Today’s Reading: 2 Samuel 6; 1 Chronicles 13; Psalm 68; Matthew 17
Scripture: 1 Chronicles 13:1-12
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 it during the reign of Saul." 4 The whole assembly agreed to do this, because it seemed right to all the people.
5 So David assembled all the Israelites, from the Shihor River in Egypt to Lebo Hamath, to bring the ark of God from Kiriath Jearim. 6 David and all the Israelites with him went to Baalah of Judah (Kiriath Jearim) to bring up from there the ark of God the LORD, who is enthroned between the cherubim—the ark that is called by the Name.
7 They moved the ark of God from Abinadab's house on a new cart, with Uzzah and Ahio guiding it. 8 David and all the Israelites were celebrating with all their might before God, with songs and with harps, lyres, tambourines, cymbals and trumpets.
9 When they came to the threshing floor of Kidon, Uzzah reached out his hand to steady the ark, because the oxen stumbled. 10 The LORD's anger burned against Uzzah, and he struck him down because he had put his hand on the ark. So he died there before God.
11 Then David was angry because the LORD's wrath had broken out against Uzzah, and to this day that place is called Perez Uzzah.
12 David was afraid of God that day and asked, "How can I ever bring the ark of God to me?"...
Observation: As David thinks about bringing the ark up to Jerusalem from the place it had been put after the Philistines sent it away, he asks the people and his officials, but he doesn't ask the Lord. That he assumes that it will be OK with God is shown by this line from verse 2: "If it seems good to you and if it is the will of the LORD our God..." Nowhere is there any record of him actually seeking God's will. The result is disaster. An innocent, well-meaning individual dies in the fiasco because David violated the clearly-written directions and warnings God had already given concerning the ark. David was angry with God, but he should have been just mad at himself.
Application: Don't assume or presume on God. Ask Him what to do and How to do it. Then listen and do as He says. Simple but true.
Prayer: Lord, may we walk in not only Your will but also Your ways. Help us to avoid presumption and arrogance of self-will in our lives by being in constant communication with You through the leading of the Holy Spirit.
This I pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.
2 comments:
God seems to be very exacting sometimes. The ark of God was never to be carried on a cart; it was to be carried on pole by the priests. If they had followed the directions there would have been no need for Uzzah to reach out to steady the ark because of a jostling of the cart. Such a small infraction with such a huge consequence seems out of proportion; especially when Uzzah's motive was good. It shows that God cares much more about our obedience than He does about our motives. He's not really too interested in how we justify our actions when He's lkeft clear instructions. We need to pay attention. I know I don't want the kinds of consequences God can mete out. I'd rather just do it right the first time.
I think it's interesting to note that David's wisdom is portrayed here. I never really thought of David as being a "wise man" like Solomon. I'm sure that Solomon learned a lot from the example of his father. However, despite his human wisdom and the fact that he confired with other wise men of Isreael, David did not put the Lord's will first.
It's easy to think about and want to do great things for God especially if you're a dreamer or visionary maybe even have the plans all layed out and proposed to the "council." But, have we stopped to find out what God's plans are for the situation? or asked, "Is my excitement from inside me or from God's heart desire?" Pretty heavy, especially when you're in leadership and responsible for God's people!
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