2 Samuel 6:1

2 Samuel 6:1 says, Again, David gathered together all the chosen men of Israel, thirty thousand.  David gathered thirty thousand chosen men of Israel for a purpose as we shall see. Verse two adds, And David arose, and went with all the people that were with him from Baale of Judah, to bring up from thence the ark of God, whose name is called by the name of the LORD of hosts that dwelleth between the cherubims.  David had gathered them to go and return the Ark of God to Jerusalem.  As Matthew Henry points out, though the Ark had once been a very visible, important part of God's leadership of Israel, after its return to Israel it had only been mentioned one time.  As Christians, the gospel is the most important message we have, and we should never leave it out of our message to the world today.  Verse three continues, And they set the ark of God upon a new cart, and brought it out of the house of Abinadab that was in Gibeah: and Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, drave the new cart.  There was great respect shown in transporting the Ark.  Ir was placed in a new cart, one that had been used before nor contaminated by anything.  We need to deliver the gospel just as undiluted to the world today.  Still, this was not the way God had ordained that the Ark be carried since it was to be borne on the shoulders and not in a cart.  He also points out that even though the Philistines had not been punished for returning the Ark to Israel in a cart, that David should have known God's law concerning its transport, and the Philistines did not.  When we share the gospel, we to make sure that we are sharing it as God intends, which is to bring people to salvation and nothing more or less.  Uzzah and Ahio the sons of Abinadab drove the cart.  The Ark had been housed with them since its return to Israel so now they were taking charge of its transportation.  Still it shouldn't have been hidden away all these years, just as we as Christians are not to hide away the gospel today.  Verse four concludes, And they brought it out of the house of Abinadab which was at Gibeah, accompanying the ark of God: and Ahio went before the ark.  We are just told again of the removal of the Ark from Abinadab's house and its accompaniment by his sons, with Ahio going ahead of the Ark.  Verse five states, And David and all the house of Israel played before the LORD on all manner of instruments made of fir wood, even on harps, and on psalteries, and on timbrels, and on cornets, and on cymbals.  The people of Isreal played music on the way to Jerusalem with the Ark, and I believe that music is still an important part of our worship services today.  Matthew Henry says some people think this is when David wrote the sixty-eigth Psalm.  Verse six adds, And when they came to Nachon’s threshingfloor, Uzzah put forth his hand to the ark of God, and took hold of it; for the oxen shook it.  On their journey, when the ark shook, Uzzah put his hand on it to steady it. He had been around the Ark for a long time, and it may be that it had lost some of the holiness that it represented to him.  We can never allow the Gospel to become so ordinary to us that we allow it to lose its holiness.  Verse seven continues, And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Uzzah; and God smote him there for his error; and there he died by the ark of God.  We are told that God was angry with Uzzah and struck him dead there by the Ark.  We might view what Uzzah was doing as a good thing, but what he did violated God's law.  If we violate God's law, we should expect there to be consequences, even if we have everlasting salvation through our faith in Jesus Christ.  We therefore should make sure that we never pervert the Gospel by making it just an ordinary thing and not God's plan for salvation.  Verse seven declares, And David was displeased, because the LORD had made a breach upon Uzzah: and he called the name of the place Perezuzzah to this day.  David was displeased with God.  Nothing is said about him going to God for help in understanding why Uzzah had been struck down,  but only that he was angry with God.  If something that we consider bad happens as we are presenting the gospel, we need to first make sure that we are presenting it in accordance with God's law and then we should go to God and ask Him what we have done wrong.  We will never be justified in getting angry with God.  Verse nine continues, And David was afraid of the LORD that day, and said, How shall the ark of the LORD come to me?  Instead of asking God for guidance, David became afraid of God and asked how the Ark would ever come to him.  Even if things go wrong when we are attempting to worship God, we should never become afraid of Him, but should simply go to Him in prayer for understanding instead.  Verse ten declares, So David would not remove the ark of the LORD unto him into the city of David: but David carried it aside into the house of Obededom the Gittite.  David would not bring the Ark of the LORD to himself in Jerusalem, but sent it to the house of Obededom instead.  We must never allow the fear of God to cause us to turn aside from the Gospel.  David still had not sought God's guidance in this matter, which we should always do if we have questions or fears about our journey with Christ today.  Verse eleven continues, And the ark of the LORD continued in the house of Obededom the Gittite three months: and the LORD blessed Obededom, and all his household.  The Ark remained in the house of Obededom for three months and God blessed him.  If we abide in God's word today he will bless us spiritually if not materially.