Subscribe to BBC on Apple, Spotify , or Amazon.
Ark on the Move
The Chronicler is moving fast through David’s reign. In the last couple chapters he has secured the unity of the people and created a capital for the Kingdom of Israel. Up next, David will make Jerusalem the center of Israel’s worship, and that means David must move the Ark to the capital. This proves to be an action-packed, deadly endeavor in 1 Chronicles 13, 14, and 15.
David’s First Attempt to Bring the Ark to Jerusalem – 1 Chronicles 13
In 1 Chronicles 13:1-4, David works to get the buy-in of his military leaders and people to bring the Ark to Jerusalem. After all, the Ark is the most important object in the Tabernacle. In fact, it’s the only item kept in the Most Holy Place in the Tabernacle.
The Ark represents God’s presence amongst the people. It’s also their means of atonement. So it’s logical it needs to be in Jerusalem, their new capital.
What’s Inside the Ark–and Why It Matters
The Ark is a relatively small box measuring about 3.75 feet long by 2.5 feet wide x 2.5 feet high. It has rings for poles, so it can be carried without touching it. This is a key detail to keep in mind for later–no touching the Ark!
On top of the ark is a gold lid called the “atonement cover” or “mercy seat” where the High Priest atones for the sins of all the people once a year. On either side are cherubim facing each other with outstretched wings. God’s presence rests between the cherubim.
Aaron’s rod, a jar of manna from when God’s people were wandering in the wilderness, and the stone tables from when God made His covenant with the people at Mount Sinai are all inside the Ark. The tablets are the reason you sometimes hear the Ark referred to as the “Ark of the Covenant.”
The Ark’s Long Detour: From House to Holy Procession
In 1 Chronicles 13:5-8, they go to Kiriath Jearim to get the Ark from Abinadab’s house. If it strikes you as odd the Ark was in someone’s house, you’re right. That was Saul’s doing.
In 1 Samuel 4, the Philistines destroyed the Tabernacle and took the Ark, which they quickly came to regret when God imposes plagues on them. They return the Ark to Israel, but the Israelites don’t handle it with respect and 70 men die.
They’re all so disturbed by the deadly turn of events that they summon the men of Kiriath Jearim to come get the Ark in 1 Samuel 7. It remains with them in Abinadab’s house the rest of Saul’s reign, which was 20 years.
It’s truly disturbing and deplorable the Ark would be in a home and not the Tabernacle, and of course David wants to right this wrong. The Ark deserves a home of its own. David assigns Abinadab’s sons Uzzah and Ahio to place the Ark on a new cart.
The procession is a joyous celebration with music and dancing. It’s a historic event because most of the people have never seen the Ark. Once it goes into the Temple, they’ll never see it again. Only the high priest is allowed in the Most Holy Place.
Disobedience Turns Deadly: Uzzah and the Cost of Good Intentions
Then tragedy strikes. In 1 Chronicles 13:9-10, the oxen stumble and Uzzah instinctively reaches out to steady the ark. The Lord’s anger burns, and Uzzah is instantly struck dead.
Poor Uzzah. It seems a harsh punishment for a guy who was trying to protect the Ark. But, of course, there is more to the story.
Uzzah was Abinadab’s son and the leader of this operation. He should have looked into the laws surrounding the transporting of the Ark.
The Ark was not supposed to be transported on a cart. According to God’s instruction in Exodus 25, the Ark was to be carried on foot by the Levites, specifically the Kohathites, using poles inserted through the rings on its sides. Uzzah’s death was due to their disobedience and lack of respect for God’s commands.
If only David had looked into why the Ark was in Abindab’s home in the first place, he might have realized they were embarking on a potentially deadly mission. And he should have known the law around moving the Ark.
David’s Wake-Up Call: Fear, Obedience, and a Holy Pause
In 1 Chronicles 13:11-14, David’s first reaction to the tragedy is anger. He knows Uzzah’s death is his fault. This dark detail is one of only two failings the Chronicler shares about David. Maybe this is because he can’t resist the opportunity to remind the returning exiles of the importance of obedience. It is literally life or death.
David’s second reaction is fear, not unlike how Saul felt when the Ark killed 70 people. David responds similarly by sending the Ark to someone’s home, believing it is too dangerous to move.
But the Ark only stays in the house of Obed-edom, the Gittite, for three months. They must do a good job respecting it, because God blesses their household. In the meantime, David brushes up on his knowledge of the rules for moving the Ark.
From the Wilderness to the Throne – 1 Chronicles 14
David was anointed by God to be king about 15 years before he actually became king in Hebron. During those 15 years, Saul chased him in the wilderness and David experienced discouragement and doubt that what God promised him would happen. He wrote about his struggles in Psalms.
But now, finally, in 1 Chronicles 14:1-7 David is king. David settles in, safe and comfortable. His power grows and he also has several children. The Lord is with him.
David’s reputation is so great that other nations hear about it. King Hiram of Tyre, their rich ally, even sends all sorts of gifts to build a palace. (Fun fact: In 2 Chronicles 2, he’ll also help Solomon with the temple construction.)
In the eyes of the world, Israel has arrived. The country has a powerful king, a real capital, and a palace. David is confident God has established him as king, and his kingdom is highly exalted for the sake of God’s people Israel.
Cracks in the Crown
Amidst all this success, there is a hint of trouble to come. As David rises to power, many countries and tribes seek political alliances with him, sending gifts of beautiful women or concubines. They arrange strategic marriages with daughters of kings.
David already had seven wives and six sons when he settled in Jerusalem. Taking on more would be a direct violation of Deuteronomy 17:17, and we know by now that disobedience leads to destruction.
David could have refused the other kings’ gifts, but he chose not to. This left the door of his heart open to being led astray.
Of course, the Chronicler doesn’t mention any of this and skips right over the Bathsheba story. He wants the returning exiles to be encouraged by the image of a perfect king.
But we have read 2 Samuel and 1 Kings. We know that while David loved the Lord with all his heart he was also human. At times, sin prevailed in his heart. Jesus is the only perfect king. He is the Messiah the Chronicler could only dream of.
David vs. the Philistines: Old Foes, New Battles
David’s history with the Philistines began in his teenage years when he killed Goliath. Since then, he’s killed hundreds of Philistines in battle. He also used them strategically for his own purposes while living among them and pretending to work for them.
David was a thorn in the side of the Philistine’s military. Now he’s the ruler of their greatest enemy. They can’t just sit back and watch. In 1 Chronicles 14:8-17 they attack…twice.
Ironically, both battles take place in a valley named after a Philistine giant. The battle is geographically pivotal because the valley is located on the border between Benjamin and Judah. If the Philistines win, they’ll cut David off from all the Isrealites in the North.
Victory Through Obedience
David’s response to the Philistine’s attack is beautiful. Unlike Saul, he turns to the Lord and asks what he should do. The Lord promises to give the Philistines into David’s hand.
After David’s victory, he burns all the Philistine idols. This is significant because the common practice of the time is to take idols as spoils of war. (The Philistines did this to the Israelites when they took–or at least tried to take–the Ark.)
This is because, in the ancient world, war wasn’t just a military conflict. It was a spiritual showdown. They believed their gods were fighting in the battle too. When one side won, they saw it as–our god is stronger than yours.
Taking the enemy’s idols was proof of their god’s divine superiority. But David knew idols were a temptation to worship, so he wisely burned them all.
For the second battle, God gives David strict instructions when to start marching. David is obedient, and God delivers the Philistines into his hands once again.
The Tabernacle: A Reflection of Eden
In Exodus 25, God makes the purpose of the Tabernacle clear. It is a sacred place where He dwells among His people. This is the first time God has dwelled among His people since the Fall. God won’t be with them in the same way he was in the Garden of Eden, but it’s a step toward a closer relationship.
Everything about the Tabernacle’s design is meant to point back to the Garden of Eden. It’s an important reminder that, in the beginning, God was present with man and it’s God’s plan to get back to that kind of relationship.
God’s design in Genesis was: Eden, garden, tree of life. For the Tabernacle, God’s design was: courtyard, Holy Place, Most Holy Place. In Genesis 2:15, God told Adam and Eve to work and take care of the garden, and similarly in Numbers 3 he told the priests to work and take care of the tabernacle.
When Adam and Eve disobeyed, they were exiled from the garden. God placed Cherubim to guard the way back into the garden. In Exodus, God told Moses to place Cherubim on the top of the ark, to guard the place where He would meet with them.
From Failure to Faithfulness – 1 Chronicles 15
David desires to bring the Ark and presence of God to a place of honor. He just needs to figure out the right way to do it. He does his homework and in 1 Chronicles 15:1-3 he begins the preparations.
First, he builds a tent for the Ark to reside in. Then he stipulates who can carry it–Levites only, please. He puts the correct people in charge this time–the priests, specifically the descendants of Aaron. Then he instructs the priests and Levites to consecrate themselves.
United in Celebration
In 1 Chronicles 15:4-15, it’s time to re-assemble Israel and get the festivities started! It’s admirable that David acknowledges he should have checked in with God last time about how to move the Ark. But now all fear is gone, because he is aligned with God’s Word and confident the Lord will be with them.
David’s joy is overflowing in 1 Chronicles 15:16-24 as he makes preparations for music–instruments, singing, and dancing–to foster an atmosphere of celebration throughout the capital.
At last, in 1 Chronicles 15:25-29, the Ark enters the City of David. The Lord is pleased with David’s efforts and helps the Levites who are carrying the Ark, which we can assume means he made sure they didn’t stumble.
Missing Out on the Joy
There’s an interesting moment at the end of this chapter when Saul’s daughter Michal looks out her window at all the commotion below and is not pleased to see David dancing. She thinks it’s unbefitting for a king to dance in celebration.
When David gets home, Michal has a few choice words for him that are shared with us in 2 Samuel 6:20-23. David stands firm, he has done nothing wrong. He simply chose to worship as a commoner, as one of the people, as himself, and not as a king. It was an act of humility.
Like her father, Michal had little regard for the Ark and the presence of God. Therefore, she could not enter into the joy of the occasion.
Where’s the Ark Now?
Even by the point the Chronicler is writing this, after the exile and return, the Ark is gone. When the temple was destroyed by the Babylonian conquest in 586 BCE, the Ark disappeared from historical records, leaving its fate a mystery.
There are many theories about what happened. The two most likely are that the Ark was either destroyed at some point or it was hidden before the Babylonian invasion, because it is not listed among the items taken by the Babylonians in 2 Kings 25.
🎧 Ready to dive deeper? Click here to listen to the Bible Book Club Podcast now!
Themes of this podcast episode:
The Importance of Obedience to God’s Word – In 1 Chronicles 13, David’s first failed attempt to move the Ark highlights the life-or-death stakes of disregarding God’s instructions.
God’s Presence Among His People – The Ark symbolizes God dwelling with Israel, pointing back to Eden and forward to restored relationship through Christ.
Worship as Joyful Surrender – David’s celebration shows that true worship flows from humility, reverence, and alignment with God’s will—not status or appearances.
