Seeking God After the Due Order

Q: What does the Bible say about the Ark of the Covenant?

The Ark of the Covenant is a sacred symbol of God's presence and holiness, containing the testimony of God's law. The Ark of the Covenant, as described in Exodus 25, was a wooden chest overlaid with gold that contained specific items such as the broken tablets of the Ten Commandments, Aaron's rod that budded, and a pot of manna. It symbolized God’s holy presence among His people and was carried by the Levites as commanded by God. This Ark represented not just the law, but also the mercy seat where God met with His people, emphasizing the need for atonement and the sacred nature of His presence (Exodus 25:10-22).

Q: How do we know Christ is our mercy seat?

Christ is referred to as our mercy seat in Romans 3:25, where His sacrifice satisfies God's justice and provides atonement for our sins. In Romans 3:25, it is stated that Jesus Christ was set forth by God as a propitiation, which translates to mercy seat, through faith in His blood. This means that He fulfills the role required for atonement, absorbing God’s wrath while satisfying His holiness. The sacrificial systems in the Old Testament were mere types and shadows of this true atonement achieved by Christ, showing that He is the only viable means by which sinners can approach a holy God (Romans 3:23-26).

Q: Why is it essential to approach God through Christ?

Approaching God through Christ is essential because He is our high priest and mediator, ensuring our acceptance before a holy God. In 1 Chronicles 15, David learns that he cannot approach God in his own way but must do so according to God's ordained structure, which includes a priest and a proper sacrifice. Christ fulfills this as our great high priest, who intercedes for us and presents His own blood as the perfect sacrifice (Hebrews 4:14-16). Without Him, we cannot access the Father, as all human efforts to reach God fall short of His holiness. God's method of reception is unequivocal: we must come through His provision in Christ (John 14:6).

Q: What can we learn from David's mistake in bringing the Ark?

David's error in transporting the Ark highlights the importance of following God's prescribed way for worship and reverence. David's attempt to bring the Ark back to Israel using an ox cart instead of by the Levites as commanded resulted in tragedy (1 Chronicles 13). This illustrates that sincere intentions without adherence to God's commands can lead to grave consequences. It teaches believers that genuine worship and access to God must align with His revealed will and order, emphasizing that God does not accept offerings or worship that are out of step with His holiness and righteousness (1 Chronicles 15:13). Worship must be conducted as God has ordained, or it risks being rejected.

All right, I want you to use
your Bibles tonight. Let's see if without fanfare
or eloquence or any other thing to distract, let's find out what
happened here when God made a breach upon the man after his own heart,
David, and killed one of his choice and closest servants.
What took place? What happened? Why was God angry? I want you to turn, first of
all, to Exodus 25. Now, we're going to build this
thing, and you'll have to stay with me all the way. The ark,
A-R-K, the ark. And I'm talking about Noah's
ark now. And I'm not talking about some superstitious box
about which they make movies. I'm talking about the Ark of
the Covenant. What was it? What was so special about it?
Well, here in Exodus 25 are the directions for building the Ark. Now then, Exodus 25, verse 10,
And thou shalt make an ark of Shittim Two cubits and a half
shall be the length. What is a cubit? Eighteen inches. So the ark was forty-five inches
long, three and a half feet. And a cubit, eighteen inches,
a cubit and a half, the breadth thereof, that's twenty-seven
inches wide. And a cubit and a half the height
thereof, that's twenty-seven inches high. And thou shalt overlay
it with pure gold. Now here's the ark, and it's
overlaid, the top of it, pure gold. Within and without shalt
thou overlay it. Thou shalt make upon it a crown
of gold round about. And thou shalt cast four rings
of gold for it. Put them in the four corners
thereof. And two rings shall be on one side and two rings
on the other side. And thou shalt make stage of
shittom wood, and overlay them with gold. And thou shalt put
the staves into the rings by the side of the ark, that the
ark may be borne with the staves." Not on a cart, but with staves. The staves shall be in the rings
of the ark, and they shall not be taken from it. Leave them
there all the time. And thou shalt put into the ark
the testimony which I shall give thee." Now, also he gave instructions
that the ark was to be borne on the shoulders of the priest
only by those states. Now verse 17, Thou shalt make
a mercy seat of pure gold. Two cubits and a half shall be
the length, exactly the length of the ark. A cubit and a half
the breadth, exactly the width of the ark. And thou shalt make
two cherubims of gold, a beaten work shalt thou make them in
the two ends of the mercy seat. A cherubim is a winged creature. And these two cherubs, one on
the arch about the size of this, the width of this pulpit, a cherubim
over here and a cherubim over here. And one, make one cherub,
verse 19, on the one end and the other cherub on the other
end. Even of the mercy seat shall ye make the cherubims on the
two ends thereof, and the cherubims shall stretch forth their wings,
winged creatures, stretch forth their wings, on high covering
the mercy seat with their wings. And their faces shall look one
to another toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubims
be. And thou shalt put the mercy
seat above upon the ark. Now in the ark, in the ark, inside
this ark, I shall put the testimony that I shall give thee. What
is this testimony? It's the Ten Commandments. It's
the tables of stone which God gave to Moses, which we have
broken, which the people had broken. They were to go inside
that ark, the broken law. There's two other objects in
that ark that aren't mentioned here. is a pot of manna, the
manna, the bread that came from heaven, which the people ate.
That was to go in the ark. And Aaron's rod that budded,
you remember when Aaron was selected, they threw their rods down and
his budded designated him to be the priest of God. That rod
was to go in there. All right, verse 22, and there,
and there, at the mercy's feet, between the cherubims. You see,
there I will meet with you, and I will commune with you from
above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims which are upon
the ark of the testimony of all things which I shall give thee
in commandment unto the children of Israel." Now this ark of the
covenant contained the Ten Commandments, the broken law. It contained
Aaron's rod that budded and the manna. And over the ark was the
mercy seat. The mercy seat is called the
propitiatory, propitiation, the covering. And God said there,
I'll meet you. There's where the holy presence
of God dwelt. God said, I'll dwell above the
mercy seat between the cherubims. God dwelt there. You see this
ark. This holy ark and this holy mercy
seat rested in the Holy of Holies. There was a tabernacle out there
in the wilderness and it rested in the Holy of Holies. It stayed
there in the Holy of Holies all the time behind the veil. And when it was moved, when the
ark was packed up, or rather when the tabernacle was packed
up and moved from place to place, the priest went in and when it
was disassembled, And the priest got the ark and carried it on
their shoulders, and it went before the people, and they went
to the new place. But this ark, only the priest
were to carry that ark. And that, by the direction of
God, the cloud went before them. And then once a year, where this
tabernacle sat, once a year, on the Day of Atonement, the
high priest and only the high priest would go with the blood
atonement, with the sacrifice, and with the incense, which is
the prayers of Christ, he would go under the veil into the Holy
of Holies, and there, before the very glory of God, between
the cherubims, on the mercy seat, covering the broken law, once
a year on the Day of Atonement, he would sprinkle the blood on
that mercy seat. That was called the atonement.
And that's the blood of Christ. Christ is our priest. Christ
is our sacrifice. Christ is our blood. We're redeemed
not with corruptible things such as silver and gold, but with
the precious blood of Christ. And that atonement was made once
a year, a propitiation on the mercy seat, an atonement, a reconciliation. All of this was done as a picture. Now what is this saying? What
is this saying? Well, it's saying several things.
Number one, it's saying God's holy. God is infinitely holy. God is separate from sinners.
God dwells in a light to which no man can approach. Holy, as
the song said, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty. Our God is holy. It's saying, secondly, that we
are sinful. that the sons of Adam have broken
the holy law of God. There's none righteous, none
good, none that understandeth, none that seeketh after God.
That we cannot, in ourselves, we can't come into God's presence. God can't accept us. There's
nothing in us, there's nothing about us, there's nothing of
us that God can accept or God can recognize. We can't come
into God's presence. God's holy. But God will be merciful. That's what this is saying. God
will be merciful. He will, according to His purpose
and His will, according to His lovingkindness, according to
His longsuffering, He will be merciful. He will receive us,
but He'll receive us His way. He'll receive us in such a way
that His justice and His holiness can be honored and satisfied.
He'll receive us, this awesome holy God will receive these utterly
sinful people unto himself. But between those sinful people
and this holy God, there's got to be a righteousness, there's
got to be an atonement, there's got to be a sacrifice, there's
got to be a satisfaction of his sin. Before this sinner can come
to this God, that law in that box has got to be dealt with.
Now, Jimmy, is that what it's saying? Here's the glory of God,
here's the presence of God, here's the holiness of God, but thank
God it rests above a mercy seat. God's not going to deal with
us in justice, strict justice. He's going to deal with us in
mercy. And you don't want to come around that ark. You don't
want to come around that mercy seat. You don't want to come
around that holiness of God. You want to meet it head on.
But that's what he's saying. That's what he's saying. God
Almighty, God Almighty will be merciful. Now, turn to Hebrews
9. Hebrews chapter 9. Hebrews chapter 9. Now here is
what all of this, this is all about. Hebrews 9. Hebrews chapter 9. Now you remember this morning
when he said in Psalm 40, sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not,
neither had pleasure therein. Well this This tabernacle and
these sacrifices and this priest and these offerings and these
atonements can never please God. This is a picture of what's done
to please God. This is all a picture. These
are all types. This is not sin. When that high
priest went into the Holy of Holies and sprinkled that blood
on the mercy seat that covered the broken law, That did not
put away our sin. It didn't put away anybody's
sin. Here's a picture. And here in Hebrews 9, here's
the story. Now verse 1, Then verily the
first covenant, the first covenant, and that's what we've been reading
about, the first typical covenant, had also ordinances of divine
service and a worldly sanctuary, for there was a tabernacle made.
I've been telling you about it. The first part of the tabernacle,
there was a candlestick and a table and showbread, which is called
the sanctuary or the holy place. After the second veil, the tabernacle,
which is called the holiest of all, the holy of holies, what
was in there? It had the golden censer, it
had the Ark of the Covenant We read about a moment ago, overlaid
round about with gold, wherein was the golden pot that had manner,
Aaron's rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant, the
law, the broken law. Over it, you remember, the cherubims
of glory, shattering the mercy seat of which we cannot now speak
particularly. Now when these things were ordained,
many priests, see this is plural, the priests, went always into
the first tabernacle, into the holy place, they took care of
the candlestick, the light, they took care of the bread, they
took care of the incense, they took care of accomplishing the
services of God. But, into the second, into the
holy of holies, with the high priest alone, the high priest
alone, once a year, not without blood, which he offered for himself
and for the sins of the The Holy Ghost, this signifying, this
is what the Holy Ghost is teaching, that the way into the holiest
of all, the way into the presence of God was not yet made manifest. The way that sins put away, this
way that sins are pardoned, the way the law is dealt with, the
way that God will put away transgressions, it wasn't manifested, it wasn't
until Christ came. While as yet that first tabernacle
was standing. which all this was a figure,
a picture, for the time being present, in which were offered
both gifts and sacrifices, that could not make him that did the
service perfect. And that's how you've got to
be to come to God perfect. You couldn't do it as pertaining
to the conscience. For these things stood only in
meats and drinks. and divers washings or baptisms
and carnal ordinances imposed on them to the time of reformation.
But, now here it is, the great high priest, Christ being come,
Christ, our great high priest, of good things to come, of sure
promises, of sure mercies, of actual justification, of actual
pardoning, of actual sanctification, Christ being come of good things
A priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect
tabernacle, not this tabernacle made with hands. That is to say
none other than this building. God made him a body. He tabernacled
among us. See that? He tabernacled. Our
great high priest performed his services which were effectual
in his body. in the presence of God, watch
it, neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood,
he entered in, once, into the holy place. What holy place?
In that tabernacle? No, sir. Heaven itself. Heaven
itself. Having obtained eternal redemption
for us. See that? And when Moses made
this ark, It's sacred, it's holy, but it's typical. It's a picture
made for that purpose. He made that art, and he put
in that art the broken law. He put in that art Avon's rod
that budded and the manna, put that mercy seat over it and the
cherubim, and God's very presence and glory rested between the
cherubim over that mercy seat. And God had Moses put it there
in the Holy of Holies, which represents his very presence.
And that ark, that broken law, here's God dwelling in a life
to which no man can approach, God in his holiness, God in his
perfection, God in his infinite, infinite holiness, unexplainable,
unspeakable, unapproachable, incomprehensible. And between
that God and these sinners, you and me, rests a broken law. That's between us and God. But
God will be merciful. And so all this was designed,
all this was set forth, all this was pictured. I wish preachers
would deal with these things. It was pictured there for hundreds
of years there in Egypt, in the wilderness of Egypt. And by Moses
making these things as God, the pattern God set forth in the
But these saints could never put away sin, but they did at
that time. You see, when a man, when the
high priest came to that mercy seat, he was saying, we're looking
for the mercy seat. When he came with the atonement,
he's saying, we offer this atonement till that one comes. We serve
as a high priest till a great high priest comes. We trust in
him who will come, and we do this to show forward him who
comes. And we do that with the Lord's
table. We come around the Lord's table and we take the bread,
the unleavened bread. Well, there's no salvation in
that bread. Christ is not in that bread. That's a picture.
And we take that bread and we eat it, showing forth his broken
body. We take the wine and drink it,
showing his shed blood. There's no efficacy or salvation
in that bread or wine. It's in him whom it represents.
Even so, that mercy seat and that priest and that atonement,
there's no efficacy, there's no power to save in any of those
things. But it's got to do till he comes. And people who violated it, violated
his offering. That's right. And so that's what
God said to Moses. He said, I'll meet you at the
mercy seat. God, the Holy God, will meet the sinful man at the
mercy seat. He'll meet him where something's
done about the law, where something's done about God's justice, where
a fitting, suitable sacrifice is made acceptable to God Almighty. Turn to Romans 3. Romans 3. And that's the message to us
today, Romans chapter 3. Now listen to this. Romans 3,
verse 23. Romans 3, 23. for all have sinned and come
short of the glory of God, being justified freely by his grace
through the redemption that's in Christ Jesus, whom God set
forth to be a propitiation." What's that word? Mercy seat.
Christ is our mercy seat. God set him forth to be a mercy
seat through faith in his blood. to declare God's holiness, to
declare God's righteousness for the remission of sins that have
passed. That's Old Testament people's sin, through the long-suffering
of God. And that mercy seat Christ Jesus
is set forth to declare, I say at this time, His holiness, His
righteousness, that He may be just and the justifier of him
that believeth in Jesus. Now, would you come to God? Back here in the Old Testament,
God set this forth. The tabernacle, the Holy of Holies,
the mercy seat, covering the broken law and the atonement.
An Israelite would have been a fool to try to come any other
way, wouldn't he? If he had gone down to the river and said, well,
baptize me and God will accept me. God said, I'll meet you at
the mercy seat. Or he goes and gets the law,
and he says, well, I'll serve God, I'll work for God, I'll
keep the law, and God will accept. God said, I'll meet you at the
mercy seat. Or he goes and starts a denomination of people, of
religious folks, and they start wearing their hair a certain
length, and putting their sleeves a certain length, and they start
wearing wide-brimmed black hats, and live on farms, and they say,
well, God will accept us. God said, I'll meet you at the
mercy seat. He would have been a fool, wouldn't
he? Well, that's what we are today. If we think that a holy God is
going to overlook that mercy seat, that's where he still meets
people, at the mercy seat of Christ Jesus. Now, I'm going
to show you what happened to David on this occasion. I turn
back to 1 Chronicles chapter 13. 1 Chronicles 13. It was here just a moment ago. Let
me start this story back a little ways, though. This needs to go
back a little ways. During the days of Eli, before
David became king, during the days of Eli, the prophet, he
served Israel 40 years. During the days of Eli, the superstitious
Israelites, they were at war. And so they went up to Shiloh,
where the ark rested. This holy ark I've just been
talking about. It was at Shiloh. And they went
up there and got the ark. And they were in a battle with
the Philistines, and they said they were losing the battle.
And they said, well, let's get the ark. The ark denotes the
presence of God. The ark denotes the power of
God. If we go get the ark and bring
it down here where we're fighting this battle, we're bringing God
with us, and we'll win the battle. So they did it. Well, read about
that turn. 1 Samuel is where it is. 1 Samuel. Chapter 4. Here's the story. This is the
background. We need to read this. 1 Samuel
4, verse 3. And when the people were coming
to the camp, the elders of Israel said, Wherefore hath the Lord
smitten us today before the Philistines? Let's fetch the ark of the covenant
of the Lord out of Shiloh unto us, that when it cometh among
us, it will save us from the hand of our enemies. Let's go
get the ark. And so the people sent to Shiloh that they might
bring from thence the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord of Hosts,
which dwelleth between the cherubims. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni
and Phinehas, were there with the Ark of the Covenant of God.
All right, they brought it down. Well, it didn't work. Verse 10, And the Philistines
fought, and the Israel was smitten, and they fled every man to his
tent, and there was a great slaughter. 30,000 footmen, and the ark of
God was taken, and the two sons of Eli, Hothni and Thanias, were
killed. It was a shambles. So let's go
over to verse 17. And the messenger answered and
said, they came to Eli, and the messenger said, Israel has fled
before the Philistines, and there hath been a great slaughter among
the people. And your two sons, Hothni and
Phinehas, are dead, and the ark of God has been captured." And
it came to pass when he made mention of the ark of God that
Eli fell from off the seat backward by the side of the gate and broke
his neck and died. He's God's prophet. He was God's
prophet. He was an old man. He was heavy,
and he had judged Israel 40 years. He was the leader of Samuel,
remember Eli? And his daughter-in-law, watch
this now, his daughter-in-law, Phinehas' wife, was with Chal,
near to be delivered. And when she heard the tidings
that the ark of God was taken, and her father-in-law and her
husband were dead, Eli was dead, Phinehas was dead, she bowed
herself, prevailed, for her pains came upon her, and about the
time of her death, she died in Chalbert. The women stood by
her and said, don't be afraid, you have born a son. But she
didn't answer. Neither did she regard it. She
named the child before she died. She named the child. You heard
this word before? Ichabod. Ichabod. Ichabod. Saying, the globe is
departed. The globe is departed from Israel. The ark of God has been taken.
Her father-in-law and her husband were dead, and she said, the
glory is departed from Israel, for the ark of God is taken."
That's the background. So 50 years later, 50 years later,
David became king. I tell you, this heart is so
deceitful and so desperately wicked. There's a way that seems
right to man, and the end is trouble now. It's just trouble. I think what you think is generally
wrong. But this is the way it seems
to me. You can write that down as being wrong. And even David,
here's a man at the God's own height. Here's a man God found
among the sheep. Here's a man that God anointed.
Here's a man that God preserved, protected, kept him, provided
for him, brought him to Israel, sat him on the throne, and taught
him. David was a taught man. but even taught me and make fools
of themselves. And so 50 years later, David
is now king over Israel and he says, 1 Chronicles, now let's
turn over that. 1 Chronicles 13, I read it to
you a moment ago, I'm not going to read the whole thing again,
I trust you remember. 1 Chronicles 13, David, verse
1, consulted with his captains, hundreds of people. He's a powerful
man, influential man. He ought to know better than
this. I think Johnny knew better, but we're foolish. And he was
so overcome with his success and with his power and with his
leadership and sovereignty, and he got a good idea sitting in
the room one day, and instead of going before God, instead
of going before God, he went to the people and said, hey,
let's do this. Let's go down, let's go get the
ark. The ark's been out of Israel
50 years. We've had nothing but trouble. The ark's been gone.
The worship of God, the atonement had not been made. Fifty? Let's go get it. So he organized
it well. He got trumpet players and cymbal
players and timbal players and dancers and singers and choirs
and organized all the people from everywhere. He had thousands
of footmen, soldiers, bands, everything imaginable. He picked
out two of the finest oxen and made a brand new cart. A brand
new cart. He's going to do this David's
way in style. And it had all the spiritual
ring to it. He said, you men get together.
You think this will be good? This will be good? Do you think
God will approve of this? You know, he consulted them and
he did all the things. He gave the Ark special attention.
They went out and got it. They went out and got it and
put it on that Ark's cart and started home. Oh, they were happy. They were serving the Lord. Certainly God's going to be pleased
with this. It doesn't matter how you serve Him, just so you
serve Him. Doesn't it? It doesn't matter how you come
to God, just so you're sincere. Was David sincere? He spent some
money on this operation. It does matter too. And they
started back to the city of David with that ark. And they were
as happy as he's ever been. Israel is back on top. David's
on top. Israel's the most powerful. God's
blessed this nation. God's honored this nation. They're
higher than they've ever been since Abraham. And here comes
that ark on that ox cart. And the ox stumbled. And the
cart shifted. And Uzzah, who was one of the
drivers, a high horn Uzzah, reached back to keep it from falling.
and touched it, and God killed him. Fell off that ark, face
down in a mud hole, dead. And the trumpets stopped playing,
and the drums stopped beating, and the dancers stopped dancing,
and King David stood there, shocked. Shocked. And the Scripture says
he was angry. He was displeased. Verse 11,
David was displeased. because the Lord had made a breach
upon Uzzah. David made the first breach upon
God and the character of God. That was where the trouble started. And he called that place the
breach of Uzzah. And David was afraid of God that
day. And he said, well, how am I going
to bring the ark home? Why don't you try God's way? How am I going
to come to God? Why don't you try His way? How
can a sinner be saved? How can a man's sin be forgiven?
How can sin be purged? Why don't you try God's way instead
of your own way? Alright, 1 Chronicles 15, three
months later, three months have passed. Three months later, David went
to the priest where he should have gone the first time. And he said in verse 12, he consulted
the priest, 1 Chronicles 15, 12. He said to them, you are
the chief of the fathers. I'm not saying me and Arden.
David was a great man, but David was not a priest. David couldn't
come to God any more than you can without a high priest. Isn't
that right? He couldn't, any more than anybody
else can come to God. He needs a priest. He needs a
sacrifice. He needs an atonement. So now
he's gone to where he should have gone the first time, to
the priest. And he said, sanctify yourselves, both you and your
brethren, that you may bring the ark of the Lord God of Israel
to the place I have prepared for it. Now, David, you're wise
enough. Verse 13. For because you did
it not the first time the Lord made a breach upon us, we sought
him not after the due order." We tried our way, it didn't work. Oh, my soul, several kings tried
his way and it didn't work. And after all the sacrifices,
there lay his beloved brother dead. and him a fugitive. King
Saul tried his way and it didn't work. God took the kingdom away
from him and rejected him. He tried to sacrifice without
the priest. King Uzziah tried it. He went
into the Holy of Holies to make an offering and God killed him.
The people in Matthew 7, Christ said, many shall say unto me
in that day, Lord, have we not preached in your name and done
many wonderful works? Cast out devils, I never knew
you. That's your way. Oh boy, I tell you, now David's
getting wise. Verse 14, So the priest and the
Levites sanctified themselves to bring up the ark of the Lord
God of Israel. And the children of the Levites,
the sons of Levi, the priests, bear the ark of God upon their
shoulders with the staves thereof, as Moses commanded according
to the word of the Lord." Now, my brethren, we don't go to a priest on this
earth, or a pope, or a confessional,
That's idolatry. That's an abomination. We have a priest though, our
Lord Jesus Christ. He is a priest forever after
the order of Melchizedek. We have a high priest. Not any
of us. I don't care what anybody says,
there's nobody comes into the presence of God without that
great high priest. He has entered within the veil.
He's the high priest. And he has somewhat to offer.
The second thing is that priest must himself have an atonement. He must have a suitable sacrifice
now. And he does, which is his own
blood. So here's the next thing, down here in verse 25 and 26. So David and the elders of Israel
and the captains over a thousand went up to bring the ark of the
covenant of the Lord out of the house of Obed-Edom with joy this
time. And it came to pass when God
helped the Levites that bear the Ark of the Covenant, they
offered seven bullocks and seven rams. They offered a blood atonement. There are three things that are
essential to coming to God. There are three things back here
in the Old Testament that were essential, absolutely irreplaceable,
essential, had to be. Three things in the Old Testament. A priest and a sacrifice. Essential. That's right. Out there in the Holy of Holies,
there was a tabernacle where in dwelt the holy mercy seat. A priest and a sacrifice. There
are three things essential for you and I to come to God. A tabernacle. You see me in this
building? Uh-uh. I mean Christ is our tabernacle. He tabernacled among us. We meet
God in Christ. In Christ. That's where God dwells,
in Christ. In Christ. That's where God is
worshipped. That's where God is met. That's where God is known.
In Christ. We come to Christ. Secondly,
He's our priest. He's our mediator. There's one
who prays for us. There's one who pleads for us.
There's one who intercedes for us. It's Christ. And He pleads
not your works, He pleads not your perfection. Well, Lord,
forgive his sins because he's doing the best he can. No, he's
not. Forgive his sins on the basis of my blood. I died for
him. I paid the debt. His sins have
to be forgiven because the atonement's been made. You see that? So these
fellas, David did it right. He said, first time, I didn't
do it right. I didn't seek God after the due
order. I had no priest and I had no blood. I had an ox cart. And I had the whoopee, I had
the bands, I had the music, I had the, don't you feel good? Well,
everybody stand up and give Jesus a big hand. That's what they
were doing. And God killed the fellow. And that's what the most
religion is today. They've got the people and they've
got the whoopee and they've got the bands and the drummers and
they've got all the shouting and carrying on and entertainment
and this sort of thing, but I'm telling you, If you're going
to come to God, worship Almighty God, know Almighty God, have
salvation, you're going to come in the quietness of His presence, the holiness
of His presence, and you're going to fall before that great high
priest and own and look to and depend on His precious blood. Now, you go and kick up your
heels and bounce down the steps and do a tumble-salter. I don't
care. And God will kill some of us or two. That's right. This is holy ground. It's the holiness of God. The
holiness of God. Well, old David came the right
way. So verse 27, So David was clothed with a robe of fine linen,
and all the Levites that bear the ark, and the singers, and
Chinnonah, the master of the song, with the singers. David
also had upon him an ephod of linen, Thus all Israel brought
up the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord with shouting. That's
something to shout about now. And with the sound of the cornet,
trumpets, and cymbals, and made a loud noise, making a noise
with psalteries and harp. And watch this now, it came to
pass as the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord came to the city
of David that Michael, the daughter of Saul, she was David's wife,
She looked out the window and she saw David dancing and playing
before the ark. David the king humbled himself,
humbled himself, and took off his crown and his royal robe,
put on a little linen ephod. Usually out in front of the ark
they had a servant or somebody that danced, but here's the king
out there, the king, denoting that even the king must have
a priest and a sacrifice and come to God in humility. David
humbled himself, came down. He took the place of a servant,
of a slave, of a common, ordinary dancer. There's the king out
there in a little linen coverall, dancing before the Lord. And
his wife was up there in the window of the palace, and she
looked and saw this great processional coming back with the arch. And
she looked for her husband. She was looking for David. She
looked on the chariot. She looked before the armies. She looked before the Joab and
the captains and Abner and all those fellows. And finally she
saw this little dancer out in front of the arch. She said,
Is that David? Is that the king? She was a snooty old gal. Her
daddy was the king, you know. She's the daughter of a king.
And she got upset. Let's see what God did to her.
Let's turn to 2 Samuel 6. This was recorded in another
place. Let's see what God did to her. 2 Samuel, chapter 6. She acted real ugly. 2 Samuel 6, verse 20. Now, I'm
simply saying we're going to come down. We're just going to
come down. We're going to be humble before
the Lord. 2 Samuel 6 verse 20, Then David returned to bless
his household. And Michael, the daughter of
Saul, came out to meet David. Are you with me? 2 Samuel 6 verse
20. And she said, now watch this sarcastic comment. How glorious
was the king of Israel today, who uncovered himself today in
the eyes of the handmaids of his servants. as one of the vain
fellows shamelessly uncovers himself. You put on a show out
there," she said. David said to Michael, it was
before the Lord who chose me before your father, who chose
me and before all his house to appoint me ruler over the people
of the Lord over Israel. Therefore will I play and dance
and humble myself before the Lord." And I'll tell you this,
good sister, I'll yet be more vile than this. You think that's something. I'm going to show you how low
I can fall in the dust at His feet. I'll become more vile than
dust. And I'll be base in my own sight."
You see why this man is a man at God's own heart? And I'll
be base in my own sight. And of the maidservants you talked
about, you spoke of, they got sense enough to honor me even
more. They're smarter than you are,
he said. They know something of the glory of God. And he said,
they'll appreciate and respect me even more. The lower a man
can project himself before the Lord, the higher esteem and respect
people who know God will have for him. Therefore Michael, the daughter
of Saul, had no child to the day of her death. God judged
her. Well, what he said, Preacher,
I'm saying these things are written for our example. They're not
written for our imitation. They're written for our example.
It's bringing back the art. It had to be done God's way.
And we're going to come to God. We're going to have to come His
way. And that's Christ. He's our priest. He's our mercy
seat. He's our atonement. Well, that's
quite a story, isn't it?

Seeking God After the Due Order

What does the Bible say about the Ark of the Covenant?

How do we know Christ is our mercy seat?

Why is it essential to approach God through Christ?

What can we learn from David's mistake in bringing the Ark?

Sermon Transcript

About Henry Mahan

Comments

Joshua

Articles

Featured Authors

Podcast

Sermons

Featured Preachers

Books

Browse by Format

Music

Recent Comments

About

Legal

Subscribe

Account

Articles

Featured Authors

Podcast

Recent Comments

Sermons

Featured Preachers

Books

Browse by Format

Collections

Music

About

Legal

Subscribe

Seeking God After the Due Order

What does the Bible say about the Ark of the Covenant?

How do we know Christ is our mercy seat?

Why is it essential to approach God through Christ?

What can we learn from David's mistake in bringing the Ark?

Sermon Transcript

About Henry Mahan

Comments

More from Henry Mahan

Related Sermons

Same Scripture

Articles by Henry Mahan

Books by Henry Mahan

Joshua

Where this book stands in the tradition

Plato

Augustine

The Western Christian Tradition

This Book