From Eternity Past

Some Are Loyal to David in the Crisis

Again the procession halted. “And lo Zadok also, and all the Levites were with him, bearing the ark of the covenant of God.” The presence of that sacred symbol was to the followers of David a pledge of deliverance and victory. Its absence from Jerusalem would bring terror to the adherents of Absalom. EP 532.2

At sight of the ark, joy and hope for a brief moment thrilled the heart of David. But soon other thoughts came. As the appointed ruler of God's heritage, the glory of God and the good of his people were to be uppermost in his mind. God had said of Jerusalem, “This is my rest” (Psalm 132:14), and neither priest nor king had a right to remove therefrom the symbol of His presence. And David's great sin was ever before him. It was not for him to remove from the capital of the nation the sacred statutes which embodied the will of their divine Sovereign, the constitution of the realm and the foundation of its prosperity. EP 532.3

He commanded Zadok, “Carry back the ark of God into the city: if I shall find favor in the eyes of the Lord, He will bring me again, and show me both it and His habitation: but if He thus say, I have no delight in thee; behold, here am I, let Him do to me as seemeth good unto Him.” EP 533.1