2 Sam. 6 1 Chron. 13; Psa. 68; Mt. 17

“And when they came to Nachon’s threshing floor, Uzzah put out his hand to the ark of God and took hold of it, for the oxen stumbled. 7 Then the anger of the LORD was aroused against Uzzah, and God struck him there for his error; and he died there by the ark of God. 8 And David became angry because of the LORD’s outbreak against Uzzah; and he called the name of the place Perez Uzzah to this day.” 2 Sam. 6:6-8

David did what we at first glance do. We say what? Why would a loving God kill someone for a simple act of what seemed to be a desire to protect God’s Ark from falling. As is always the case there is more to this than what at first appears and it is a lesson to us all. First God had gone through a great deal to make sure that God’s people knew exactly how the Ark of the Covenant was to be carried and it wasn’t on a cart new or otherwise. The Ark of the Covenant was the most sacred thing on the earth and the Jewish nation were the most blessed people to have a space were God’s manifest presence would be revealed to them. No people on earth had ever had such favor from God. How this Ark was to be carried was directly given by the Living God. Was that to much to ask? I don’t think so, but the rebelliousness in us says yea God said so but why is He so upset about it, it’s no big deal. Well as in all rebellion it isn’t about the actual act but the attitude that precedes the action. It is pretty presumptuous of Uzzah to think he could touch the Ark of the Covenant when on one person could enter into the presence of the Ark and that only being the High Priest, one day a year on the day of Atonement and that only after He had sacrifice made for himself. Starting to get the picture? This was not just the stabilizing of an innocent heart but the presumption of an arrogant heart. Man looks at the outside but God looks at the heart. But there is another lesson. We often want to stabilize God, we think God is a little of kilter and needs our superior ethic to tell him what he needs to do. David didn’t like God’s action but God doesn’t have to explain himself. As for Uzzah I would suspect that if questioned today he would say God was right and he knew better and in light of eternity his death might have saved many from the same kind of mistake in the future and after all heaven is not a punishment but an invancement.


Pastor Rick