God’s Presence

2 Samuel 6; 1 Chronicles 13; Psalms 68; Matthew 17 

“David was afraid of God that day and asked, ‘How can I ever bring the ark of God to me?’ He did not take the ark to be with him in the City of David. Instead, he took it aside to the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite. The ark of God remained with the family of Obed-Edom in his house for three months, and the Lord blessed his household and everything he had.”

1 Chronicles 13:12-14

This is an astounding story! In transporting the ark of the Presence, a priest named Uzziah touched the ark and it was struck down by the Lord. The Hebrew word to describe God’s anger here is to “explode.” The Lord was burning with anger, and David was afraid of God. So the ark was set aside at the house of a a foreigner. Obed-Edom (son of Edom), from Gath, then hosted the ark of the Presence. However, rather than exploding, God blessed Obed-Edom, his family of eight sons, and everything he had. God blessed the foreigner so much that word of this testimony reached David. Later, David implied that God had sanctified Obed-Edom and his sons as priests, for they became gate-keepers and storehouse managers in the temple. Those three months of hosting the Presence of God changed Obed-Edom and his family forever!

What value are we placing on God’s presence in our home?

“Lord Jesus, make your dwelling place with me, for your glory.”