2 samuel 6- spiritual truths

The presence of Jesus will bring you good success in all areas of your life!

Introduction:

• An example of powerful truths that can be found in Bible names is in 2 Samuel 6.
• In this chapter, we see King David desiring to bring the ark of the covenant to Jerusalem, to the center of God’s people, after it had been captured by the Philistines.

God’s way: 

• When David first attempted to bring the ark to Jerusalem, he chose to transport it on an oxen cart.
• Transporting the ark via oxen cart was actually the way that the Philistines (Israel’s enemies) moved the ark (1 Sam. 6:10–12). 
• This was not God’s ordained way. 
• God’s way was for the ark to be carried on the shoulders of the Levites (the priests). 
• As a result of David using the oxen cart to transport the ark, the oxen stumbled, and one of David’s men named Uzzah put out his hand to steady the ark and was struck dead (2 Sam. 6:6–7). 

Lesson: 

• One key lesson for us from this story is that we ought not follow the ways of the world (just like how David followed the ways of the Philistines). 
• When we follow the ways of the world, we get the same results as them. 
• God does not want us to be conformed to the world, but to follow His Word, His patterns, and His instructions for us. 
• This applies to our marriage, parenting, career, and any other facet of our lives. 
• While God’s ways may sometimes seem unconventional or unpopular and we might be inclined to follow advice from the world, the following worldly advice can lead to undesirable consequences. 

Rely on God’s ways : 

• The Hebrew translation for the name “Uzzah” means “human strength.” 
• This shows us that we are not to rely on our own strength but to rely on God’s favor and His ways.
• When we rely on God’s ways, His grace, power, and favor follow! 

Flow with Holyspirit: 

• We explains being led by the Lord by sharing an analogy of someone driving a car without power steering. 
• When we depend fully on our own strength, it’s like driving a car without power steering—we have to use a lot of effort to make a right turn. 
• But with power steering, we just have to move in a certain direction, and the power takes over. 
• Similarly, this is what it’s like to flow with the Holy Spirit! When we step up to do what the Holy Spirit leads us to, His power comes to us. 

Introduction:

“David was afraid of the Lord that day; and he said, “How can the ark of the Lord come to me?” 
So David would not move the ark of the Lord with him into the City of David; but David took it aside into the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite. The ark of the Lord remained in the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite three months. And the Lord blessed Obed-Edom and all his household. Now it was told King David, saying, “The Lord has blessed the house of Obed-Edom and all that belongs to him, because of the ark of God.” So David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-Edom to the City of David with gladness.” 
—2 Samuel 6:9–12 NKJV

Ark in Obed-Edom’s house:

• Frightened by Uzzah’s death, David took the ark aside into the house of Obed-Edom for three months, and during that time, the Lord blessed Obed-Edom and all his household.

Blessings:

• “Now it was told King David, saying, “The Lord has blessed the house of Obed-Edom and all that belongs to him, because of the ark of God.” — For David to hear of these blessings and people to talk about it must mean that the blessings were evident! 
• A Bible scholar, Josephus, records that Obed-Edom and his family were tremendously blessed. 
• His crops were plentiful, his marriage with his wife was sweet, and his children were blessed. 
• Obed-Edom was initially a poor man but the presence of the ark of the covenant in his house (a picture of the presence of our Lord Jesus) made him rich in many ways. 
• Likewise, the presence of Jesus will prosper us in all areas of our lives.

Blood of Jesus: 

• When David saw that the ark brought blessings to Obed-Edom, he brought it to Jerusalem. It could be that David caught a revelation of Obed-Edom’s name—the importance and value of the blood of Jesus. 
• The Hebrew translation of the name Obed-Edom is “servant of the blood.” This is a picture of our Lord Jesus!

“Now it was told King David, saying, “The Lord has blessed the house of Obed-Edom and all that belongs to him, because of the ark of God.” So David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-Edom to the City of David with gladness. And so it was, when those bearing the ark of the Lord had gone six paces, that he sacrificed oxen and fatted sheep.”
—2 Samuel 6:12 NKJV

Importance of shedding blood: 

• David’s decision to transport the ark to Jerusalem the proper way the second time, and him offering sacrifices to God every six paces, shows that David understood the importance of the shedding of blood for covenant blessings. 
• This is a picture of our Lord Jesus shedding His blood for the forgiveness of our sins.

Conclusion: 

• These are examples of how we can glean powerful truths that can benefit us when we take time to study the names in the Bible. 
• When we read the Bible, we can ask God to speak to us through these names and expect to be exceedingly rewarded through these revelations. 
• Today, through the finished work of our Lord Jesus, we are all called by the name of the Lord Jesus Christ—Christians.