Focal Passage: II Samuel 6:1-15,17
David’s attempt at reverence (vv. 1-5). David wanted to amend for the grave mistakes that his predecessor had made. Saul had failed to properly honor God, but the new king (David) wanted to ensure that God was given the praise and honor due Him.
The first item of business for David’s new reign would be the return of the ark of God to Jerusalem. No simple ceremony could possibly suffice for such an auspicious occasion. David personally made the arrangements for the transportation of the ark to its new home. Everything was carefully orchestrated in order to demonstrate the highest degree of reverence toward the ark and God. The fateful day finally arrived and was truly an elaborate affair. Thirty thousand of the finest men in all of Israel participated in the experience of ushering the ark along the rocky path which led to Jerusalem. A new wooden cart had been built especially for the purpose of carrying the ark. Abinadab’s sons (Uzzah & Ahio) accompanied the ark as it made its way toward the great city. The celebratory sounds of worship could be heard for miles around. Wooden instruments (lyres, harps, tambourines, sistrums and cymbals) supplied gorgeous music.
But, in the midst of what seemed to be a God-honoring affair, obedience was sacrificed and truth was abandoned. God had established the proper order in which His ark would be moved. It wasn’t a complicated description. Any time the ark was moved, those of the Levitical line were directed to use poles of acacia wood, overlaid with gold, inserted through the rings on both sides of the ark. No other method was acceptable to transport the ark.
If this was the suitable manner by which the ark was to be carried, why did David employ his own method? Perhaps he was simply ignorant of the historical mandate concerning the ark. Yet, even if he was unaware of the fine print of scriptural truth, “ignorance of the law (truly) is no excuse.” It is unlikely that his own brazen conceit was the cause of his mistake in judgment. Pride was not a prominent character trait in David. Then why did he disobey a clear directive of God? The fact is, once the ark was lifted into that wooden cart, the deed had been done and nothing could correct it. A price would be paid for handling the holy ark of God with such disrespect.
God’s response to irreverence (vv. 6-11). The heart-wrenching twist in this story is the fact that an innocent person, who was engaging in an honest effort to honor God, paid the ultimate price. Uzzah was a good man trying to conscientiously carry out his role in the reclamation of the ark. As the oxen stumbled and the ark wobbled, Uzzah reached his hand out to steady the ark. Instead of securing the ark, he only proved to secure his destruction. God “struck him dead on the spot for his irreverence.”
God’s response was unmistakable. Thousands of onlookers served as first-hand witnesses to the horror of his death. Thousands of others quickly heard the commotion and surveyed the scene only to find a dead man lying next to the ark. Not only was this turn of events unmistakable, but it also was certainly unexpected. Their worshipful experience had been ambushed by the very One whom they were attempting to honor. Without question the people simultaneously expressed various emotions (shock, sadness, fear), but their leader (David) reacted with a guttural reaction of unbridled anger. God had ruined David’s worship service and he wanted to know “why.”
Through the centuries, God’s holiness has not changed and neither has the irreverent attempts of people to impress Him. David failed to appreciate the crucial role intentional obedience plays in the true worship of God.
— Johnson is pastor of White Hall Baptist Church, Trenton.
