In our first reading today, we hear how the Ark of the Covenant was brought into the city of Jerusalem by David in festive procession. The Ark of the Covenant was the sacred container made of wood encrusted with gold, which according to various accounts, held the staff of Aaron, the stone tablets on which the commandments were written and samples of the Manna which fell from the heavens to feed the Israelites during their wanderings in the desert. It is most likely, however, that it contained only the Tablets of the Law. The Ark was considered by the Jewish people to be the locus of God's presence in Israel and was referred to in epithet as both the throne and the footstool of Yawheh. The Ark had been housed at various locations in Jewish history, and was finally placed within the Temple where it remained until the destruction of the Temple.

We hear today how 'David danced with all his might before the Lord.' This image of King David dancing has inspired many within the Church after the Vatican II Council, to renew the tradition of sacred dance within our own liturgies. As Pope John Paul II travelled throughout the world on his various pilgrimages, many local communities included their traditional dances within the liturgies to express as David did their joy and devotion in the presence of the Lord.