https://odb.org/2026/07/06/turtle-dancing
2 Samuel 6:9–15 (NIV): 9 David was afraid of the LORD that day and said, “How can the ark of the LORD ever come to me?” 10 He was not willing to take the ark of the LORD to be with him in the City of David. Instead, he took it to the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite. 11 The ark of the LORD remained in the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite for three months, and the LORD blessed him and his entire household.
12 Now King David was told, “The LORD has blessed the household of Obed-Edom and everything he has, because of the ark of God.” So David went to bring up the ark of God from the house of Obed-Edom to the City of David with rejoicing. 13 When those who were carrying the ark of the LORD had taken six steps, he sacrificed a bull and a fattened calf. 14 Wearing a linen ephod, David was dancing before the LORD with all his might, 15 while he and all Israel were bringing up the ark of the LORD with shouts and the sound of trumpets.
David lost the joy described in 2 Samuel 6:12-15 and instead found himself estranged from God because of his sin (see Psalm 32; 38:1-4; 40:12). After he committed the double sin of adultery with Bathsheba and the murder of her husband, Uriah, he was unrepentant for close to a year until the prophet Nathan confronted him (2 Samuel 11-12). Psalm 51 describes how David confessed his sin (vv. 1-7) and longed for renewed intimacy with God. He prayed, “Oh, give me back my joy again; . . . Create in me a clean heart . . . . Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and make me willing to obey you” (vv. 8-12 nlt). Like David, when we confess our sins, God will forgive us. We can ask Him to “unseal [our] lips” (v. 15 nlt) so we may praise Him again and “joyfully sing of [His] forgiveness” (v. 14 nlt). (K.T. Sim, Insight, Our Daily Bread 6th July 2026)
One of the things I admire about the bible is that it didn’t cover up the sins and iniquities of its stars. David is definitely its brightest star, a king who personally led Israel to many battles. He was chosen by God from a young age to be the next king to replace Saul, faced an ardous journey to be king when Saul tried to assassinate him twice. At his youth, he defeated Goliath of the Philistines with only a sling, an event so famous that it came to symbolise and represent that underdogs may triumph when faced with seemingly insurmountable odds whether it’s a campaign against established players in the industry or even governments. Our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, YHWH incarnate in human flesh, took pains to trace His lineage to the house of David, Israel’s most illustrious son. In other words, Jesus Himself is proud to be associated with David. This is more so when most of the kings after David in the divided kingdom of Northern Israel and Judah were bad rulers.
David was not without blemish as he sinned against God when he committed adultery with Bathsheba and in his quest to possess her, sent her husband Uriah to the frontlines and was killed. Fortunately he didn’t defy God when Nathan confronted him, nearly a year away. Four of his sons died including his first born with Bathsheba as divine retribution of his sins. He nevertheless repented and is well-known for his heart that is after God’s heart. God forgave him and his consolation was despite his sin, God allowed Bathsheba’s second son with him (David had four more sons with Bathsheba after the first died of illness shortly after birth), Solomon to succeed his throne – Solomon became the wisest and wealthiest king Israel ever had having credited with writing three books of the Old Testament, namesly, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and the Song of Songs.
The most important lesson we could learn and apply from David in our lives as believers is that indeed the LORD our God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness if we confess our sins before Him (1 John 1:9) . We will suffer the consequences of our sins but Jesus as He forgives us restores our relationship with Him and the Father. He will restore us the joy of our salvation as David prayed – “O Lord, give me back my joy again…”
Salvation is a free gift given us by God’s grace. We can’t work for it. But sanctification and righteousness are to be pursued and require work and effort on our part. It’s a continuous effort to be close and to remain close to God and His presence. If there’s sin, that bond is broken. Confess our sins and repent, and we will restore that bond of intimacy with our Father God. Temptation will always be there. So long as we do not entertain it, we will not sin. Pray that God will lead us not into temptation but instead give us our daily bread as we forgive those who trespass against us. May Your will indeed be done here on earth as it is in heaven, for our lives and those of our loved ones! Amen!
Have a good week ahead everyone as we chase our deadlines! May we dwell in the joy of His presence and glorify Him as He bestows us His wisdom and discernment!
Ronnie's Thoughts 