"Holy God"
But when they arrived at the threshing floor of Nacon, the oxen stumbled, and Uzzah reached out his hand and steadied the Ark of God. Then the Lord's anger was aroused against Uzzah, and God struck him dead because of this. So Uzzah died right there beside the Ark of God. (2 Samuel 6:6, 7 NLT)
You ever read certain passages & you just don't get it? Do you ever wonder what in the world God was thinking? Why did he have to do it this way? This doesn't seem consistent with his character.
This is one of those passages for me. Here David is moving the ark of the covenant to Jerusalem. It is a symbol of the presence of God. It has been neglected under Saul & David desires to see the presence of God actively seen among the people again.
On the way back to Jerusalem though, the ark is bumped & Uzzah reaches out to steady it, only to lose his life. This is one of those passages that jut makes me ask, "Did I really read the right?" What just happened? They were doing a good thing with good motives for God's praise & worship. How could this happen? Why is God always so angry & striking people down?
I think these are very good & very real questions. These are natural questions that when struggled with help us grow in our walk with God.
A couple of things come to mind here by way of why God does what he does. God, when he gave the people the tabernacle, instructed the Israelites on how they were to transport the ark. "He cast four gold rings and attached them to its four feet, two rings on each side. Then he made poles from acacia wood and overlaid them with gold. He inserted the poles into the rings at the sides of the Ark to carry it" (Exodus 37:3-5 NLT). The last three words of verse 5 are TO CARRY IT. God's intention for them & design for them was to carry the ark not to transport it on a cart. That's the way the Philistines carried it but not the way God has instructed. And when we do things our way with God's stuff we open ourselves up to face the consequences of our actions. Had they carried the ark, Uzzah would never had died. Obedience to God becomes important even in the details. When we emulate the world we will find ourselves at odds with God. James 4:4 says, "Friendship with the world is hostility toward God."
God is holy. To touch the ark is to not consider him holy & therefore he proves his holiness. Even the best intentions cannot stand up to God's holiness. We can have the best of intentions & still be wrong. This is the mystery of the holiness of God. Because Uzzah did not consider the holiness of God, it cost him his life.
This makes David angry. Which brings us to another truth. Who are we to get angry about something we cause? Who are we to blame God for choices we made? It was their fault they made a cart instead of carrying it. It was their fault that Uzzah died when he touched the ark. David should have been mad at himself. Uzzah's death was the consequence of disobedience to God. It was not God's fault but theirs.
Often times when we face negative consequences it's not God who is at fault but us. This should give us the clarity of mind to obey God on the front end, treat him as holy, imitate him & not the world, & refrain from getting angry at consequences for our own sin.
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