OK, so we saw that Uzzah bore the consequences of David's failure to seek the Lord in regard to the details of bringing the ark up to Jerusalem. If you weren't sure about that, check out 1 Chronicles 13:1-4:
1 David conferred with each of his officers, the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds. 2 He then said to the whole assembly of Israel, "If it seems good to you and if it is the will of the LORD our God, let us send word far and wide to the rest of our brothers throughout the territories of Israel, and also to the priests and Levites who are with them in their towns and pasturelands, to come and join us. 3 Let us bring the ark of our God back to us, for we did not inquire of [a] it [b] during the reign of Saul." 4 The whole assembly agreed to do this, because it seemed right to all the people.
"It seemed right to all the people" - Oh my! May God forgive us when we are doing what 'seems right to all the people' - sound familiar??
But moving on, after Uzzah's demise, David is afraid to bring the ark up to Jerusalem. "Instead, he took it aside to the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite. 14 The ark of God remained with the family of Obed-Edom in his house for three months, and the LORD blessed his household and everything he had." (1 Chronicles 13:13-14)
Obed-Edom was a Gittite - a resident of Gath - but apparently NOT a native. We learn (in the genealogies of 1 Chronicles 25) that Obed-Edom was a descendent of Korah - a Levite who was given responsibility as a gatekeeper for the temple. And it is reiterated that "God had blessed him."
As Christians, God has given us greater treasure than the Israelites ever experienced. We have the Holy Spirit - the very presence of God himself - living within us. God is available to us through prayer every moment of our day! We have the Word of God - in fact, most of us have several copies in various translations so that we can more easily grasp the meaning behind each word. And yet how often do we read it? Do we really study what we find there? Do we share it with others? Do we approach prayer with a reverence that demonstrates that we are speaking to a Holy God? Or do we treat God casually.
The ark of the covenant resided with Abinadab for over 20 years - do you suppose that his family became comfortable having it there? Did they toss a blanket over it and use it as a coffee table? They say that "Familiarity breeds contempt" - may we never become so 'familiar' with God that we treat Him or His Word with contempt.
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Right Idea, Wrong Methodology!
Have you ever felt that the Lord was leading you to do something, but when you tried to do it, everything went wrong? I just learned a little something about this very thing from Uzzah and Obed-Edom. What, you don't remember these two biblical names? Let me share their stories - I'll break this up into two blogs to keep it short (I can hear you laughing!) First the story of Uzzah:
(2 Samuel 6:1-5) 1 David again brought together out of Israel chosen men, thirty thousand in all. 2 He and all his men set out from Baalah of Judah [f] to bring up from there the ark of God, which is called by the Name, [g] the name of the LORD Almighty, who is enthroned between the cherubim that are on the ark. 3 They set the ark of God on a new cart and brought it from the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill. Uzzah and Ahio, sons of Abinadab, were guiding the new cart 4 with the ark of God on it, [h] and Ahio was walking in front of it. 5 David and the whole house of Israel were celebrating with all their might before the LORD, with songs [i] and with harps, lyres, tambourines, sistrums and cymbals.
Sounds great, right? David is bringing the ark of the covenant up to Jerusalem. They were celebrating and praising God 'with all their might'. But then something unexpected happens:
(2 Samuel 6:6-8) 6 When they came to the threshing floor of Nacon, Uzzah reached out and took hold of the ark of God, because the oxen stumbled. 7 The LORD's anger burned against Uzzah because of his irreverent act; therefore God struck him down and he died there beside the ark of God.
8 Then David was angry because the LORD's wrath had broken out against Uzzah, and to this day that place is called Perez Uzzah.
Now, this is one of those passages of scripture that has always puzzled me. It seems a little...well...harsh, doesn't it? Should Uzzah have just let the ark fall off the cart and land in the mud? Why did God strike him dead right then and there? What did he do that was so wrong? As usual, I'm asking all the wrong questions!
Let's back this cart up a moment and look at this a little more closely - starting with God's instructions regarding the ark. In Exodus 25:10-15, we learn that the ark was cast with rings along the base through which poles were inserted to be carried on the shoulders of the Levite priests. The poles were not to be removed. So clearly, moving the ark on a cart was in direct conflict with God's expressed instructions for how to transport this treasure that represented God's presence among His people.
The ark had been transported by cart previously - by the Philistines! They had captured the ark and had it in their possession for seven months, during which time God struck them with plagues. So to rid themselves of God's wrath, they placed the ark on a new cart led by two cows which had never been yoked and were separated from their calves. They let the cows go and they miraculously led the cart straight back to Israel. Through this the Philistines understood that it had been God's judgment on them that caused the plague. The Philistines had not received God's instructions regarding the transport of the ark - so their efforts to do the 'right thing' were honored by God and they were healed.
But there is more to this story - and those dreaded genealogies come into play once again!
Who was Abinadab? Well there are two Abinadab's that appear in scripture - one was a son of Saul, who was killed in the same battle where Saul, Jonathan and several of Saul's other sons were killed. The context of 1 Chronicles 6 certainly suggests that Abinadab was still alive at this time, so it seems likely this is the other Abinadab, who was David's older brother. David, and therefore Abinadab and his two sons, were of the tribe of Judah - not Levi! So not only was David transporting the ark in an inappropriate manner - but he was allowing someone other than the Levites to do so. And it cost his nephews life!
At first glance, we might be tempted to think, "How unfair!" It wasn't Uzzah's fault that David wasn't following directions! When we fail to follow God's plan, there are consequences - and sometimes others feel the pain of our disobedience.
David believed that the Lord wanted him to bring the ark to Jerusalem - but instead of seeking God in the details of how to do that, he took a shortcut. He did what seemed to be the right thing to him. It wasn't that he didn't care about what God thought - after all, they were praising God 'with all their might'! He summoned thirty thousand 'chosen men' to accompany the ark!
How often do I have a leading from the Lord and say, in effect, "Great, now I'll take it from here!" Then I'm angry when my methods result in failure. Perez Uzzah - it means God broke out against Uzzah - that is not the place I want to be!
(2 Samuel 6:1-5) 1 David again brought together out of Israel chosen men, thirty thousand in all. 2 He and all his men set out from Baalah of Judah [f] to bring up from there the ark of God, which is called by the Name, [g] the name of the LORD Almighty, who is enthroned between the cherubim that are on the ark. 3 They set the ark of God on a new cart and brought it from the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill. Uzzah and Ahio, sons of Abinadab, were guiding the new cart 4 with the ark of God on it, [h] and Ahio was walking in front of it. 5 David and the whole house of Israel were celebrating with all their might before the LORD, with songs [i] and with harps, lyres, tambourines, sistrums and cymbals.
Sounds great, right? David is bringing the ark of the covenant up to Jerusalem. They were celebrating and praising God 'with all their might'. But then something unexpected happens:
(2 Samuel 6:6-8) 6 When they came to the threshing floor of Nacon, Uzzah reached out and took hold of the ark of God, because the oxen stumbled. 7 The LORD's anger burned against Uzzah because of his irreverent act; therefore God struck him down and he died there beside the ark of God.
8 Then David was angry because the LORD's wrath had broken out against Uzzah, and to this day that place is called Perez Uzzah.
Now, this is one of those passages of scripture that has always puzzled me. It seems a little...well...harsh, doesn't it? Should Uzzah have just let the ark fall off the cart and land in the mud? Why did God strike him dead right then and there? What did he do that was so wrong? As usual, I'm asking all the wrong questions!
Let's back this cart up a moment and look at this a little more closely - starting with God's instructions regarding the ark. In Exodus 25:10-15, we learn that the ark was cast with rings along the base through which poles were inserted to be carried on the shoulders of the Levite priests. The poles were not to be removed. So clearly, moving the ark on a cart was in direct conflict with God's expressed instructions for how to transport this treasure that represented God's presence among His people.
The ark had been transported by cart previously - by the Philistines! They had captured the ark and had it in their possession for seven months, during which time God struck them with plagues. So to rid themselves of God's wrath, they placed the ark on a new cart led by two cows which had never been yoked and were separated from their calves. They let the cows go and they miraculously led the cart straight back to Israel. Through this the Philistines understood that it had been God's judgment on them that caused the plague. The Philistines had not received God's instructions regarding the transport of the ark - so their efforts to do the 'right thing' were honored by God and they were healed.
But there is more to this story - and those dreaded genealogies come into play once again!
Who was Abinadab? Well there are two Abinadab's that appear in scripture - one was a son of Saul, who was killed in the same battle where Saul, Jonathan and several of Saul's other sons were killed. The context of 1 Chronicles 6 certainly suggests that Abinadab was still alive at this time, so it seems likely this is the other Abinadab, who was David's older brother. David, and therefore Abinadab and his two sons, were of the tribe of Judah - not Levi! So not only was David transporting the ark in an inappropriate manner - but he was allowing someone other than the Levites to do so. And it cost his nephews life!
At first glance, we might be tempted to think, "How unfair!" It wasn't Uzzah's fault that David wasn't following directions! When we fail to follow God's plan, there are consequences - and sometimes others feel the pain of our disobedience.
David believed that the Lord wanted him to bring the ark to Jerusalem - but instead of seeking God in the details of how to do that, he took a shortcut. He did what seemed to be the right thing to him. It wasn't that he didn't care about what God thought - after all, they were praising God 'with all their might'! He summoned thirty thousand 'chosen men' to accompany the ark!
How often do I have a leading from the Lord and say, in effect, "Great, now I'll take it from here!" Then I'm angry when my methods result in failure. Perez Uzzah - it means God broke out against Uzzah - that is not the place I want to be!
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