And the children of the Levites bore the ark of God on their shoulders; by its poles, as Moses had commanded according to the word of the LORD. 15: 15
A Procession of Joyful Celebration
In 1 Chronicles chapter 15, we read about David bringing up the ark from the house of Obed Edom to Zion, the City of David (1 Chron 11: 5). This was carried out in a procession "with great joy" (15: 25). The procession was characterised by the following:It was a large assembly - of the children of Aaron and the Levites, about 550 of them besides the captains of thousands.
It was a sacred task - the heads of the Levites, Zadok and Abiathar the priest and six other Levites sanctified themselves and their brethren.
It was to be entirely Levitical - only Levites were appointed as singers, and only the Levites could be musicians who played strings, harps, cymbals and trumpets. Again, only the Levites could be chosen to "raise their voice with resounding joy" and to be doorkeepers (15: 23, 24).
It was a joyful celebration - King David himself was in the procession, whirling in his dance and playing music (15: 29).
A Progression of Thankful Commemoration
In contrast, after the ark arrived and was installed in the tabernacle, the loud, joyful and spontaneous celebration was replaced by a more orderly and meticulous order of sacrifice and psaltery in a very carefully planned progression of thanksgiving.As we move into 1 Chronicles chapter 16, we read about the giving of thanks for the ark in the tabernacle that David had erected for it, "to commemorate, to thank, to praise" (16:4). In this chapter, we can notice clearly an orderly progression of steps from beginning to end of David's thanksgiving service:
Firstly, the service began with burnt offerings and peace offerings.
When this was completed, David then blessed the people in the name of God.
Then the appointed Levites carried out their duty to minister, commemorate, thank and praise the LORD using strings, harps and cymbals. Trumpets were blown regularly.
After this, David handed over to Asaph, the chief musician, and his brothers, a psalm that David had composed, to thank the LORD (16: 8 - 36)
Finally, all the people said, "AMEN" together and praised the LORD
After the thankful commemoration service was over, Asaph and his brothers remained in the tabernacle to minister regularly as required daily: as gatekeepers, to offer burnt offerings regularly in the mornings and evenings, to give thanks and to sing to the LORD.
So, while 1 Chronicles 15 records a Joyful Procession that brought the ark back to the City of David, the following chapter 16 depicts a Thankful Progression of commemoration and dedication in the tabernacle of the LORD.
Conclusion
Let us ask God to help us learn from 1 Chronicles 15 and 16 today: to distinguish Procession from Progression, to know when to come out in Joyful celebration and when to assemble for Thankful dedication.And like the Levites who continued their priestly duties as gatekeepers, and performers of daily burnt offerings, in giving thanks and in their singing to the LORD, let us learn to continue likewise to worship our God in awe and reverence from day to day.
