| “And they set the ark of God upon a new cart … and Uzzah and Ahio … drave [drove] the new cart” (2 Samuel 6:3). |
| “Uzzah put forth his hand to the ark of God, and took hold of it; for the oxen shook it. And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzzah; and God smote him there for his error; and there he died by the ark of God” (2 Samuel 6:6-7). |
| This was a very sad event in the history of David’s reign as king, and yet it teaches us something that is very important. The ark of God had been in the house of a man named Abinadab for twenty years. You may remember that the ark had been taken by the Philistines in battle, and God had sent serious trouble among the Philistines. The Philistines had sent it back, and it ended up in the house of Abinadab for many years. After all that time David wanted to bring it up to Jerusalem, where it belonged. |
| However, it is possible to do the right thing, but in the wrong way, and this is what happened. If David had read what the law of Moses said, he would have found out that only the Levites should carry the ark; it was not to be carried on a cart, even if it was a new one! But they put the ark on a new cart, and two young men drove the cart. When they came to a certain point, the oxen shook the ark, and in another place it says the oxen stumbled. No doubt Uzzah was afraid that the ark would fall off the cart, and he took hold of it to steady it. When he did this, the Lord smote Uzzah, and he died. What a sad ending to a happy occasion! David was very upset, and again the ark was carried into a house belonging to Obededom. It seemed to David like a very severe judgment for one act of holding the ark. |
| Later on, after several months, David had read the law, and realized that only the Levites should carry the ark. Then they brought it up to Jerusalem the right way, and God was honored in the way they did it. |
| In this world, sometimes people say that it does not matter how we do something, as long as we do it. But in spiritual things, God wants us to do things the right way. That is why He has given us His Word, and we are responsible to do things for the Lord according to the instructions He has given us. If we do something that is not according to God’s Word, the Lord may not strike us dead, as He did Uzzah, but the Lord will be displeased, and we will not enjoy His blessing in our lives as fully as we could. |
