cave of Adullam, a stronghold in the land of Judah, not far from Bethlehem, where he had dwelt in the time when Saul sought his life. While David was at Adullam, waiting until the men of Israel were gathered together, being thirsty, he longed to drink of the water of his own city, Bethlehem; and he said, “O that one would give me drink of the water of the well of Bethlehem, that is at the gate!" And three of his mighty men, captains of his army, heard these words; so they went down and broke through the host of the Philistines, and drew water out of the well that was by the gate of Bethlehem, and took it, and brought it to David. But David would not drink of it, but poured it out to the Lord, and said, "Be it far from me, O Lord, that I should do this; is not this the blood of the men that went in jeopardy of their lives?" And when the men of war had gathered themselves together to David, he inquired of the Lord whether he should go up against the Philistines. And the Lord answered, that he should go up, and that He would deliver the Philistines into his hand. Then David went down from the stronghold in Adullam, and attacked the Philistines in the valley of Rephaim; and they fled before him. And he took the images of their idol gods which they had left behind them in their camp, and burnt them. And after a time, the Philistines came up again into the land of Judah, and spread themselves a second time in the valley of Rephaim. And David again inquired of the Lord whether he should go up against them; and the Lord answered, that he should fetch a compass, and go round behind them, to a place where there was a grove of mulberry trees. And God said, that when he should hear the sound of a moving in the tops of the mulberry trees, that then he should rise up and fall upon the Philistines; for the Lord would go out before him to smite them. And David did as the Lord commanded, and the Philistines fled before him. And he drove them forth from the land of Israel, even from Geba in the land of Benjamin, to Gaza in the border of their own land. 2 Samuel v. xxiii. 13-18. 1 Chronicles xi. xii. Jeopardy, is great danger. To fetch a compass, is to go a long way round. Chapter CXXEE. THE REMOVAL OF THE ARK OF GOD TO JERUSALEM, THE CITY OF DAVID. about AFTER David had driven forth the Philistines B. C. from the land of Israel, and there was peace 1045. throughout the land, he wished to bring up the ark of the Lord from Kirjath-jearim to his own city, Jerusalem. For from the time that the ark of the Lord had been sent back from the land of the Philistines, in the days of Samuel the prophet, it had remained at Kirjath-jearim, in the house of Abinadab. Then he consulted with all the chief men who were with him, and with the captains of his army, and proposed to them to send to all their brethren throughout the land, and to the priests and Levites who were dwelling in their own cities among the tribes of Israel, that they might gather themselves together to them, and bring up the ark of God to Jerusalem. And the thing seemed right in the eyes of all the people. So David gathered all Israel together, from one end of the land to the other, to bring the ark of God from Kirjath-jearim. And they took the ark of God out of the house of Abinadab, and placed it on a new cart, drawn by oxen, and went forth towards Jerusalem. "And David and all Israel played before God with all their might, with singing, and with harps, and with cymbals, and with trumpets." And the sons of Abinadab, Uzzah and Ahio, drove the cart on which the ark of God was placed. And when they had come near to the hill of Sion, the oxen shook the cart, and Uzzah put forth his hand to the ark of God, and took hold of it. "And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzzah, and he smote him, because he put his hand to the ark; and there he died before God." The Lord had commanded that no one except the priests, the children of Aaron, should touch the ark; even the Levites, who were appointed to bear the ark before the children of Israel entered the land of Canaan, might not touch the ark itself, nor look upon the holy things; the priests, the sons of Aaron, were first to cover them, that the Levites might not see or touch the holy ark of God, and die. Therefore when Uzzah, who was not of the house of Aaron, touched the ark, he sinned against the Lord, and the Lord smote him there, that all the people might fear the Lord, and dread to disobey his word. Then David was afraid, and said, "How shall the ark of the Lord come to me?" So he carried the ark aside into the house of Obed-Edom, which was near; for he feared to go on with it to the hill of Sion. And the ark of the Lord continued with the family of Obed-Edom three months; and the Lord blessed Obed-Edom, and all that he had. Then David pitched a tabernacle for the ark of God on the hill of Sion, and prepared to bring up the ark from the house of Obed-Edom |