David captures the city of Jerusalem from the Jebusites, people who lived in Jebus.  Some historical documentation relates that Jebus was an earlier name for Jerusalem. 

David arranges for the ark to be returned to the City of David. However, it didn't make it there. They moved the ark on an oxen cart with two men guiding it, Uzzah and Ahio. Because the lid of the ark of the covenant was pure gold (Exodus 25:17) it may have made the ark top heavy and difficult to manage without the poles.  Uzzah reaches up to steady the ark. Uzzah is killed. Sounds like pretty stiff punishment, doesn't it?

Well....we, humans always want to rationalize with statements such as this. "Uzzah was only trying to help. The oxen had stumbled. He was only trying to steady the ark. After all, it was top heavy.  He only touched the ark. Why was he killed?"

Well....Suppose it has anything to do with God's commandments about who was to carry the ark, how they were to carry the ark, etc.???
Num 4:15
And when Aaron and his sons have made an end of covering the sanctuary, and all the vessels of the sanctuary, when the camp is to set forward, then after that the sons of Kohath shall come to carry it. But they shall not touch any holy thing lest they die. These are the burden of the sons of Kohath in the tabernacle of the congregation.

Quite often in the readings lately, David inquires of the Lord. Things go much better for David when he does this. We can learn from David how to fight our "battles" too.
1. Ask God's will
2. Ask advice from other godly people
3. Search God's word
4. Give God the glory

The Philistines abandoned their gods when David and his army defeated them, "and David gave orders to burn them in the fire."  This is just another example of David's obedience to the first two commandments and another "jewel" in David's crown, part of what made David "a man after God's heart".

When the Philistines raided again, David once more inquired of the Lord.  This time instead of giving direct answers of yes and no to David's questions, God responded with some rather specific details, seemingly not something that was determined by the urim and thummim. Did David meet face to face with God?  Or did God audibly speak to David?

Anytime we feel depressed, we should contemplate this verse.
2 Samuel 22:17
He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he rescued me out of deep waters. 
No matter what our "deep waters" may be, He will rescue us!  Why?  Well, we find out the answer to that question in the following verse. 

2 Samuel 22:20
He brought me out into a spacious place; he rescued me because he delighted in me.
He rescues us and brings us into a spacious place.  Interesting word, spacious...the Hebrew word means "a wide and open space" but figuratively, the word means "liberty"!  When we put verses 17 and 20 together we get a beautiful picture of being brought out of the deep waters of trouble, affliction, despair, depression, etc into freedom... freedom that can only be found in Jesus!  And why does He do this?  Because he delights in us! And why does He delight in us? 

And then in today's reading, we find this most wonderful of verses!
Psalm 18:35b
you stoop down to make me great.

Think about the significance of that verse. You (God) stoop down to make me (put your name there) great. God certainly did stoop down when He came to earth to die for our sins so that we could be made great. Wow!