David is firmly established as king of Israel! David realizes it, the people realize it, and the surrounding nations know it. God greatly blesses Israel, joy speaks across the land, and the fear of David spreads to other kingdoms.
And David perceived that the LORD had confirmed him king over Israel, for his kingdom was lifted up on high, because of his people Israel. (1 Chronicles 14:2, KJV)
And the fame of David went out into all lands; and the LORD brought the fear of him upon all nations. (1 Chronicles 14:17, KJV)
What a stark contrast between Saul’s and David’s reigns! This morning’s reading brought to mind a verse from the Book of Proverbs.
When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: But when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn. (Proverbs 29:2, KJV)
In the reading this morning, there is much rejoicing. King David brought the Ark of God, representing God’s presence, back to the place of worship. It had been disregarded under Saul and left in obscurity. Apparently, to Saul, the presence of God wasn’t a big deal—it wasn’t worth the effort that David was about to go through to honor God.
Now, David’s initial intentions could have gone better. But the nation under Saul had departed from honoring God and doing anything right for so long that it lost its knowledge and reverence for God. While their intentions were honorable, their presumption and irreverence for God and His methods cost one man his life. God was not okay with being treated any old way! This caused some serious national reflection from the king down to the people. They returned to God’s law and studied how to move the Ark of God.
This time of reflection became a time of repentance. This time of studying God’s law became a time of awareness. This awareness and repentance resulted in consecration (to set apart) and obedience—notice David’s words to the Levites.
and said to them, “You are the heads of the fathers’ houses of the Levites. Consecrate yourselves, you and your brothers, so that you may bring up the ark of the LORD, the God of Israel, to the place that I have prepared for it. Because you did not carry it the first time, the Lord our God broke out against us, because we did not seek him according to the rule.” (1 Chronicles 15:12–13, ESV)
The result of repentance and the people setting themselves apart to obey God nationwide was a return to joy, praise, and worship (1 Chronicles 16:36, 40)! Oh, how true: when the wicked rule, the people mourn, but when the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice!
Believers, our reverence for God, our going back to the Bible, and consecration—that is, setting ourselves apart from sin unto righteousness—affects our joy, praise, and worship. It affects our families, churches, and nation! As Christians, may we honor God in our lives. May we encourage others to honor God with their lives. And may those around us see our praise and joy and revere our God with us!
Thank you for joining me as I read and journal chronologically through the Bible! This devotional reflection comes from 2 Samuel 5:11-6:23; 1 Chronicles 13-16:43.