has come into his own as a powerful ruler.

This particular passage is a pivotal moment in the history of Jewish faith and history. In Moses’ time, 200 years earlier, God had given instructions on how to worship him, including instructions on the creation of the Ark of the Covenant. The Ark was understood as a kind of throne on which Yahweh sat. It was therefore experienced as having magic-like powers. It was a golden box with poles to carry it and two cherubim atop it, and inside it were the two tablets Moses had brought down from the mountain, upon which God had written the 10 Commandments.

Because the Israelites were nomadic, neither they nor the Ark had had a permanent home. In this passage, David has just conquered the little backwater village of Jerusalem and decides to make it the religious and political center of his kingdom. Bringing the Ark in is a deeply meaningful climax and he does so with great joy. This passage is where the history of Jerusalem begins.

Whatever else one might say about David, the Bible tells us that he loved Yahweh and God’s favor rested upon him. He wanted to build a permanent temple, but did not accomplish that in his lifetime. Worship took place in the Tent of Meeting, until David’s son built a magnificent Temple.

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