1 Chronicles 13: Seeking the Savior

​Key Verse
2 And David said to all the assembly of Israel, “If it seems good to you and from the Lord our God, let us send abroad to our brothers who remain in all the lands of Israel, as well as to the priests and Levites in the cities that have pasturelands, that they may be gathered to us. 3 Then let us bring again the ark of our God to us, for we did not seek it in the days of Saul.”
 
Meditation
The verb “seek” is the key word in today’s reading, connecting us to a larger theme in Chronicles, Scripture, and ultimately to the heart of God. God seeks to dwell with his people (Exodus 25:8), Jesus came to “seek and save the lost” (Luke 19:10), and God promises we will find Him when we “seek Him with all our heart” (Jeremiah 29:13).
 
David’s first post-coronation act is moving the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem. David consulted with his leaders (v. 1) before commanding, “Let us again bring the ark of God to us, for we did not seek it/ Him in the days of Saul.” (v. 2). Seeking the Lord is the only solid foundation for life and leadership.
 
“Seeking” is a significant theme in Chronicles. Saul’s seeking direction from a witch (10:13) is the explanation of why his authority slipped away. David seeking the Lord is the secret to his success, an embodiment of a right response to God’s invitation: “Look to the Lord and His strength, seek His face always” (1 Chronicles 16:11). Chronicles emphasizes, “If you seek God, He will be found by you. If you forsake God, He will forsake you” (2 Chronicles 15:2b).
 
God’s gracious invitation to seek Him echoes throughout Scripture: 
“Seek the Lord while He may be found” (Isaiah 55:6)! 
“Seek me and live!” (Amos 5:4) 
“Those who seek the Lord lack no good thing” (Psalm 34:10) 
God “rewards those who earnestly seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6). 
 
Today's reading reveals our inability to seek the Lord faithfully (vv. 5-14) and our need for a Savior who came to seek us. When we know Jesus' grace, we are free to  seek Him and His kingdom first, experiencing His promise that everything else we need will be added unto us (Matthew 6:33).
 
Today’s Reading
David consulted with the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, with every leader. 2 And David said to all the assembly of Israel, “If it seems good to you and from the Lord our God, let us send abroad to our brothers who remain in all the lands of Israel, as well as to the priests and Levites in the cities that have pasturelands, that they may be gathered to us. 3 Then let us bring again the ark of our God to us, for we did not seek it in the days of Saul.” 4 All the assembly agreed to do so, for the thing was right in the eyes of all the people.

Uzzah and the Ark
5 So David assembled all Israel from the Nile of Egypt to Lebo-hamath, to bring the ark of God from Kiriath-jearim. 6 And David and all Israel went up to Baalah, that is, to Kiriath-jearim that belongs to Judah, to bring up from there the ark of God, which is called by the name of the Lord who sits enthroned above the cherubim. 7 And they carried the ark of God on a new cart, from the house of Abinadab, and Uzzah and Ahio were driving the cart. 8 And David and all Israel were celebrating before God with all their might, with song and lyres and harps and tambourines and cymbals and trumpets.

9 And when they came to the threshing floor of Chidon, Uzzah put out his hand to take hold of the ark, for the oxen stumbled. 10 And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzzah, and he struck him down because he put out his hand to the ark, and he died there before God. 11 And David was angry because the Lord had broken out against Uzzah. And that place is called Perez-uzza to this day. 12 And David was afraid of God that day, and he said, “How can I bring the ark of God home to me?” 13 So David did not take the ark home into the city of David, but took it aside to the house of Obed-edom the Gittite. 14 And the ark of God remained with the household of Obed-edom in his house three months. And the Lord blessed the household of Obed-edom and all that he had.
 
Richly Dwelling
-If you were king of Israel what would your first action be? Why is it significant that David was seeking God through restoring the ark to the center of the geo-political life of Israel?
 
-What do you seek with all of your heart? 
 
-Jesus demonstrates the Father’s love seeking you. How does this fuel a faithful response to seek Him? How can you specifically seek God today?
 
Key Verse
2 And David said to all the assembly of Israel, “If it seems good to you and from the Lord our God, let us send abroad to our brothers who remain in all the lands of Israel, as well as to the priests and Levites in the cities that have pasturelands, that they may be gathered to us. 3 Then let us bring again the ark of our God to us, for we did not seek it in the days of Saul.”