b. David’s concern for the ark (13:1-16:43)
King David begins to pay attention to the religious matters of his realm. The Hebrew word peres, “to break forth,” connects the first three chapters of this unit.
The ark goes to Obed-Edom’s house (13:1-14). David calls the whole assembly of Israel to bring the ark from Kiriath Jearim. The king must correct Saul’s neglect of the ark before he can avenge the Philistine victory over the nation. The chronicler stresses the role of all Israel in this act more than the report of 2Sa 6:2-11. He views worship as necessary for people at all levels of society and not only for a restricted, royal segment.
Despite good intentions, the first attempt to transfer the ark fails because the people do not carry the ark properly. God kills Uzzah when he steadies the shaken ark at the place since called Perez Uzzah. David responds with anger and fear to the divine outburst. He leaves the ark with Obed-Edom to avoid further problems. David assumes that continued contact with the ark will bring a curse. Obed-Edom, however, enjoys divine blessing. In the same way, David’s house will receive blessing when the Lord, symbolized by the ark, takes up residence in Jerusalem.
The report of David’s victories over the Philistines, misplaced from a chronological point of view, provides an interlude in the story of the ark (14:1-17). The focus shifts to David’s house and Philistine wars while God blesses Obed-Edom’s house. While the ark was diverted, David’s house was not bereft of blessing on both domestic and foreign fronts. King Hiram sends materials and workers to build a palace. David enjoys the knowledge that he was not enthroned merely by the efforts of human heroes. The Lord elevated him for Israel’s benefit. God begins to build David’s house, the dynasty, by granting a large family. This situation contrasts with the annihilation of Saul’s house.
God grants David victory over the destroyers of Saul’s house (14:8-17). David is a savior king who, by the Lord’s power, reverses the exilic-type situation and reestablishes Israel’s might.
The report of battle uses the term prominent in ch. 13, pereṣ (vv.8-12). The king inquires of the Lord, in contrast to Saul and to David’s first attempt to transport the ark. God promises victory and breaks out against the Philistines. As they run, the enemies abandon their gods who once received news of glorious victory. The place name, Baal Perazim, commemorates the triumph.
The second victory comes through ambush (14:13-16). David again inquires of the Lord and does not depend upon his own strength. God proves his unmistakable leadership as the Israelites rout the Philistines.
As a result of these victories, David’s powerful reputation spreads (14:17). The chronicler includes this statement, not given in 2Sa 5, to emphasize God’s appointment of David as the saviorking to unite Israel, reverse the debacle of Saul’s era, and prepare for the Lord’s house.
What about the ark? The chronicler now returns to the problem of the ark’s fate (15:1-16:43). David constructs his residence and a place for the ark’s tent. This passage lacks the motivation, recorded in 2Sa 6:12, that David was moving the ark because of Obed-Edom’s blessings. According to the chronicler, David never abandoned his original intention to bring the ark to Jerusalem, but used the interruption to prepare the place and the people for successful transfer.
All Israel participates in the celebration, but David, in obedience to Mosaic injunctions, commands the Levites to bear the ark. The first attempt failed because they did not inquire of the Lord regarding this proper method of transport. The king orders the priests and Levites to sanctify themselves in anticipation of the ark’s transfer by washing their clothes and abstaining from sexual intercourse (Ex 19:14-15). The Lord would “break out” (peres) against them for noncompliance (Ex 19:22).
Michal, David’s wife, is presented as the only Israelite not joyfully participating in this transfer (15:28-29). In contrast to the report of 2Sa 6:20-23, the chronicler tells of her disdain and not her punishment. Perhaps David’s public display of religious enthusiasm disturbed her. Perhaps it was his devotion to this cult object, which held no interest for her family.
David puts the ark into the prepared tent and appoints Levites to continue worship before the ark with petition, thanksgiving, and praise (16:1-6). He also arranges for regular worship at Gibeon (vv.37-42). The details of worship at the Gibeon shrine remain unknown. It is not surprising that there was no attempt to centralize worship prior to Solomon’s temple. The concern is for regular and orderly worship of the Lord regardless of site. The view of competing worship centers changes with completion of the temple.
David praises God for the inauguration of a new era signaled by the arrival of the ark (16:7-36). The chronicler borrows from the canonical Psalter to construct this praise. He chooses themes appropriate to David’s setting to remind the later community of God’s grace.
Ps 105:1-15 parallels 16:8-22. David calls for thankful testimony of God’s acts (vv.8-10). He encourages continued reliance on the Lord (v.11). He calls for a clear memory of God’s past gracious acts (vv.12-13). The chronicler alters the original text slightly by substituting Jacob in v.13 for Abraham of Ps 105:6. This shift agrees with the chronicler’s emphasis on Israel and his descendants and not on Abraham, in the genealogies.
God’s everlasting covenant with the patriarchs and his care for them provides the rationale for praise (16:14-22). In v.15 one should read the plural imperative (“Remember!”) of the Masoretic text instead of the third person singular (“He remembers”) from Ps 105:8 and some Greek versions, which the NIV follows. The imperative fits the chronicler’s hortatory concerns. Both David’s Israel and the chronicler’s community must remember God’s covenant with their ancestors to grant Canaan as an inheritance. God kept his word when he originally brought Israel to the land, and he was in the process of reestablishing the regathered nation.
God protected the small patriarchal band as it wandered homeless throughout the ancient Near East (16:19-22). The people of the Exile and Return also discovered that God’s good will did not cease when they were expelled from Canaan. In fact, v.19 of the Hebrew text reads “When you were” instead of “when they were” of Ps 105:12 in both the KJV and the NIV. As in the case of v.15, this shift may be intentional to help the author’s contemporaries see themselves in David’s prayer. They are new patriarchs who wandered and found God’s aid in a foreign land. They may expect his continued protection as they inhabit their reacquired homeland.
The chronicler deletes the verses concerning the descent into Egypt, the Exodus, and the Conquest from Ps 105:16-45. These stories did not fit his purpose of constructing a parallel between the patriarchal era and the postexilic community.
David renews his call to praise the Lord in 16:23-33, which parallels Ps 96:1-13. In this section of the prayer, the disparity between the ineffectual deities of the nations and the Lord of Israel is the major reason for worship. Idol worshipers experience discouragement; God-fearers find comfort. All humanity must celebrate the Lord’s mighty deeds, which prove his superiority to idols. People must honor the Creator God and not the created god. The idols are unworthy of worship because they do not have the inherent qualities of true divinity.
The nonhuman world joins the human family in exalting the Lord. The earth trembles before its Creator. The unmovable creation rocks with praise for the Judge. The heavens, sea, fields, and forests resound with song for the Lord. This picture of the Deity’s awesome power provides Israel with a message of hope and encouragement. Thir God is able to care for them.
1Ch 16:34, which borrows the call of Ps 106:1, provides a transition from praise to petition. David exalts God for his everlasting goodness and love. The Lord demonstrated his care for the patriarchs and the Davidic monarchy. God’s past activity and his enduring love assure the chronicler’s audience of his assistance in the present and future circumstances of resettlement.
Because God’s love endures forever, one has confidence to cry out to him in days of uncertainty, such as at the founding and refounding of the nation. Foreign gods appeared to be in control for a brief period, but now the people are back in the land promised to their forebears. In exile and return the people learn that God’s love endures despite outward appearances.
The final petition and praise, 16:35-36, uses Ps 106:47-48. David prays for the regathering of God’s people from foreign lands to the land of promise, the reverse of exile. God’s rescue of his people will engender thanksgiving. The final benediction, noting God’s eternal love, exhorts people of all eras to participate in a panoply of praise.
The chronicler adapts the closing benediction of Book 4 of the Psalter (Ps 106:48). He changes the focus from a call for response to the report of the affirmative response by David’s congregation. In closing, David appoints clergy to maintain regular worship before the ark and at Gibeon (vv.37-42). With the ark in its new abode, the people and David return home.