In a downstairs file cabinet at our house are several folders which contain owner’s manuals. This is where I go if I need information about the snow blower, lawn mower, gas grill, hedge trimmer, microwave, refrigerator, or other household appliances. We hope these items last for many years; we have no intention of discarding them at the first sign of trouble. So it makes sense to keep for easy reference the original instructions from the maker. The manuals are only consulted when a problem occurs, or a reminder is needed about how something should be stored, maintained, or handled. But it would be foolish to discard a manual as if it were useless just because the tool or appliance is no longer new. The LORD’s “outbreak” against Uzzah (13:11; 15:13) causes David to reflect on the ark of God... and to search for the owner’s manual! There were ancient rules God had prescribed for the handling of this sacred piece of furniture. As the ark dated back to Moses’ time, so did the regulations. But David knew that, for all its antiquity, the ark was central to the religious life of Israel. So in 1 Chronicles 15, he wisely goes back to the Maker’s instructions before another effort is made to transport the ark from the home of Obed-edom to a place of central prominence in the city of Jerusalem. This time he “prepared a place for the ark of God and pitched a tent for it,” following the instructions God gave to Moses at Mount Sinai. Then he insists that “no one but the Levites may carry the ark of God.” And they must carry it in the prescribed way: “on their shoulders with the poles, as Moses had commanded according to the word of the LORD” (v 1-15). All the concern for the exactness of the procedure was not empty formalism; it was a desire to please God and worship Him in reverence. If the reverence is sincere, it will overflow into action, for actions can speak louder than words. Still, true worship is more than a prescribed set of activities carried out to the letter of the law. Worship is also an expression of the heart. And this lesson is made clear from the report of David’s preparation for music and praise. The celebration was loud and joyful as the ark made its way to Jerusalem. The Levites appointed singers and instrumentalists to rejoice together under the leadership of knowledgeable musicians. What better description of worship could be given than that of v 16—”to raise sounds of joy”? The uninhibited praise was an offense to Michal, the daughter of Saul, but the writer makes it plain that David’s song and dance were in tune with the heart of God (v 16-29). For further meditation: