A Cloudless Morning: The Life of David - Uzzah and Michal
All Saints - All Souls Sunday, 2 Samuel 6:1-23
Introduction. As we look at this morning’s passage from 2 Samuel 6, we will be looking at the penultimate event in David’s ascendency as the Lord’s anointed. In the events of chapter six, we see two ways that one lives with God. The first way is 1. The Uzzah way and 2. is The Michal way, and then there is 3. The Anointed’s Way. Before Kim Lis reads this morning’s passage, let me pray for us.
Read 2 Samuel 6:1-23. David again gathered all the chosen men of Israel, thirty thousand. And David arose and went with all the people who were with him from Baale-judah to bring up from there the ark of God, which is called by the name of the LORD of hosts who sits enthroned on the cherubim. And they carried the ark of God on a new cart and brought it out of the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill. And Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, were driving the new cart, with the ark of God, and Ahio went before the ark.
And David and all the house of Israel were celebrating before the LORD, with songs and lyres and harps and tambourines and castanets and cymbals. And when they came to the threshing floor of Nacon, Uzzah put out his hand to the ark of God and took hold of it, for the oxen stumbled. And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Uzzah, and God struck him down there because of his error, and he died there beside the ark of God. And David was angry because the LORD had broken out against Uzzah. And that place is called Perez-uzzah, to this day. And David was afraid of the LORD that day, and he said, “How can the ark of the LORD come to me?” So David was not willing to take the ark of the LORD into the city of David. But David took it aside to the house of Obed-edom the Gittite. And the ark of the LORD remained in the house of Obed-edom the Gittite three months, and the LORD blessed Obed-edom and all his household.
And it was told King David, “The LORD has blessed the household of Obed-edom and all that belongs to him, because of the ark of God.” So David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-edom to the city of David with rejoicing. And when those who bore the ark of the LORD had gone six steps, he sacrificed an ox and a fattened animal. And David danced before the LORD with all his might. And David was wearing a linen ephod. So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the LORD with shouting and with the sound of the horn.
As the ark of the LORD came into the city of David, Michal the daughter of Saul looked out of the window and saw King David leaping and dancing before the LORD, and she despised him in her heart. And they brought in the ark of the LORD and set it in its place, inside the tent that David had pitched for it. And David offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the LORD. And when David had finished offering the burnt offerings and the peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the LORD of hosts and distributed among all the people, the whole multitude of Israel, both men and women, a cake of bread, a portion of meat, and a cake of raisins to each one. Then all the people departed, each to his house.
And David returned to bless his household. But Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David and said, “How the king of Israel honored himself today, uncovering himself today before the eyes of his servants’ female servants, as one of the vulgar fellows shamelessly uncovers himself!” And David said to Michal, “It was before the LORD, who chose me above your father and above all his house, to appoint me as prince over Israel, the people of the LORD—and I will celebrate before the LORD. I will make myself yet more contemptible than this, and I will be abased in your eyes. But by the female servants of whom you have spoken, by them I shall be held in honor.” And Michal the daughter of Saul had no child to the day of her death.
1. Firstly, let’s look at the Uzzah Way. David has set up house in Jerusalem. The people are united and behind him. It is now time to make some things better. It is time to collect and unite Israel at Mount Zion. David’s proposal is to find the ark of the covenant, the tabernacle worship center, and bring it to the City of David. Now, you may be surprised that I call this the Uzzah-way. We are inclined to be sympathetic to Uzzah. The Lord’s anger “breaks out” upon Uzzah whose only desire seems to be to keep the ark of the covenant from falling off the cart and into the ditch. Most of us would reflexively do the same for something that was falling.
The issue is that Uzzah’s reflexive act is not merely an impulse to help that ends in an overbearingly harsh consequence, rather Uzzah’s placing his hand on the ark is the result of years of self-training and practice. As a member of the high priest’s family, he would’ve known the regulations which governed the movements of the ark and the tabernacle. This isn’t the fruit of a moment, it is the fruit of years of disregard, making excuses, casual familiarity, living lax, and neglecting God’s commands. Uzzah and Ahio knew that the ark was to be carried on poles by a priestly clan given the responsibility for it. David has 30,000 of the chosen men of Israel in this procession. It wasn’t for a lack of personnel that they couldn’t carry the ark as the Lord prescribed. They made choices. They put the ark on an ox cart. [Correct?] Yes, it’s an ox-cart moved by ox-power, but what kind of cart is it? We read that it’s a “new cart.” This is one of those places where a detail is significant but is easily looked over if we aren’t curious.
What is the significance of a “new cart.” Knowing the history will bring some clarity as to the seriousness of the entire episode. In the early chapters of Samuel, we read of Eli and his sons Hophne and Phineas who use the ark as a sort of talisman. They take the ark into battle, against the Lord’s command thinking that they can force a victory over Philistia. The Lord is not with them. Israel is routed, and the ark is taken captive. Thinking that the ark is now a trophy to their god Dagon, they put the ark in Dagon’s temple at the feet of the idol. But just because Israel is defeated, doesn’t mean that the Lord can be taken captive. Each morning the priests of Dagon find the idol has fallen over before the ark. It seems that Israel’s Lord is the God of all gods. Philistia suffers. Plagues break out, and they recognize that they cannot keep the ark and the Lord captive. After seven months, the Philistines ask the priests and diviners what they should do (1 Samuel 6:7), and they say, you need to send the ark back to Israel. You know how they do it? They place it on a new cart. Ahio and Uzzah have had their worship imaginations more trained by the Philistines than by the word of God.
We are always too easily convinced that we can employ the technologies and means of the world to better serve the Lord. The Lord is not a God who is put in his place like David seems to be doing even if he is doing it with a lot of pomp and circumstance. The Lord’s presence in Philistia in 1 Samuel 5-6 throws down idols and plagues Philistia with growths or tumors. It’s as if the Lord will not share his presence with idols or leave people untouched by the sin hidden beneath their skin. Though David wants the presence of the Lord, he seems to think that if he puts the Lord in his place, the Lord will stay there.
Friends, the Lord of creation is not a God who ‘stays put.’ Rather, he is a God who breaks out. His Presence in our lives will not leave us unchanged. He topples the false worship of our hearts, and brings to light hidden malignancies. Our problem is that we think of these two things as the only options available to us. We think. if I come to God and give myself to Him, I will be destroyed in the process. This is David’s conundrum. (Verse 9) “How can the ark of the Lord come to me?”So, the Uzzah way is literally, figuratively, metaphorically, actually…a dead end. We cannot hope to contain and maintain a God who “breaks out.”
Now secondly, 2. The Michal Way. Just as with Uzzah, we may initially sympathize with Michal. Michal was Saul’s youngest daughter. She occupied a place in the family similar to David. After witnessing David’s exploits in his fight with Goliath and against the Philistines, we read (1 Samuel 18:20) that “Saul’s daughter Michal loved David.” Just a few verses later, we read that Saul used Michal’s love for David to manipulate David in fighting the Philistines. We don’t read that David loved Michal. Maybe David was only ambitious to be Saul’s son-in-law. His heart towards Michal is hidden to us. Nevertheless, it is Michal who is responsible for saving David’s life when she warns him of Saul’s plan to murder him (1 Samuel 19:11-12), and David owes his life to Michal’s quick and clever actions. Once David is on the run from Saul, it seems David’s relationship with Michal is over. King Saul eventually gave Michael to a man named Palti the son of Laish (1 Samuel 25:44).
Since Michal was first given to David, David has since acquired many wives before Michal is back on the scene, and that is only after negotiations are opened between Ish-Bosheth and King David, (1 Samuel 3:13-14) that we remember Michal was first married to David. Who knows what the ten years or more did to them. It seems that in David’s eyes, Michal may be no more than a trophy-wife who gives legitimacy to his kingship. And for that matter, Michal, the daughter of the king, is only worthy of a king. If being a trophy husband was all that David was for her now, it seems she expects his shine to reflect more favorably upon her.
Unlike his previous attempt to put the Lord in his place, David now seems to be a man who has humbled himself before the Lord. He wears a linen ephod, the garment of a priest who is ministering (serves) before the Lord in the Tabernacle. His nakedness appears humble and vulnerable. Unlike Philistia, he has nothing to hide beneath his skin. If there is any foul underneath, David is inviting the Lord and allowing the world to see what tumors of trouble or boils of sin lie underneath. However, as King David leads the procession into Jerusalem, something happens to Michal.
The love with which Michal loved David, the love which moved her to rescue David and lie to her father seems to turn. It sours. We read (2 Samuel 6:16), “As the ark of the LORD came into the city of David, Michal the daughter of Saul looked out of the window and saw King David leaping and dancing before the LORD, and she despised him in her heart.” That is significant. “Despising” does not evoke sympathy. Despising isn’t sour, it’s ill-will. The change in Michal’s heart leaks out as she sarcastically confronts David (2 Samuel 6:20), “And David returned to bless his household. But Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David and said, “How the king of Israel honored himself today, uncovering himself today before the eyes of his servants’ female servants, as one of the vulgar fellows shamelessly uncovers himself!”
Is this the way to receive the Lord’s anointed when he comes to bless you? How are people naturally inclined to receive the Lord’s Anointed when he comes to bless? Some scoff, He’s from Nazareth? Can anything good come from Nazareth? He has a demon. We know who your father is. He trusted in God, let God deliver him. And what of His way? How does the Lord who breaks out, the Lord who topples idols and reveals what is hidden, the Lord who will not be handled, how does He come?
3. The Anointed’s Way. When Uzzah dies, everything stops. We read (verse 6) that David was angry because the Lord had broken out against Uzzah. We get angry when our boundaries are crossed. David obviously had his boundaries marked wrong. As he moves from anger to realization and understanding, we see David’s idol of self-importance tumble and the sin of presumption rise to the surface. David wasn’t here to help the Lord. David had no privilege, nothing to offer. David wasn’t carrying the Lord to his place, it was the Lord who was carrying David to the place that the Lord had chosen for David. David rightly understands his predicament, and we read in verses 9-10, “And David was afraid of the LORD that day, and he said, “How can the ark of the LORD come to me?” So David was not willing to take the ark of the LORD into the city of David. But David took it aside to the house of Obed-edom the Gittite.”
We are often stalled and stuck when we are confronted with the reality that God is god, and I am not. How can we move forward? How can “the presence of the Lord (for that is what the ark of the covenant signified – even embodied) come to me?” If I don’t have the Lord I can never be saved, if I have the Lord I have no guarantee that safe will mean what I think it should mean. (Verse 11) “And the ark of the LORD remained in the house of Obed-edom the Gittite three months, and the LORD blessed Obed-edom and all his household.” Friends, the Lord comes to bless you.
What was it like for Obed-edom, and his household? Do you think they turned the ark of the covenant into a coffee table or rested their feet on it as they sat around watching the ballgame? No, the ark of the covenant was something whose presence they treated carefully. Obed-edom’s household recognized that the Presence was the central reality of the house, and what was the result? Blessing. And why has David come to his house? We read, (2 Samuel 6:21), “And David returned to bless his household.” When Michal sarcastically rebukes David, David puts her in her place. “And David said to Michal, “It was before the LORD, who chose me above your father and above all his house, to appoint me as prince over Israel, the people of the LORD—and I will celebrate before the LORD.” “I did not dance for your pleasure or approval. You still think you are better than me. You think I am your trophy husband. I am king over you, and the house of Saul has come to nothing. Do you think I’ve humiliated myself and you by doing so?
Friends, when the Lord’s Anointed comes with blessing and in humility, his people are not humiliated. Rather his humiliation, lifts his people up. As one of David’s descendants would later say (Luke 1:51-53), “He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts; he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate; he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty.
Conclusion: The Lord’s Supper. Friends, the Lord’s Anointed has come. He comes to you to bless you with a meal. How do you receive him? Do you think you can have His blessings while keeping Him in His place? Friends, the Lord will not have you on those terms. He is the God who breaks out. And what of the feast He offers? Will you turn your nose up at ‘crackers and juice’ saying, this is poor person’s meal whose come to the end of their paycheck and has nothing left in the pantry. Or do you see in the bread and cup what the prophet Isaiah calls, “the richest of fare”? Do you see the Lord’s Anointed who gives himself to give you life? Do you see the One who shed his blood to seal your salvation in himself. Do you receive the Lord and give him sway to cast down your idols and deal with the sin beneath your skin? Do you see the Lord Jesus Christ who has come to bless? In receiving Him, in taking him into yourself, though he will receive you as you are, he will not leave you as you are.
Unless otherwise noted, all scripture readings are taken from the English Standard Version (ESV), Crossway Publishing.
Both Eugene Peterson’s Leap Over a Wall and Dale Ralph Davis’ commentaries 1 Samuel: Looking at the Heart and 2 Samuel: Out of Every Adversity were used as reference works and have had a significant influence. Credit is due to their work if there is anything worthy in what I’ve written. Any shortcomings are my own.
Bonus Poetry. Sometimes I write poems about the passages I am going to preach. Here’s one that I wrote for this passage. It began with a prompt included for Poetry Pub’s November Poem a Day Challenge for Day 3 which was “Impromptu.”
Uzzah’s New Cart
(2 Samuel 6:6, 1 Samuel 6:7)
We are sympathetic to Uzzah
Whose impromptu hand it seems
Took hold of the ark of the Lord
When the oxen stumbled
And the ark careened
Towards the ditch on the road from Baale-judah
It was being carried, which too
May have been impromptu,
But we read that the cart was “new.”
And this is where it all falls apart.
The new cart was a work of art:
A Philistine-imagined invention,
A way to be delivered from
The constant Intervention
Of The Presence
Who would just not leave well-enough alone,
Who would not leave idols standing
Leave out of sight the boiling tumors of sin:
The ugly which hides below the surface of the skin.
Instead, God drug out into the open:
Goiters of greed, pride’s pustules broken.
And so, they sent The God home,
Pulled by two heifers on a “new cart.”
And Uzzah’s laying hold of the Ark?
It was the impromptu, habituated act
Of years of repetitive practice—
Living like one could move the Lord here
Or have him show up there,
Living like God needs my help,
Needs my holding back,
Thinking that with the right tools
I can in fact, manufacture grace,
Keep him who breaks out, in place,
And god-help-us,
From playing the fool.
© Randall Edwards