David, the king of Israel, has established his house and is now prepared to bring the ark back to its rightful place in Israel. He succeeds, but there is the price of Uzzah’s life, as well as at least the perception that David is undignified in the way that he publicly worships Jehovah God.
As David brings the Ark of the Covenant to the City of David, the oxen stumbled and Uzzah put out his hand to steady the ark, presumably to stop it from falling. Uzzah dies instantly. It would have been known that only the Kohathite Levites were to touch the sacred items, but even they were not allowed to touch the ark itself or they would die. So when Uzzah put his hand out to steady it, he meant no harm but God’s law still applied.
David then was frightened of God and the ark and decided not to take it into the city. Instead, he put it at the home of Obed-Edom. After David saw that Obed-Edom was blessed as the result of having the ark, he rejoiced and moved the ark into the city with much celebration. Michal, daughter of the former king, chastised David for what she sees as his foolish behavior worshipping the Lord. David’s rejoinder to her puts her in her place, and in fact she was also punished by God, not having any children from that day forward until her death.
There are three big lessons from this chapter:
- The details of God’s commandments are not to be ignored
Uzzah’s heart seems innocent enough in this chapter. After all, his intentions were good, were they not? In the instant before his death, did it occur to him that he was not to touch the ark? I think it is likely that he knew he was going against a commandment. But I also think it very likely that he weighed the risk in his mind and judged it to be negligible because of his intentions. His intention was to steady the ark, to prevent it from crashing to the dirty ground as the oxen stumbled. But in doing this, he still went against God’s commandment that no one was to touch the ark of the covenant. Harsh? Yes. But right? Also yes.
God’s bigger lesson to us from the story of Uzzah is that His Word is to be taken seriously, even under the threat of death. Additionally, and perhaps even more importantly, we cannot think for ourselves when it comes to God’s commands to worship. He wants our absolute obedience. He is our Lord, our Creator, the source from whom all creation originates. Who are we to think that there are conditions under which His laws can be disobeyed? Who was Uzzah to think that God would allow him to touch the ark? The terrifying yet persistent answer is that God is sovereign, holding our lives in his hands and we are at his mercy. It is our responsibility to not only know his laws, but also to follow them to the utmost.
- God dwelling with you will bring you blessings
David felt unworthy to have the ark with him in the city of David, so he instead moved it into the home of a man named Obed-Edom. The ark was with Obed-Edom for three months and during that time, the Lord blessed him and all of his household. David saw this and was thus encouraged to move the Ark to the city.
It is a demonstration of how the presence of God in our lives can bring great blessings. In prayer, in worship, in thought, and in deed, we should do our best to keep God all around us. Does God have a place in your mind and in your heart? When God is with us, when we think about Him as decisions are made, it regulates our behavior and right-sizes our opinions and views of ourselves. Without God, we are like rudderless ships in a stormy ocean, directionless and subject to the whims of our chaotic desires.
- There is no shame is glorifying the Lord your God
David’s display of worship as he accompanied the ark to the city sounds entertaining. He sacrificed, he danced, he shouted, and he did so as king. Michal, Saul’s daughter, thought he looked ridiculous and told him so. But David’s response to her reveals an attitude of absolute subjection and devotion. He says, “…I will be even more undignified than this, and will be humble in my own sight.” David knew that he was justified in his displays of worship because they were pure, open, and honest. He was not doing it to impress others, as Michal may have surmised, but he was doing it sincerely, out of love and gratitude for His Almighty Father. It is the kind of love that supersedes care for the self and seeks to glorify our God, recognizing his greatness and wanting others to see it too. It is a beautiful thing and we should aspire to be similar to David when we worship our God in spirit and in truth.
Tonight I want to encourage you to put these three lessons into your heart, for they all have great value in different ways. We must take God’s Word seriously in every moment of our lives, lest we open ourselves to judgment and harsh punishment. We must maintain the presence of our great God in prayer, in thought, and in deed. And lastly, we must never be ashamed of Him whose name we wear. Considering that God, in all of His greatness, would send His only Son to the sinful earth to suffer and die, how could we not rejoice?
Monday Night Bible Study 