In these verses, God's unconditional blessing returns to people who have been cast down into deep despair, chaos, and fear. God’s breakout now works in the opposite direction in unexpected and abundant blessing upon Obed-edom. There is a lack of clarity as to who exactly Obed-edom is, but he is identified as a Gittite, that is, an inhabitant of Gath, a Philistine city not far from the route. Some have identified him as the Levite with the same name in 1 Chronicles 15 (see 1 Chronicles 15:18, 1 Chronicles 15:21, 1 Chronicles 15:24; see also 1 Chronicles 16:5, 1 Chronicles 16:39; 1 Chronicles 26:4). The non-Israelite form of the name as well as the epithet Gittite
make it more probable that he was indeed a Philistine.1 Alternatively, the reason that Obed-edom was referred to as a Gittite was because he belonged to the city of Gath-rimmon near Shechem, which was a levitical city of refuge (Joshua 19:45, Joshua 21:25 1 Chronicles 6:69),2 but the sheer distance from Kiriath-jearim makes this location less likely than Philistine Gath.3 In a strange twist of irony, the ark had been set on a cart by Philistines, which permitted it to wend its way to Beth-shemesh, and now, after David attempted the same thing with disastrous results, the ark ended up in the protective care of another Philistine.4 We may be sure that it was set down with the utmost reverence in the house of this man from Gath, whose pagan Philistine relations had already learned by experience a greater respect for the ark than the Israelites themselves had (see 1 Samuel 5:8)5
David might have thought that since the ark might bring more trouble to Israel, it could again be deposited with the Philistines to take the brunt of God’s judgment were this to happen, especially as God had not hesitated previously to show his displeasure with the Philistines over the ark (1 Samuel 5:1–12).6 The exact opposite occurs: The Lord blessed the household of Obed-edom and all that he had
(1 Chronicles 13:14). God will not be pegged and limited by human beings. He will show mercy on whom he wishes (Exodus 33:19; Romans 9:15). The Israelite Uzzah is punished but the Philistine Obed-edom is blessed.
This outcome is totally unexpected, again showing that David was as unaware of the nature of the Lord's mercy as he was of his holiness. David may conquer the Philistines at Gath, but it is the Lord alone who brings blessing upon its inhabitants. God is no respecter of persons and shows no partiality (Acts 10:34). It is his prerogative to bless whomsoever he pleases, and when he does so it comes as a generous shower. In the case of Obed-edom, he extends his multiplied bounty to his entire household, as highlighted in the threefold use of the Hebrew word bayit (house, family, household,
1 Chronicles 13:14), even to future generations (1 Chronicles 26:4). The ark would remain in this house for a further three months.
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.