Study Guide
The Presence
What gets prioritized in your life? And are they the right priorities? Listen in as Pastor Kamar Bevil inspires us to prioritize God's presence as we look at David's first act as King over Israel and how this challenges us today!
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Read 2 Samuel 6:1-19 (CSB)
Pursue God’s presence as your first priority.
In 2 Samuel 6, David begins his reign as king by setting a clear priority, to bring back the Ark of the Covenant, the tangible symbol of God’s presence among His people. “Then let’s bring back the ark of our God, for we did not inquire of him in Saul’s days. ” 1 Chronicles 13:3 (CSB)
For approximately twenty years, the Ark (and therefore, the presence of God) had been neglected. Under Saul’s leadership, Israel learned to live in the blessings of God without truly depending on the presence of God. But David wasn’t content with that. His first royal order wasn’t to expand the kingdom or build his palace, it was to go after the Ark.
David’s vision was to make Jerusalem not just the political capital, but the spiritual center of Israel, uniting kingship and priesthood, leadership and worship, action and intimacy. He understood that the nation couldn’t move forward without the presence of God at the center.
David’s first order as king sets a tone for every generation of God’s people: go after the presence of God first. Before we build, before we plan, before we strategize…we seek Him.
This story isn’t just about David’s personal devotion; it’s a call to collective pursuit. As a church family, we’re invited to prioritize God’s presence over every program, agenda, and event. When God’s presence isn’t at the center, even good things lose their power.
A.W. Tozer once said,
“If the Holy Spirit was withdrawn from the church today, 95% of what we do would go on and no one would know the difference. If the Holy Spirit had been withdrawn from the New Testament church, 95% of what they did would stop, and everybody would know the difference.”
Every generation, including ours, must decide: will God’s presence live on the margins or at the center of our lives? Our answer isn’t found in our words but in the devotion of our lives.
Read 2 Samuel 6:6-11 (CSB)
Carry God’s presence with reverence.
In the previous verses, David gathered 30,000 men to bring the Ark of the Covenant, the symbol of God’s presence, back to Jerusalem. Their desire was good and noble. They were passionate, enthusiastic, and unified around pursuing God’s presence. But along the journey, things took a tragic turn.
“When they came to Nacon’s threshing floor, Uzzah reached out to the ark of God and took hold of it, because the oxen had stumbled. Then the Lord’s anger burned against Uzzah, and God struck him dead on the spot for his irreverence, and he died there beside the ark of God.” - 2 Samuel 6:6–7 (CSB)
What began as a celebration ended in shock. Uzzah’s reflex was human, he didn’t want the Ark to fall. But his reaction revealed a deeper issue: they were moving the Ark the wrong way. God had given specific instructions in the Law (Numbers 4:15; Exodus 25:14–15) that the Ark was to be carried on poles by the Levites, not placed on a cart like common cargo.
Good intentions couldn’t excuse disobedience. Passion without reverence led to a painful wake-up call. A holy hunger is good, but it must be paired with holy reverence.
David and his men had zeal, but zeal alone isn’t enough. The presence of God can’t be approached casually or carried carelessly. After Uzzah’s death, David was both angry and afraid, emotions that often arise when our expectations of God collide with His holiness. So, he halted the mission and placed the Ark in the house of Obed-Edom, where it stayed for three months. And what happened next was surprising:
“The Lord blessed Obed-Edom and his whole family.” - 2 Samuel 6:11 (CSB)
God’s holiness wasn’t meant to terrify; it was meant to transform. The same presence that brought judgment when mishandled brought blessing when honored.
This story reminds us that God’s presence isn’t something to manage, it’s something to revere. Reverence doesn’t distance us from God; it deepens our awareness of who He truly is.
Read 2 Samuel 6:12-19 (CSB)
In God’s presence we have unshakable joy.
After the devastating loss of Uzzah, the Ark stayed in Obed-Edom’s house, and God blessed him abundantly. Hearing this, David recognized that God’s presence was not something to fear but something to celebrate and steward well.
“So David went and had the ark of God brought up from Obed-Edom’s house to the city of David with rejoicing. When those carrying the ark of the Lord advanced six steps, he sacrificed an ox and a fattened calf.” - 2 Samuel 6:12b–13 (CSB)
This time, the Ark was carried correctly, not on a cart, but on the shoulders of consecrated priests. Every six steps, David stopped the procession to offer sacrifices of worship. What was once mishandled was now handled with reverence. And what began with fear now overflowed with joy.
David’s goal was to bring God’s presence home, to make it close to the people again. No longer hidden in obscure locations, God’s presence would dwell among His people in Jerusalem.
Just like then, God’s desire today is not for us to keep Him at a distance (aka: to know about Him or visit Him when we’re desperate) but to host His presence daily in our hearts, homes, and church.
The sacrifices along the journey revealed that David had regained a reverent heart. But his dancing before the Lord showed he hadn’t lost his delight.
Both reverence and joy are vital responses to God’s presence.
David and Israel gave their best… their worship, their offerings, their celebration. Honoring God’s presence was costly and central. And even though we no longer offer animal sacrifices, we still offer ourselves — our time, talents, treasures, and testimony as living sacrifices (Romans 12:1).
When the Ark arrived in Jerusalem, David placed it inside the tent he had prepared, and for the first time in generations, the whole nation experienced life in God’s presence together. What David experienced personally was now shared corporately. God’s presence became tangible. Healings, transformation, and joy naturally flowed, not because people came for miracles, but because they gathered for God Himself.
“God shows up to environments where He is worshipped and wanted.”
David eventually appointed 4,000 priests to worship before the Ark around the clock, an act of radical devotion and investment. Why? Because he believed that when God’s presence is central, everything else flourishes.
As followers of Jesus, we no longer retrieve God’s presence, the Holy Spirit now dwells within us. But that indwelling presence still requires intentional attention. Experiencing God doesn’t happen automatically; it happens when we slow down, seek Him, and become present to His presence.
As Charles Spurgeon said: “If Christ is anything, He must be everything. Do not rest until love and faith in Jesus are the master passions of your soul.”
Current Sermon Series
In this series, we’ll journey through the remarkable life of David — shepherd, poet, warrior, king, and wholehearted worshiper of God. From humble beginnings in obscurity to the heights of leading a nation, David’s story is one of both triumphs and trials. We’ll see him dodge javelins hurled by a jealous king, hide in caves as a fugitive, and stand boldly before giants like Goliath — and through it all, God’s faithfulness shaping a man after His own heart and showing us what He can do through a willing life.