A Journey Through Advent: Day 20
Day 20
December 18, 2020
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A Story about the Ark of the Covenant
(that’s really about Advent)
2 Samuel 6:12-19
Rev. Shelley Woodruff
One of my personal spiritual disciplines is sticking to the lectionary as much as possible when choosing Scripture for a devotion or sermon or study. Why? First, because I’m stubborn. Second, because having texts chosen ahead of time forces me to wrestle with stories in our Bible that I might prefer to leave unexamined. And third, I have a nagging belief that every text— no matter how troubling or complicated—still speaks.
So when I consulted the lectionary for today, I expected to find Advent-ready texts. Maybe a passage from Isaiah prophesying the coming of a suffering servant who would deliver the people from bondage. That would be nice.
But today’s text isn’t quite so Advent-ready. 2 Samuel 6 is a picture of King David bringing the Ark of the Covenant into Jerusalem at long last. This Ark is a powerful and mysterious thing, able to bring blessing or death. According to the Old Testament, the Ark was built after Moses received the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai to hold the stone tablets. It was carried everywhere the wandering Israelites went during their forty years of wandering in the desert and even carried into battle.
And now, in today’s text, the Ark is carried triumphantly into Jerusalem. King David, clothed in a priestly garment called an ephod (presumably clothed only in that ephod), dances with reckless, exuberant abandon in front of the entire city. The first thing David does when the Ark arrives at its resting place is to offer sacrifices to the Lord. And the second thing David does is to feed his people. He distributes bread, meat, and raisins to the celebrating multitude.
But the verses that make it into today’s lectionary leave out some important details. What’s missing? All of the details about this Ark’s mysterious danger.
Let’s not forget that this Ark was carried around the walls of Jericho before that city’s walls fell. When priests carrying the Ark reached a river, the river dried up to allow safe passage until the priests and Ark moved on. And when the Philistines stole the Ark for 7 months, it is said that the glory of the Lord departed Israel. All the while, the Philistines were afflicted with tumors and boils, and plagued with mice.
And just before today’s scene, a priest reaches out his hand to steady the Ark after an ox causes it to wobble and is immediately struck dead. David becomes both angry at the Lord and fearful of the Ark. He refuses to carry on with the journey and abandons the golden box in a nearby home until he hears (three months later) that the house has been blessed since the Ark came to rest there.
Finally, at long last, the Ark arrives in Jerusalem. The God represented here is mysterious. This God is powerful. This God is even terrifying. And this God can bring both death and life.
And David dances. In response to God’s symbolic arrival, David dances with such exuberance that his wife is appalled. A few verses earlier, David was angry at this God and terrified of this Ark. But now, the king is joyful and unburdened by indignity.
Hmmm…maybe this text is Advent-ready. This is the imperfect, very human story of the long and dangerous journey of God’s word coming to the people. It is an honest account of how God’s word and presence is both desperately desired and terribly dangerous. It is untamed, uncontrolled, unexpected, and beyond our full understanding.
Reading about the Ark during Advent gives us a contrast to how God’s word comes to God’s people at Christmas—not in a gilded Ark, but in a swaddled infant. Not witnessed by a whole city, but witnessed by animals and a few shepherds. Not as a statement of political might, but a statement of incarnation. Not to exuberant, immodest dancing, but to a mother’s gentle touch.
And reading about the Ark during Advent reminds us that this Word remains just as untamed and uncontrolled, as we will see in the world-altering life and death of the Christ child.
And reading about the Ark during Advent begs us to ask the question—if David’s response to God’s symbolic presence coming to the people is to dance as if no one was watching while everyone was watching, to offer sacrifice to God, and then to feed God’s people, what should our response be to God’s actual presence coming to all humanity?
About a Journey Through Advent
This year is unprecedented in its challenges to our global, national, and local communities, let alone the challenges to our own church community and personal spiritual growth. And yet, the rhythm of the church calendar continues to hold us in a life-giving refrain: hope is alive!
This series of devotional readings, scripture readings, and prayers is designed to give you an opportunity to pause and reflect on the hope, peace, joy, and love that the Advent season brings.
We challenge you to set aside time each day to read, reflect, and pray through these offerings presented by our pastoral staff.
May you find encouragement in the remarkable hope this season provides us!