1 Chronicles 13:1 – 14 “Then David conferred with all his leaders, the commanders of hundreds and of thousands. And he said to the whole assembly of Israel, “If it seems good to you, and if this is of the LORD our God, let us send word far and wide to the rest of our brothers in all the land of Israel, and also to the priests and Levites in their cities and pasturelands, so that they may join us. Then let us bring back the ark of our God, for we did not inquire of Him in the days of Saul.” And because this proposal seemed right to all the people, the whole assembly agreed to it. So David assembled all Israel, from the River Shihor in Egypt to Lebo-hamath, to bring the ark of God from Kiriath-jearim.
David and all Israel went up to Baalah of Judah (that is, 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. So they carried the ark of God from the house of Abinadab on a new cart, with Uzzah and Ahio guiding the cart.
Uzzah Touches the Ark (2 Samuel 6:5–11)
David and all the Israelites were celebrating before God with all their might, with songs and on harps and lyres, with tambourines, cymbals, and trumpets. When they came to the threshing floor of Chidon, Uzzah reached out and took hold of the ark, because the oxen had stumbled. And the anger of the LORD burned against Uzzah, and He struck him down because he had put his hand on the ark. So he died there before God. Then David became angry because the LORD had burst forth against Uzzah; so he named that place Perez-uzzah, as it is called to this day.
That day David feared God and asked, “How can I ever bring the ark of God to me?” So he did not move the ark with him to the City of David; instead, he took it aside to the house of Obed-edom the Gittite. Thus the ark of God remained with the family of Obed-edom in his house for three months, and the LORD blessed his household and everything he owned.”
What happened to the Ark of the Covenant in the first place? In the days when the prophet Samuel was a boy, the Israelites insisted on carrying the Ark out to battle while they were fighting the Philistines. When the Philistines defeated the Israelites, they captured the Ark and sent it to one of their temples. The statue of Dagon in that temple fell on its face before the Ark. Then God began afflicting the Philistines with tumors, perhaps with bubonic plague, and the Philistines finally loaded the Ark, plus golden images of the tumors and the rats that had carried the plague on a cart drawn by two milk cows whose calves were still tied up. Despite the fact that the cows cried for their calves, the cows headed straight for Israel. The Ark wound up in the house of Abinadab in Kiriath – jearim, where it had stayed ever since.
When the Ark of the Covenant was in the Tabernacle, priests would bring petitions from Israelites and would ask to know God’s will in those matters. Now for years, the Tabernacle had stood with all of its other accoutrements but missing its heart. David observed, “Then let us bring back the ark of our God, for we did not inquire of Him in the days of Saul.” The Ark was captured when Samuel was still young, but Saul never lifted a finger to try to re – capture the Ark, nor did Saul inquire of the Lord. Periodically, Saul would try to get advice from Samuel, but much of the time, Saul went off on his own, assuming that he didn’t need to hear from the God who had crowned him king.
David’s heart was in the right place; however, he made a major mistake. Nobody thought to check the Law of Moses to see how the Ark was supposed to be handled. Although God allowed the Philistines to load the Ark onto a cart to return it to Israel, the Ark was actually designed to be carried by the priests using poles inserted through rings on the sides of the Ark. Had David carried out the original instructions to kings and made a copy of the Law for his own study, he would have known the regulations concerning the Ark. But nobody had paid much attention to the Law of Moses for years.
David organized a wonderful celebration, loading the Ark onto a cart pulled by oxen. But when the oxen stumbled, one man named Uzzah reached out his hand to steady the Ark and God struck him dead! At first, this punishment seems cruel and ridiculous. Wasn’t Uzzah simply trying to save the Ark? But perhaps there was more to the story than we realize. Perhaps Uzzah used the shifting of the Ark on the cart as an excuse to peek into the Ark, something that was not allowed. Uzzah may have felt that because he was a priest, he was special and therefore entitled to handle the Ark, but he was wrong. God has never been unjust, so if God struck Uzzah dead, there had to be a good reason; a wrong heart attitude would explain things.
At this point, David was shocked, horrified, and afraid. David sent the Ark to the house of Obed – edom for three months, and God blessed Obed – edom and his family. Whoever Obed – edom was, he and his family obviously feared God and handled the Ark reverently.
APPLICATION: David wanted to honor God, but he didn’t ask God for advice before making his plans. One Christian comedian and evangelist began his ministry by attempting to copy everyone else and failing miserably. When this man went to God, his first question to God was, “God what are YOU doing wrong?” God answered the man, “Well, you’re doing your will in My Name!” God had to show this man that copying other successful ministries was useless and that only God’s way would bring results. David had to learn this same lesson.
God is always doing new things in new ways; however, God can never bless something that He has not brought into existence in the first place. There are many times when we seek out programs and design outreaches with no thought to the God whom we are serving. Then we wonder why the results are so disappointing. We may even make decisions on our life’s work without consulting God and then wonder why we aren’t happier with our choices.
Eventually, David did do the right thing, but he had to learn a bitter lesson first. Before making important decisions, let us stop and ask God for guidance. We can rest assured that God will answer us in ways we can understand.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to remember that You are the One who knows us better than we know ourselves. Help us to ask You for guidance before taking any major decisions. Thank You that You are a good Father who can communicate Your Will for Your children. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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