Holy Joy

2 samuel 6

Saying “God is holy” is like saying “God is uniquely God” or “God alone is God.” He has no rivals. He is his own category – 1 Samuel 2:2 describes it like this “There is no one holy like the Lord; there is no one besides you.” He is set apart, morally in a completely different category, and as an implication, if God is holy, God’s people are to be holy, characterized by being set apart and morally like God.

Habakkuk 2:20: For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.

Main Idea: God’s holiness does not suppress our joy but stimulates it.

I. The Ark (6:1-2)

2 Samuel 6:1-2: 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.

Number 10:25-26: And whenever the ark set out, Moses said, “Arise, O Lord, and let your enemies be scattered, and let those who hate you flee before you.” And when it rested, he said, “Return, O Lord, to the ten thousand thousands of Israel.

The Ark signifies God’s presence and underscores three realities:

Rulership: in 1 Chronicles 28:2 David refers to the ark as the “footstool of our God.” King’s sit on thrones and use footstools. If the ark is the LORD’s footstool then surely the LORD is king of the people with the ark.
Reconciliation: on the annual Day of Atonement the high priest would sprinkle blood of the sin-offering on the “mercy seat” of the ark (Leviticus 16:14-15). Ultimately, these annual sacrifices were highlighting and pointing to the need for a “better” sacrifice that would “once and for all” atone for the sins of the world (Hebrews 10:10-14)
Revelation: inside of the ark were the stone tablets containing the covenant commandments God had given to his people (Exodus 25:16; Deut. 10:1-5). Beyond that, the ark remained the place where the LORD would meet with Moses to communicate additional instructions for Israel (Exodus 25:22). The ark, for the people of God and Israel was the place of God’s directing word.

Observe how Jesus Christ fulfills all that the ark signifies. In my communion we often say that as our Redeemer Christ carries out the offices of prophet, priest, and king (see Westminster Shorter Catechism, nos. 23-26). Does the ark signify Yahweh's revelation? So Christ is our prophet who reveals to us, by his word and Spirit, the will of God for our salvation. Does the ark speak of Yahweh's reconciliation? So Christ is our priest who brought his own blood into the sanctuary (Heb. 9:12). Does the ark as Yahweh's foot-stool proclaim his rulership? So Christ is our king 'in subduing us to himself, in ruling and defending us, and in restraining and conquering all his and our enemies'. It shouldn't surprise us that this Old Testament furniture that so fully speaks of Yahweh should as fully point to Christ 'for in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form' (Col. 2:9, NIV). How can I keep Yahweh's presence central in my life, in my church? Answer: Turn your eyes upon Jesus.
~Dale Ralph Davis, 2 Samuel: Out of Every Adversity

II. The City (6:3-11)

Context: In chapter 7 we will see the LORD’s covenant promise with David to raise up one from the line of David who will “establish the throne of his kingdom forever” of whom the LORD will “be a father” and “he shall be a son” (2 Samuel 7:5-17). God, in his divine providence and orchestration is using the place, the people, and his presence, found in the ark itself, to bring about his plan for redemption. The place matters. Jerusalem is to be where the ark is kept.

Significance: In verse 8 we see that the anger of the lord “broke out” against Uzzah. This is the same word that was used back in chapter 5 when the LORD “broke out” against the Philistines and gave them into the hands of David. The truth is the holiness of God is dangerous for those who would stand opposed to him. First for the Philistines, and then here against his own people and in particular Uzzah.

Application: This leaves us asking the same question that David was asking in verse 9. He says “how can the ark come to me?” We must ask ourselves this same question. How can God ever come to us? Left on our own devices we are stuck; we can’t live with God because He is dangerous to sinners. But we can’t live without Him either, because He is the Source of Life and all good things.

III. The Priestly King (6:12-23)

What makes the difference? A "priest" offering a sacrifice. Something dies on route both times. The first time round it is Uzzah. The second time it is animals, dying in the place of the people. The first journey starts with celebration and ends in death and fear. The second starts with death — a sacrifice — but ends in blessing.
~ Tim Chester, 2 Samuel for You
In our churches there are any number of folks who are very concerned with services and externals and procedures and mechanics and meetings and decency and order but who really can't understand anything of the joy of the Lord. There are some who can muster enthusiasm and gusto over professional sports but who somehow cannot fathom anything but professional detachment over Jesus Christ. Exuberant praise and tears of repentance are strangers to them. W.G. Blaikie has carefully drawn the bottom line: There are, doubtless, times to be calm, and times to be enthusiastic; but can it be right to give all our coldness to Christ and all our enthusiasm to the world? Does the presence of God ever move us?”
~Dale Ralph Davis, 2 Samuel: Out of Every Adversity

Hebrews 12:2:…looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

As an example, think about Paul, persecutor and hater of Christ, sees him and experiences his holiness and it changes everything. He becomes unashamed and even joyfully suffers for Christ's sake. (Rom. 1:16, 1 Cor. 1:23-25, & 1 Cor. 4:1-13)

Romans 1:16:For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
1 Corinthians 4:10-13:We are fools for Christ’s sake, but you are wise in Christ. We are weak, but you are strong. You are held in honor, but we in disrepute. To the present hour we hunger and thirst, we are poorly dressed and buffeted and homeless, and we labor, working with our own hands. When reviled, we bless; when persecuted, we endure; when slandered, we entreat. We have become, and are still, like the scum of the world, the refuse of all things. I do not write these things to make you ashamed, but to admonish you as my beloved children.

Heidelberg Catechism, Questions 1 & 2
Q: “What is your only comfort
in life and in death?”

A. That I am not my own, but belong—body and soul, in life and in death—to my faithful Savior, Jesus Christ. He has fully paid for all my sins with his precious blood, and has set me free from the tyranny of the devil. He also watches over me in such a way that not a hair can fall from my head without the will of my Father in heaven; in fact, all things must work together for my salvation. Because I belong to him, Christ, by his Holy Spirit, assures me of eternal life and makes me wholeheartedly willing and ready from now on to live for him.

Q. "What must you know to live and die in the joy of this comfort?"

A. "Three things: first, how great my sin and misery are; second, how I am set free from all my sins and misery; third, how I am to thank God for such deliverance."