Family Stories. Nephew Obed Edom Let’s see what God can do Isaiah 51:1 “Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness, you who seek the Lord: look to the rock from which you were hewn, and to the quarry from which you were dug. The imagery of this verse is to look back and see where we came from. To look back and see the heritage, the kind of men and women who make up our family story. I’m not talking about your biological family. I’m talking about the family of God. Obed Edom; when God visited his family. To talk about Obed Edom we need to fill in a little bit of history. And this history has to do with what we call the ark of the covenant. The ark was a golden box that weighed about 600 pounds. It was constructed during the time of Moses. This golden box came to represent the presence, the power, the provision, the protection and the parameters of God. The box could only be transported in a certain way; by four priests carrying it with specially constructed poles that fit on the edges of the box. We are told in Scripture that God would help them carry it since it was so heavy. And that box was kept in a special tabernacle or tent that traveled with Moses and the people. 1 Chronicles 13:9 And when they came to the threshing floor of Chidon, Uzzah put out his hand to take hold of the ark, for the oxen stumbled. 10 And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzzah, and he struck him down because he put out his hand to the ark, and he died there before God. 11 And David was angry because the Lord had broken out against Uzzah. I know that you probably want an explanation. Why? What just happened? A man trying to be helpful is killed? Let me just bring out a couple things – - First of all, David should have known better the try to move the ark on a cart. - And then Uzzah reached out and touched what should have never been touched. He treated this ark is something common and ordinary – not sacred and holy. And now I’m going to make an application; we cannot treat the holy things of God as ordinary. - When we handle this word of God we are warned to handle it carefully and not add anything to it or take anything out of it. We can’t treat this book as ordinary. - How we handle the church. - How we handle the Sabbath. - How we handle worship. - How we handle communion. - How we even handle our giving to God. 1 Chronicles 13:12 And David was afraid of God that day, and he said, “How can I bring the ark of God home to me?” 13 So David did not take the ark home into the city of David, but took it aside to the house of Obed-edom the Gittite. 14 And the ark of God remained with the household of Obed-edom in his house three months. And the Lord blessed the household of Obed-edom and all that he had. David didn’t know what to do. But there is a man who lived there, our distant nephew Obed Edom. 1 Chronicles 13:14 And the ark of God remained with the household of Obed-edom in his house three months. And the Lord blessed the household of Obed-edom and all that he had. When the presence of God came into his house God’s blessing and God’s favor fell. Something begins to happen in his house and in his family. The presence, the provision, the power, the protection of God – all symbolized in that ark – changed his home. Two things about this blessing… 1. The day the presence of God came into Obed Edom’s home, blessing came with it. What was the blessing? The New Testament gives us a clue… Ephesians 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. The blessing is heavenly favor upon our life. The blessing means that God is withholding nothing. And the blessing comes through being in right relationship with Jesus Christ. When we are in right relationship with Jesus we are given favored status. The blessing isn’t the American dream. The blessing isn’t financial prosperity. The blessing isn’t perfect health. But the blessing is living in a constant state of God’s presence – God’s protection – God’s providence – God’s power – and God’s provision. The blessing reaches upward - where we have peace and favor with God. The blessing reaches inward – where we have an awareness of God’s presence. The blessing reaches outward – God’s provision is upon us. The Bible has a lot to say about blessing; With Deut. 28:1-6 If you listen obediently to the Voice of God, your God, and heartily obey all his commandments that I command you today, God, your God, will place you on high, high above all the nations of the world. All these blessings will come down on you and spread out beyond you because you have responded to the Voice of God, your God: God's blessing inside the city, God's blessing in the country; God's blessing on your children, the crops of your land, the young of your livestock, the calves of your herds, the lambs of your flocks. God's blessing on your basket and bread bowl; God's blessing in your coming in, God's blessing in your going out. 7 God will defeat your enemies who attack you. They'll come at you on one road and run away on seven roads. 8 God will order a blessing on your barns and workplaces; he'll bless you in the land that God, your God, is giving you. 2. The day the presence of God came into Obed Edom’s the whole family experienced it. Three months later King David returned to get the ark but Obed Edom doesn’t want to live without that blessing! So, he volunteers for every position that David offers when it comes to being close to that ark. There were 38,000 Levites in the temple – and Obed was one of them? There were 4000 singers – and he was one of them? There were 288 musicians – he was one of them. There were 4000 gatekeepers – he was one of them. The presence and the power of God changed capital O’s family forever.