“God had richly blessed Obed-Edom.” 1 Chronicles 26:4b
According to Wikipedia, “The California Gold Rush (1848–1855) began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter’s Mill in Coloma, California. The news of gold brought approximately 300,000 people to California from the rest of the United States and abroad.” People literally picked up everything they had and moved entire families west for just the hope that they could get in on this gold rush before it all ended. Many called it “Gold Fever.”
In 1 Chronicles, we see a man by the name of Obed-Edom. He and his sons were assigned duties as gatekeepers and musicians at the Temple of the Lord. Interestingly, Obed-Edom wasn’t an Israelite by birth and was, therefore, a little out of place. So how exactly did Obed-Edom and his family end up in Jerusalem?
I can just imagine that it all started with a knock at his door. King David’s guards were looking for a place to safely store the Ark of the Covenant until they could figure out a way to get it to Jerusalem. As seen 1 Samuel 4, Uzzah had reached out to steady the Ark that was being pulled along by oxen, and as a result Uzzah died on the spot. No one was allowed to touch the Ark except for the Levites and even then, there were prescribed ways for handling it. And, although David’s intentions were good, he was completely out of order and it cost a man his life.
I’m not sure exactly how Obed-Edom’s home was selected. Maybe as an Edomite he was considered “less than” and some may have thought it wouldn’t make a big difference to anyone if he and his family died like Uzzah. But, instead of any harm coming to Obed-Edom, he and his entire family, farm and everything he had was greatly blessed. In fact, Obed-Edom was so greatly blessed by the Ark being in his home that everyone around him noticed and word got back to David. As a result, it prompted David to dig into the Word to find the correct way to handle the Ark and then he and his men set out to retrieve it.
Obed-Edom, however, wasn’t about to let this life-changing blessing escape his life. He knew full well that it was the blessing of the Lord’s presence that had prospered him for those few months, and he knew he didn’t want to ever do life without the blessing of the Lord in it. So, he packed up the family and moved to Jerusalem, and he and his sons served at the Temple of the Lord. And, in that service, God continued to pour out his blessing on Obed-Edom’s life.
Today, you and I don’t have to travel as far as Obed-Edom did. In fact, Paul tells us in Romans 8:10 that this Salvation (Sozo) is near to us. It’s in our hearts and in our mouths for those who confess Jesus.