David Brings God’s Ark to Jerusalem

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To view the Leader Guide for this week, click here.

To view a .docx version of the guide, click here.

Introduction 

Last week we talked about the story of David vs. Goliath and how we can trust God during the challenging times in our lives to pull us through.  

• Spend some time talking about how everyone has tried to look for ways to apply this to their lives since last week? 

After your time of connecting, begin your meeting with prayer.  

Connect  

• Are you someone who follows instructions or do you figure it out as you go? Why do you think you do this?  
  • Share a time where either of these scenarios had a negative impact on you or those around you.  
• How do you express gratitude to someone for something they’ve done? How do you think other receive this? 

Opening Thought 

Instructions can be difficult to pay attention to sometimes, even when they are clearly presented. We can fail tests or put together a shelf from Ikea incorrectly because we think we can do things on our own and we don’t need to listen to others. This can also translate to our relationship with God and how we worship him. We may think we are worshipping God correctly, but then realize God calls us to do things differently than we originally thought.  

This leads us to our main idea for this week:  

Main idea
We should worship God correctly by
listening to his instruction 

The Story so Far 

Since David and Goliath’s battle, David’s popularity with the people of Israel grew, making their king, Saul, jealous enough to order him killed. As a result, David and his followers went into hiding for many years until Saul and his sons ended up dying during a battle. David then fought two wars, one against Saul’s followers and one against the Philistines, both of which he won, making him king of Israel.  

Here’s where we are this week 

As one of David’s first acts as king of the people of Israel, he wants to bring the Ark of the Covenant to the newly established capital city of his kingdom, Jerusalem. The Ark was a box holding the tablets God wrote laws for his people on and the Israelites carried this box with them while they wandered in the wilderness for 40 years before entering Canaan, the land God promised to bring his people into (modern-day Israel). This box was also the place that God’s presence would descend upon to be with his people and speak with his prophets and priests, meaning the Ark of the Covenant was the physical place where God would come down to earth upon at that time.  

Unpack 

*Read each set of verses out loud as a group, making observations as you go. Afterward discuss each of the connected questions before moving to the next set of verses: 

Read  

2 Samuel 6:1-11  

Exodus 25:10-16 

Number 4:15 

Unpack  

The verses we just read from Exodus and Numbers shows that God gives the Israelites instructions on how to respect the Ark of the Covenant, one of which was to carry the Ark with poles set into the side of the ark.  

• Compare God’s instructions to how the Israelites treated the Ark in 2 Samuel 6:3, what was different? 
  • Why do you think God gave such specific instructions for how to carry the Ark? What do you think this shows about how important God’s word is? 

• Why do you think David cared about moving God’s Ark to Jerusalem?  
  • Why were the Israelites all celebrating so extravagantly?  
    • What do you think this section can teach us about how we should respect God’s instruction? What level of importance do you place on God’s instructions (aka his word)? 

Read  

1 Chronicles 15:11-16 

2 Samuel 6:13-23 

Unpack 

• It was important that they carried the ark instead of putting it on a cart. What can this teach us about God’s desire for our worship? 
• 2 Samuel 6:14 says that David wore a linen ephod, which was a simple priestly garment, instead of his royal attire when he was “dancing with all his might” as the ark was brought into Jerusalem.  
  • Why do you think this was included in the story? 
    • Why did it matter that David was wearing an ephod instead of his royal garments? Why was Michal disgusted and had contempt for David’s worship? 
• What is usually most important to you when you worship God? What does this story teach us about what should be most important? 

Apply 

Based on the verses we just read, there are some things that we can do in response. Take a moment to discuss these questions as a group to decide what your personal action steps for the week can be: 

• What is one way God is calling you to listen to his instruction in your life this week? 
• How will you choose to worship God more openly in front of others this week? 
• How will we as a group be bolder to worship and listen to God in our immediate community? 

Closing 

Read first then move to the Prayer and Verses section: 

Just like David and the Israelites learned, the best way we can worship God is to follow the steps given to us by him. Even though it might not seem like it matters, the instructions God has given to his people are important to follow because they were made with intention from the wise and loving God of all creation. This should lead us to live in the freedom that we no longer need to figure out how to live because Jesus has given us a way to live, by following his teachings.  

**Join us next week while we go through the story of David** 

not being allowed to build the temple.  

Prayer and Verses 

Ask for prayer requests and conclude your time with prayer then share the Key Verse for the Week and Daily Devotional Verses with the group. 

Thematic Reflection Verse: 

Romans 12:1 

“And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.” 

**When practiced consistently, memorizing Bible verses can be an important spiritual practice that centers your mind around the truth that God has given us. 

Daily Devotional Verses  

Use the S.O.A.P. method to reflect on the verses below. 

Scripture: Read the verses several times. Reading out loud can be helpful as well. 
Observation: What can you see about the scripture you read? 
Application: What is God wanting you to believe, do, or feel, based on what you have read? 
Prayer: This is a chance to talk to God about what you have read and ask him for help in living out what you’ve learned. 

Day 1: John 4:23-24 

Day 2: Psalm 150:6 

Day 3: Hebrews 13:15 

Day 4: Hebrews 12:28 

Day 5: Habakkuk 3:17-18 

Day 6: 1 Chronicles 29:11