Gleanings from Obed-Edom (Part 4) - You can go home again

The presence of God had an eternal and profound effect on Obed's life. I think he no longer wanted to stay at his home after David retrieved the Ark. Obed-Edom had become satisfied only when he was in the presence of God. So, when David took the Ark to Jerusalem, Obed-Edom joined the parade, playing his harp, and accompanied it all the way up to Jerusalem, to the new tent, or tabernacle, that David had erected purposely for the advent of the Ark of God's Presence.

God had blessed Obed-Edom and his entire household when the Ark was in his home. And everyone who was close to Obed knew he had been blessed. But Obed-Edom wasn't leaving his home because of material blessing. He wanted God's presence. He wanted to be close to God, no matter where that desire led him or what it cost him.

Because Obed-Edom's home was blessed, I believe he wanted to bless God's house. And so Obed-Edom was appointed as one of the "gatekeepers" and one of the "Doorkeepers for the Ark" (1 Chron 15:18). These men guarded the doors and helped collect the money (tithes and offerings) the people brought to God. They also welcomed those coming to worship God at His house. It was a trusted position and quite near the Ark of God's Covenant.

My own earthly father was a "deacon" at the church where I grew up. He went down early every Sunday morning - an hour or so before services began- to open the doors, turn on the air conditioning, or heating, making certain everything was in order.

He closed and locked everything at the end of the services. He did this also on Wednesdays for Prayer Meeting, and for all other activities. Our pastor, Rev. Burch, greatly appreciated my father's close attention to these humble duties.

My father did not become a Christian until I was about 10 or 11 years old. Oftentimes he would tell me his important life-mission verse:

How lovely is your dwelling place, O LORD Almighty! Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked. For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor; no good thing does He withhold from those whose walk is blameless.
(Psalm 84)

My father lived these verses. He would rather spend one day in God's house than to spend 1000 days with earthly kings or presidents! My father knew the difference between God's gracious and loving Sovereignty and man's empty positions here on earth. He said before he died, "Glorya, always remember, Jesus Christ is not going to return on Airforce One!"

Obed-Edom was greatly blessed when the Ark was at his house. He found that when he was faithful to God's house in Jerusalem and blessed it, God's blessings on him continued. He found that as he served God, he, too was blessed. And I know why. It's because God's favor is never paid back. It can't be. It must always be paid forward! Because that's the only direction it can go. And so we, too, can never pay God back for His grace and mercy. We must always, continually, pay it forward.