Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“David and all the house of Israel were dancing before the Lord with all their might, with songs and lyres and harps and tambourines and castanets and cymbals.”
NL Daily Devotion for Sunday, October 22, 2023
by Madison Johnston, Clergy Stuff
Main Idea: God is prepared to dwell with us in the not-so-established, in-between times.
These stories point to a kind of combination transition in the history of Israel. The snippet from Chapter 5 marks when David became ruler of all of Israel as opposed to just the southern portion, Judah. Chapter 6 talks of one of David’s first decisions as ruler—that is, to change the capitol region from Baale to Jerusalem, and to move the Ark of God there as a result.
One reason why this move is so important is because the Ark of God was a symbol for God’s presence among God’s people on earth. Where it was located, how it was presented and who had access to it were all incredibly central factors to the identity of Israel.
Another reason why this move is so important is a bit more specific. David intended for the Ark to instill comfort and confidence in a traumatized, long divided people—to signify a new chapter of unity for Israel. As the tribes in Chapter 5 of our text imply, Saul’s reign started going downhill in its final years. Israel suffered from violence and hyper politicization at his hands. In fact, Saul even launched an initiative to have David killed along with anyone who might be close to him or loyal to him. David figured that the presence of God in a newly-named capitol would be a tangible reminder for all of God’s people that things had changed and that life would be better.
Of course, change and betterment on such a huge scale can’t happen overnight. Perhaps the most important thing for us to remember about this story is that a permanent structure was never built for the Ark of God during David’s rule. It wasn’t relocated to any kind of palace or temple. Instead, it resided in a tent for the duration of David’s reign. The destination didn’t stop any of the joy or ceremony around the moving of the Ark. It didn’t diminish the power the Ark held, either. It simply served as an incredible visual and continues to serve as an incredible visual today: the presence of God’s very self, pitching a tent and staying there for years and years and years.
In other words, God met the people of Israel exactly where they were—in a nomadic move from ruler to ruler and from a tribal structure to a more centralized one. As the people of Israel prepared for the uncertainty and discomfort and vulnerability (and even the hope) that change can bring, God was there for them and prepared alongside them. The joy in our Psalm today stems from the fact that we have a God who doesn’t need to be established to do good work. To be loved and revered. We have a God who doesn’t need us to be established to do good work. To be loved and cherished. God will meet us wherever we are, even in this most transient of times, with the fullness of God’s presence and grace. God will pitch a tent wherever we do and see us through the messiness of change. We know that through the witness of the Hebrew Bible, but we also know that in the witness of Jesus. God dwelled among us as one of us…that is perhaps the most important and intimate tent-pitching we could ever ask for.
