“The dying grief of Eli, and the living transports of David, alike show what the Ark was in the eyes of the true-hearted.... Even the wise king did not adequately value the Ark of God. And this shows the superiority of David: for faith is always wiser than wisdom. If we had the largest human intelligence, and even the highest natural wisdom God can confer, it never rises to the height of simple faith. Solomon appears before the grand altar. It was a magnificent spectacle and he was an august king, and brought suited offerings. But, David showed his faith in this, that it was not the altar merely which he prized, but the Ark most of all.
God’s Ark was a hidden thing; not even the High Priest could see it save wrapped in clouds of incense. One had to walk by faith in order to appreciate the Ark of God. Therefore David could not rest until the Ark had its settled place in Israel; and he never had deeper joy than when it came back to Jerusalem.
It is true it brought judgment on all that despised it, and even David’s heart was afraid for a time, and the Ark rested in the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite. But David regained the spring of confidence in God, which so marked his career; for we find him afterward rejoicing when the Ark was welcomed back, more than he ever did in all his victories put together.