1 Chronicles (TOTC) by Martin J. Selman

Author:Martin J. Selman [Selman, Martin J.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781783592333
Publisher: Inter-Varsity Press
Published: 2008-08-14T16:00:00+00:00

i. The ark begins its journey (13:1–14)

‘Let us bring the ark of our God back to us’ (13:3).

13:5–14—cf. 2 Samuel 6:1–11

Chapter 13 clearly commends the priority David gives to the ark, but it also contains a warning that it was much more than a symbol of the divine presence. The enthusiasm of verse 3 (Let us bring the ark of our God back to us) gives way swiftly to David’s despair, How can I ever bring the ark of God to me? (v. 12). Even David could not take the reality of God’s presence for granted. If Chronicles’ readers wanted Israel’s former glories restored, they too must reckon with a God whose dynamic holiness could not be contained within human limitations. The chapter is also notable for recording one of David’s two failures in the Chronicler’s account (for the other, see 1 Chr. 21). David makes the fundamental error of failing to recognize God’s true nature, and as a result, both here and in chapter 21, some Israelites have to pay the ultimate price. While it is true that the Chronicler omits several details from earlier accounts of David’s private life, including the Bathsheba incident (2 Sam. 11–12), he certainly does not whitewash David’s reputation, as some have alleged.

a. The decision to move the ark (13:1–4). This introduction, identifiable by characteristic vocabulary and themes, has been added by the Chronicler to 2 Samuel 6. Three themes, none of them found in 2 Samuel 6, dominate these verses. The first, continued from chapters 11–12, is ‘all Israel’ (v. 5, RSV, etc.), described in verses 2, 4 as the whole assembly. In the light of the tribes’ commitment to David at Hebron (11:1–3; 12:38–40), bringing back the ark is no longer just a military initiative undertaken by David’s men (cf. 2 Sam. 6:1), but a religious enterprise of the whole people. The assembly in this context must refer to representatives from most if not all the tribes.21 The unity theme is amplified twice, by references to priests and Levites, who will play a key role in the ark’s transportation (chapters 15–16), and to the rest of our brothers throughout the territories of Israel (cf. 12:38). The latter contrasts Israel’s disintegration after Saul’s final defeat (cf. 10:7), and offers new encouragement after David’s victory over the Philistines (14:8–17) to those too hesitant to attend the anointing at Hebron (11:1–3).

The second theme is that of consultation, a special interest of Chronicles rarely found in Samuel or Kings. Kings such as Solomon (2 Chr. 1:2), Jehoshaphat (2 Chr. 20:21), and Hezekiah (2 Chr. 30:2; 32:3) are commended for this,22 in stark contrast with the failure of Rehoboam (2 Chr. 10:6–14) and Amaziah (2 Chr. 25:16–17) to follow good advice. David’s consultation here allows the Israelite people to take a corporate decision on the central issue of the ark’s future (v. 4). In so doing, Chronicles presents a leadership ideal for the people of God very different from authoritarian patterns well known in ancient and modern times.

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