Today, I am reading and commenting on 2 Samuel 4-7.

When David decided to move the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem, we are told that they brought it from the house of Abinadab.  Interestingly, back in 1 Samuel 6-7, after the Philistines returned the Ark to the Israelites, it was taken from Beth Shemesh to Kiriath Jearim and left in the house of Abinadab.  It also says that it remained there for twenty years.  However, I cannot accept any reading of the two books of Samuel which has today’s passage happening only twenty years after those of 1 Samuel 6-7.  As I read this, the events of 1 Samuel 6-7 occurred before Samuel began leading Israel. Then Samuel was followed by Saul being king for forty-two years. Then I noticed as I was reading through this year that in 2 Samuel 14:18 it says that while Saul was king the Ark was with the Israelites when they mustered for battle.  As I was getting my facts straight on this, I came across an article which suggested that the twenty years which 1 Samuel 7 says that the ark remained at Kiriath Jearim was the time between the return of the Ark and Samuel beginning to lead Israel described next there in chapter 7.  The explanation then of why David was bringing the Ark from Kiriath Jearim to Jerusalem in today’s passage would be that while the Israelite army was not mustered for war, the Ark was returned to Kiriath Jearim.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.