“And the ark of the Lord remained in the house of Obed-edom the Gittite for three months, and the Lord blessed Obed-edom and all his household.” 2 Sam.6:11 (Amp)
God had just come down hard in His wrath upon the Israelites. What was their crime? They had unwittingly insulted Him and erred by attempting to carry the holy relic – the Ark of the Covenant, the symbol of God’s presence amongst them, to Jerusalem on a cart. The Levites should have carried it. So, while the intention was good and sincere, the execution was bad and it ultimately incurred the wrath of the God whose word was being contravened; hence His judgement. This led to their abandoning the venture altogether for a while due to the fear of God’s judgement. So what were they to do with the Ark? They unceremoniously dumped it in the house of Obed-edom a Levitical porter, without as much as giving a thought to what could happen to him and his family. Three months on, they received news that Obed-edom’s household was being exceptionally blessed by God and realised that God actually wanted to bless rather than judge them, but He would not brook sin, however pure our intentions.
In the days before methane gas detectors were invented, miners used to carry canaries in cages underground with them. They understood that the canary is highly sensitive and particularly susceptible to the presence of methane, a dangerous gas that can kill in minutes. So they keep a watchful eye on the canary. If nothing happens to it, it is a sign that all is well and they then proceed to mine for coal. However, if the canary dies, they know that it is unsafe to work in that area and quickly evacuate.
In the above story, Obed-edom served as an involuntary guinea pig for the people of Israel. He was Israel’s canary in the mine. Had his family perished due to the ark’s presence, the Israelites would have known that it was not safe to have God’s presence with them and they would have distanced themselves from Him. However, once they realised that God wanted to bless, rather than kill, they took the right steps and returned the Ark to its rightful place – right in the centre of Israel’s worship.
Today, God’s resonant voice is now calling as of one crying in the wilderness – prepare the way of the Lord. Make His path straight. He wants to bless us and make us a blessing to a world that is desperately in need of His power. He needs just one person through whom He could demonstrate His love and power for the world He died to save and this is where your cooperation can prove mutually useful both to God and you. So, heed His call today to seek Him and thus make yourself ready to become the conduit of His grace in your generation and even beyond. Will you become God’s canary in the mine – His warning of the dangers of sin as well as the showcase of His blessings? The choice is yours. So, choose wisely and life as you know it will never remain the same for you.
Prayer:
Father, your infallible word assures me that your plans for my life are of good and not of evil to make my expectations a reality. Therefore, I offer myself today for your use. I commit to seek you until I find you so that my life and the greater world will be the better for my passing through. I heed your voice today. Let me know what your Spirit is saying to that I can give the correct response. Help me to live kingdom-significant life in Jesus name. Amen.