UNROLL
Early morning on the ridge of the City of David: along a low fieldstone wall, a row of instruments lies ready on folded white linen, two small lyres, an upright harp, bronze cymbals, two long silver trumpets and a ram's horn, the flat roofs stepping down toward the Kidron below a calm, pale dawn sky.

The Book of

1 Chronicles 15

Three months after Uzzah, David tries again. This time he asks how God wants His ark carried, and the whole city sings.

29 verses≈ 5 min5 peopleBSB

Images are artistic interpretations.

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In this chapter

Where we are

  1. 1–9GenealogiesAll Israel, from Adam
  2. 10Saul fallsThe kingdom turned to David
  3. 11–12David kingAll Israel gathers
  4. 13–16The arkBrought home with songsChapter 15
  5. 17The covenantA house forever
  6. 18–20David's warsThe LORD gave victory
  7. 21The siteOrnan's threshing floor
  8. 22–27Preparing the templePriests, Levites and singers
  9. 28–29David's farewellBe strong, and do the work

Preparing to Move the Ark

David constructed buildings for himself in the City of David, and he prepared a place for the ark of God and pitched a tent for it.

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On a stony desert track, Levites seen from behind carry the ark on poles on their shoulders, wholly covered in solid blue cloth, the long column far behind and the cloud above.

Then David said, “No one but the Levites may carry the ark of God, because the LORD has chosen them to carry the ark of the LORD and to minister before Him forever.”

No one but the Levites may carry the ark of God

1 Chronicles 15:2

And David assembled all Israel in Jerusalem to bring up the ark of the LORD to the place he had prepared for it. Then he gathered together the descendants of Aaron and the Levites:

The Levites

Six Levite families · 862 men

  1. 120

    Kohathites: Uriel the chief

    From the Kohathites, Uriel the chief and 120 of his relatives;

  2. 220

    Merarites: Asaiah the chief

    from the Merarites, Asaiah the chief and 220 of his relatives;

  3. 130

    Gershomites: Joel the chief

    from the Gershomites, Joel the chief and 130 of his relatives;

  4. 200

    Elizaphanites: Shemaiah the chief

    from the Elizaphanites, Shemaiah the chief and 200 of his relatives;

  5. 80

    Hebronites: Eliel the chief

    from the Hebronites, Eliel the chief and 80 of his relatives;

  6. 112

    Uzzielites: Amminadab the chief

    and from the Uzzielites, Amminadab the chief and 112 of his relatives.

Midmorning in a stone-paved court beside David's cedar-beamed house: King David, one hand open, speaks to two priests and six Levite heads of families who listen gravely, while younger Levites behind them carry water jars and folded white linen robes.

David summoned the priests Zadok and Abiathar and the Levites Uriel, Asaiah, Joel, Shemaiah, Eliel, and Amminadab. And he said to them, “You are the heads of the Levitical families. You and your relatives must consecrate yourselves so that you may bring the ark of the LORD, the God of Israel, to the place I have prepared for it.

It was because you Levites were not with us the first time that the LORD our God burst forth in anger against us. For we did not consult Him about the proper order.”

Cart or shoulders

A new cartthe Philistines’ wayThe LORDburst forthUzzah died(13:10)Why?we did not consultHimThe wordthroughMosesLevites, poles,shouldersConsecratedpriests and LevitesOn theirshouldersas Moses hadcommandedGod helpedthemwith shouting andmusic

Whiteboard

The first time, the ark rode a new cart, the Philistines’ way, and Uzzah died. David asked why, found the answer in the law given through Moses, and did it God’s way: consecrated Levites carried the ark “on their shoulders with the poles,” and “God helped the Levites.”

Reflect

We did not consult Him

David did not blame Uzzah alone. He said, “we did not consult Him about the proper order.” The fault was the king’s and the leaders’. So he went back to the word God had given through Moses and did what it said. Is there a place where you have been serving God your own way? Write down what it would look like to open His word and ask Him first.

The Priests and Levites Carry the Ark

So the priests and Levites consecrated themselves to bring up the ark of the LORD, the God of Israel.

And the Levites carried the ark of God on their shoulders with the poles, as Moses had commanded in accordance with the word of the LORD.

Morning in a courtyard in the City of David: Levite musicians in long white linen robes gather and tune small lyres and upright harps, one testing a pair of bronze cymbals, as a leader of the Levites points each man to his place.

David also told the leaders of the Levites to appoint their relatives as singers to lift up their voices with joy, accompanied by musical instruments—harps, lyres, and cymbals.

The singers

Cymbals, harps and lyres

  1. the leaders

    Heman, Asaph and Ethan

    So the Levites appointed Heman son of Joel; from his brothers, Asaph son of Berechiah; from their brothers the Merarites, Ethan son of Kushaiah;

  2. thirteen men

    Their brothers next in rank

    and with them their brothers next in rank: Zechariah, Jaaziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, and the gatekeepers Obed-edom and Jeiel.

  3. Heman, Asaph, Ethan

    The bronze cymbals

    The musicians Heman, Asaph, and Ethan were to sound the bronze cymbals.

  4. eight

    Harps according to Alamoth

    Zechariah, Aziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Maaseiah, and Benaiah were to play the harps according to Alamoth.

  5. six

    Lyres according to Sheminith

    And Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, Obed-edom, Jeiel, and Azaziah were to lead the music with lyres according to Sheminith.

In a sunlit courtyard Chenaniah, a graying Levite in white linen, stands with one hand raised to give the beat and his head turned to listen, while the singers in white linen watch him, mouths open in song, lyres and harps in their hands and two men lifting bronze cymbals.

Chenaniah the head Levite was the director of the music because he was highly skilled.

Berechiah and Elkanah were to be guardians of the ark. Shebaniah, Joshaphat, Nethanel, Amasai, Zechariah, Benaiah, and Eliezer—the priests—were to blow the trumpets before the ark of God. Obed-edom and Jehiah were also to be guardians of the ark.

Question

Quick question

David had the leaders of the Levites appoint singers and players, and one man was put over all the music.

Who directed the music when the ark was brought up?

Moving the Ark to Jerusalem

The procession climbs the road toward the gate of the City of David in morning light: the covered ark on poles on the shoulders of Levites in white linen, priests blowing silver trumpets and men sounding ram's horns ahead, Levites with cymbals, harps and lyres, David in white linen at the front, crowds along the road.

So all Israel brought up the ark of the covenant of the LORD with shouting, with the sounding of rams’ horns and trumpets, and with cymbals and the music of harps and lyres.

0:10

Narrated by Bob Souer · BSB audio, public domain

Michal’s Contempt for David

Looking up from a street in the City of David: the procession fills the sunlit foreground, Levites in white linen, the covered ark on poles and David in white linen dancing, while high above, in the dark square of a small lattice window, Michal stands small and still with arms folded.

As the ark of the covenant of the LORD was entering the City of David, Saul’s daughter Michal looked down from a window and saw King David dancing and celebrating, and she despised him in her heart.

Pray

His way, with all joy

Praise the holy God who came near His people. Ask Him for a heart that seeks Him and asks what His word says before acting. Ask for joy that is not ashamed to worship Him, like the king “dancing and celebrating” as the ark came in. And pray for those who watch from the window, that they may come down and join the praise.

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1 Chronicles 15

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A verse to carry with you

And the Levites carried the ark of God on their shoulders with the poles, as Moses had commanded in accordance with the word of the LORD.

1 Chronicles 15:15

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