Did you not know that protocol many times has to be observed when doing things for God? Doing what is right by carnal means can create disaster, even death. So this lessons from the story of King David and the Ark of the Covenant (2 Samuel 6:1-16 & 1 Chronicles 13 & 15) teaches us important things on how we are to worship and serve God.
— The ark was to be transported only by Levites
1 Chr. 13:7:: So (all Israel) carried the ark of God on a new cart from the house of Abinadab, and Uzza and Ahio drove the cart.
So who was Abinadab? He was probably a levite, but that is not certain. There was an Abinadab, son of Jesse (1 Sam. 17:13) and an Abinadab, son of Saul (1 Sam. 31:2). So maybe Uzza and Ahio were levites, maybe not. One point here is the ark stayed at the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite for three months while David searched out how to transport the ark correctly. Apparently a Gittite is a person from Gath.
1 Chr. 15:2:: David said, “No one may carry the ark of God but the Levites, for the LORD has chosen them to carry the ark of God and to minister before Him forever.”
The implication here at least is that Uzza and Ahio were not Levites. Levites in general are the servants to the priests. We need true servants in the church when it comes to moving or handling the holy things of God.
David said in 1 Chr. 15:13 to the Levites: you did not do it the first time, the LORD our God broke out against us, because we did not consult Him about the proper order. (1 Chr. 15:13)
— The ark was to be carried on poles
The Levites bore the ark of God on their shoulders, by its poles, as Moses had commanded according to the word of the LORD (1 Chr. 15:15). The first time it was put on a new cart. Touching holy things of God with unclean hands is not acceptable. Even the Levites dare not touch the ark except through poles. Uzza learned that touching, even with the best of intent, was a capital offense. We need to examine ourselves before taking part in the holy sacrement of the Lord’s supper.
1 Cor. 11:28-30:: let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.
— Singers and musicians need to be sanctified
The first time David moved the ark of the covenant all Israel played music, not just those sanctified.
1 Chr. 13:8:: David and all Israel played music before God with all their might, with singing, on harps, on stringed instruments, on tambourines, on cymbals, and with trumpets.
1 Chr. 15:12-13:: David said to them, “You are the heads of the fathers’ houses of the Levites; sanctify yourselves, you and your brethren, that you may bring up the ark of the LORD God of Israel to the place I have prepared for it. For because you did not do it the first time, the LORD our God broke out against us, because we did not consult Him about the proper order.”
Apparently it is improper to have unsanctified leaders of worship dealing with the Ark (where God’s presence dwells}.
1 Chr. 15:16:: David spake to the chief of the Levites to appoint their brethren to be the singers with instruments of musick, psalteries and harps and cymbals, sounding, by lifting up the voice with joy.
The six groups of Levite families numbered 120, 220, 130, 200, 80, 112. There is a mathematical representation here which has not yet been revealed to me.
— We offer up sacrifices at proper intervals
1 Chr. 15:26:: God helped the Levites who bore the ark of the covenant of the LORD, that they offered seven bulls and seven rams.
This is reminiscent of the offerings made on during the discourse between Balak and Baalam (Num. 23:1-30 seven altars for burnt offering), and after the folly of Job’s ‘friends’ (Job 42:8 burnt offering), and purification of the temple (2 Chr. 29:21 + lambs & goats for sin offering) under Hezekiah..
Additionally we know it was at six paces the bulls and rams were sacrificed and the bulls were neutered:
2 Sam. 6:13:: when those bearing the ark of the LORD had gone six paces, that he sacrificed oxen (neutered bull) and fatted sheep (ram is male sheep).
It seems to me that six is man’s number, one shy of perfection. But we should continually offer up a sacrifice of praise.
Heb. 13:15 says ‘by him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name’.
— How we plan things out has to be godly
Yeshua was perfect in all of his ways, that does not mean he never questioned things. It is ok to ask questions.
Luke 9:51:: it came to pass, when the time had come for Him to be received up, that He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem … for Yeshua knew the plans and purpose Holy Father had established beforehand for his path.
Perhaps Yeshua really did not desire the process of how he was to redeem mankind. For in Gathsemane all three synoptic gospels show he prayed ‘if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me’. Only in Matthew 26 does it have him saying in the second and third prayer ‘if this cup cannot pass away from Me unless I drink it, Your will be done’. In other words we see his prayer changing from ‘remove the burden of the cross’ to ‘your will be done in this’. It is only natural that the flesh looks for an escape and so if Yeshua did not ask he was not fully human. The important thing is that in all gospel accounts it is clear that Yeshua was seeking Father’s will. But there are steps that the LORD plans out for each of us. Reading in Proverbs:
Prov. 16:3:: Commit your works to the LORD, and your thoughts will be established.
Prov. 16:9:: A man’s heart plans his way, but the LORD directs his steps.
The LORD established Yeshua’s thoughts there in Gathsemene and directed his steps. His will went from seeking to find an escape to just committing his ways to the LORD. In Romans we read from Apostle Paul:
Romans 8:28:: we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose
Going to a cross does not seem like things working for good but from a heavenly standpoint that is what happened. We are not the Messiah, it was something predetermined for his destiny ‘from the foundation of the world’ (1 Pet. 1:20).
So our path has to be clear or we will stumble just as new cart did for David and resulted in Uzzah’s death.
Ps. 119:105:: Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
Nun is the letter here which is the hebrew number 50, a jubilee unto the Lord when our thoughts are established and steps ordered by Him. It startes with guarding His word in our hearts (Ps. 119:11) and commiting our works unto Him.
Samuel said this to Saul in 1 Sam 15:22,23):
Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices,
As in obeying the voice of the LORD?
Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice,
And to heed than the fat of rams
For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft,
And stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry.
Because you have rejected the word of the LORD,
He also has rejected you from being king.
for Samuel had said, “What then is this bleating of the sheep in my ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear? (1 Sam. 15:14). David learned from his mistake and sacrificed the sheep and oxen every six paces while taking the ark into Jerusalem. Likewise, our offerings have to be done the way the Lord requires it: with obedience, meekness, sincerity, and truth.
Sources:
https://biblehub.com/topical/s/sacrifice_of_seven_bulls_and_seven_rams.htm
https://whocandowhat.com/who-was-abinadab-in-the-bible/