Some day I look forward to talking to Obed-edom the Gittite. After God killed Uzzah for touching His ark, (he grabbed it when the oxen transporting it stumbled), King David was afraid to bring it to Jerusalem. Instead he left it at Obed’s house.
Meditation
2 Samuel 6:11,12—The ark of the LORD remained in his house three months, and the LORD blessed Obed-edom and his whole family. It was reported to King David: “The Lord has blessed Obed-edom’s family and all that belongs to him because of the ark of God.” (Holman CSB)
The ark of the covenant containing the Ten Commandments, preceded the Israelites as God led them through the desert to the Promised Land. It was sacred and symbolic of Yahweh’s glory (see Joshua 3:3 and 1 Samuel 4:22). I am sure Obed’s family for generations talked about the three special months they hosted this hallowed object.
Why did an ark in the center of a living room so profoundly change a family’s situation? Could it be that they were reminded every day in looking at this resplendent container of the great God they worshiped? Did reverence replace routine? In the process of savoring holiness Obed’s family became more holy and that of itself ignited blessing.
Do you realize that we who follow Jesus have something far greater than the ark in our homes? 1 Corinthians 3:16 asks, “Don’t you know that you are God’s sanctuary and that the Spirit of God lives in you?” If the Spirit that once led a nation now lives in our hearts, the evidence of His presence should be unmistakable and with it should come the handiwork of divine favor in our homes.
By the grace of God, all of my children know Him. My hope is that they will not love Him because of their parent’s love but because they are inexorably drawn to His presence of their own accord. A completed, favored family always finds at its heart the Lord. When God is present, blessing is normative. Does this mean that troubles and trials vanish and sorrow and sin are extinct? No. What it means is that our hearts overflow with joy that is not situation-dependent but rather Savior-centric.
Most of us live like we need an ark to move forward spiritually. But what we need is to make worship normative in our midst for our unseen Savior. It is by faith that we please God and it is by obedience to His will that we as families experience His eternal blessing. May our families spawn such reports by the surpassing goodness of God’s presence in our homes! For when we live for Him we cannot help but experience His goodness. To Him we belong for a world to behold! He gave us birth, He calls us His bride and He adopted us into His family and that’s something to think about . . . in reveration!
Inspiration
As for me and my family, we will worship the Lord.—Joshua in The Bible (Joshua 24:15)
