The ark of the Lord remained in the house of Obed-edom the Gittite three months; and the Lord blessed Obed-edom and all his household.
It was told King David, "The Lord has blessed the household of Obed-edom and all that belongs to him, because of the ark of God." So David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-edom to the city of David with rejoicing; and when those who bore the ark of the Lord had gone six paces, he sacrificed an ox and a fatling. David danced before the Lord with all his might; David was girded with a linen ephod. So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the Lord with shouting, and with the sound of the trumpet.
As the ark of the Lord came into the city of David, Michal daughter of Saul looked out of the window, and saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord; and she despised him in her heart.
They brought in the ark of the Lord, and set it in its place, inside the tent that David had pitched for it; and David offered burnt offerings and offerings of well-being before the Lord. When David had finished offering the burnt offerings and the offerings of well-being, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord of hosts, and distributed food among all the people, the whole multitude of Israel, both men and women, to each a cake of bread, a portion of meat, and a cake of raisins. Then all the people went back to their homes.
2 Samuel 6:11-19 – NRSV
How long does it take to get over being mad at God? I’m not sure that there is just one answer. I’ve known farmers who’ve been angry at the Creator for years because of the weather that drowned or dried up a crop. I’ve know people who’ve maintained a grudge against God for decades because of the way that God’s people acted toward them on one traumatic Sunday many, many years ago.
David gets over his temper in three months. In a lot of ways, he’s probably ahead of the learning curve for most human beings. What changes David’s mind? Apparently, it is that David sees that, for three long months, the Lord is blessing Obed-edom greatly for his hospitality to the ark. Despite the shock and horror of the tragedy with Uzzah, Obed-edom has made a place for this symbol of the presence of a very dangerous God. For this courageous display of respect, God showers blessings so large and plentiful upon Obed-edom that it comes to the attention of all of Israel.
David comes to understand that his anger with God has cut him off both from the presence of God and the blessing of God. Perhaps that is why God chooses to bless Obed-edom so richly; God wants David to see just exactly what his unquenched anger was costing him.
When David finally does open his eyes, he sees that God has continued to take care of his people. God holds the day of praise and blessing for David. When David can put away his anger and return humble, doing the right things with the right heart, then he could receive the blessing of that day. When David decides to get over his anger and rejoin the movement of God in this world, then he manages to demonstrate that God's people can't take half a dozen steps without God's blessing being present, and without the need for the praise of God's people to return as a blessing to their God.
Our anger with God hurts God; because he loves us profoundly he is capable of the most profound suffering as well. That anger, though, hurts us in more ways than we might understand. It is not just that we lose his presence and his blessing. Our anger can also deafen us from hearing what God would have us hear from his word and the world around us. It can blind us from seeing how God is moving in our lives and the world around us. If we give our anger free rein long enough, it can dull our senses so that we are no longer capable of experiencing God’s power or presence at all.
How can we recover our senses? Hear the word of the Lord:
I sought the Lord, and he answered me,
and delivered me from all my fears.
Look to him, and be radiant;
so your faces shall never be ashamed.
This poor soul cried, and was heard by the Lord,
and was saved from every trouble.
The angel of the Lord encamps
around those who fear him, and delivers them.
O taste and see that the Lord is good;
happy are those who take refuge in him.
Psalm 34:4-8 – NRSV
May God open our eyes to help us see that the One who is with us is greater than those who are against us.
Grace and peace,
Ron
