I Chronicles 16
If we had not noticed in our prior readings, it should now be clear that bringing the Ark to Jerusalem is a really big deal. It is a tremendous first step in restoring proper worship of the LORD in Israel, enhanced by David’s appointment of Levites to serve as professional musicians. The celebration even includes a distribution of food to everyone, which indicates a significant level of national peace and prosperity.
But bringing the Ark is only the first step. One thing that is clearly stated, but which I’ve never particularly noticed before, is that the Ark is placed in a tent that David pitches for it (I Ch. 16:1), a tent that is not the Tabernacle, which remains at Gibeon. David ensures that priests and Levites tend to the Tabernacle as well as the Ark, but he otherwise leaves the Tabernacle where it is. (I Ch. 16:39)
So let’s step back and consider the historical context. It is unclear exactly how much time has elapsed from Moses to David, but we can safely say it has been at least a couple of centuries. During that time, Torah has largely been forgotten, as Israel repeatedly lost its way. (Remember the Judges?) The Ark was brought out of the Tabernacle to go with the army, but it was captured by the Philistines in the days of Eli, only to be too “hot” for them to handle and so subsequently returned. (I Sam. 4-6) The Ark continued to go about with the army during Saul’s tenure (I Sam. 14:18) but otherwise generally resided in Kiriath-jearim — away from the Tabernacle — for decades. (I Sam. 7:2) It appears that virtually everyone (including David) has forgotten that the Ark belongs in the Holy of Holies within the Tabernacle. That is the scenario that David inherits.
Getting Israel back on track in its worship of the LORD is clearly going to take major effort and a lot of time, but David needs to start somewhere. Bringing the Ark to Jerusalem is that first big step. Organizing the Levites to help with praise and worship is another. The Chronicler knows that there is still much to be done, but he nonetheless celebrates David’s moving in the right direction, step by step, one step at a time.
One more thing…
Paying attention to the cross-references, we see that virtually all of the song included in today’s reading is reflected in the psalms that we’ll read tomorrow. I Ch. 16:8-22 is in Ps. 105:1-15, I Ch. 16:23-33 is in Ps. 96:1-13 (with some variation), and I Ch. 16:35-36 is in Ps. 106:47-48 (almost).