Good intentions?

"the oxen stumbled"

2 Samuel 6:6

"I was only trying to help"
"My intentions were good"
"I did what I thought was right"

Ever said, or thought, any of those lines?  They are justifications of actions that need explaining for some reason.  Maybe something went wrong, and you felt you had to explain why you did what you did.   Maybe someone misinterpreted your action, and you needed to defend yourself?  Happens to all of us.

Chapter 6 of 2 Samuel has an example of this kind of situation.  A rather difficult example for us to read, really ~ unless we try to see it from God's point of view.

It had been a long time since the ark of the covenant had resided in Jerusalem.  But David had finally become king of all Israel, and after a defeat of those pesky Philistines, he decided the time was right to bring the ark back to the city of Jerusalem.  And the time may have been right, but the method the men of Israel used was wrong. 

In verse 3, they set the ark of God on a new cart, pulled by oxen.  This method of transporting the ark had been used before, but it wasn't God's idea ~ it was the Philistines.  A cart was how they had transported the ark when they'd stolen it back in 1 Samuel 6.  But the ark is not supposed to be transported on a cart, it is supposed to be carried on the shoulders of the priests.

And that's where the problem came in.  Walking alongside the cart was the sons of Abinadab, in whose house the ark had been kept.  Ahio walked before the ark, and Uzzah alongside.   But then the oxen stumbled, and Uzzah put out his hand to steady the ark.   The Lord was angry that Uzzah touched the ark, so He struck him, and Uzzah died right then and there. 

This is a hard passage for us to read if we are thinking of God in partial terms.  What I mean by that is, thinking only of His power and His judgement.   God is powerful, and He is the Judge, and He is also loving and merciful.  And He is all of those all the time.  This is not cruel and unusual punishment, because He is God. 

Here's what we know for sure:  first:  those involved were being disobedient in their transportation of the ark.  This includes pretty much everyone in the nation of Israel, because verse 5 says "all the house of Israel played music before the Lord on all kinds of instruments... on harps, on stringed instruments, on tambourines, on sistrums, and on cymbals.  {A sistrum is a metal instrument that rattles when you shake it.  Gotta love the New King James version!}  So they were all there, and all aware. 

The other thing we know for sure is that the oxen stumbled.  But Scripture doesn't say that the ark tottered, or wobbled, or was in any danger of falling.

So, what was going on in the hearts of those involved?  Was Uzzah being self-important?  Thinking of himself as the savior of the ark?  The name Uzzah means "strength" - was he giving God a hand?

What might have happened if the ark had started to fall?  What was God's plan?  We'll never know.  I'm guessing it would have involved mulberry trees....  A good reminder that when we hit a bump, we can either steady things ourselves, or let Him handle it.

And what was the state of David's heart in the time leading up to Uzzah's death?  Did he not know the Scriptures well enough to know how it was supposed to be done?  Did the leader of the Israelites, a man who had known for years that he was going to be their king, not know the Lord's commands regarding the ark.  Maybe.  But I find it unlikely. 

Or was everything going so well for David that he got negligent?  Did he think he would be accepted by God no matter what?

David decided to leave the ark where it was ~ in the keeping of a man named Obed-Edom.  At least, until he heard how blessed Obed-Edom was, as keeper of the ark.  Then David remembered God's love and mercy, and maybe he remembered His instructions, too.

So they brought the ark to Jerusalem.  And this time, they followed directions.  And in another interesting note, {you'll get that joke in a second}, they played different instruments this time, too.  {See?  Instruments.  I have an interesting note on the instruments!  rim shot here...} 

The first time, they played percussion instruments.  Instruments of the hand.  But this time, they brought it to the sound of shouting and trumpets.  Instruments of breath.  Do you know the Latin word for breath is "spiritus" and it's where we get our word "spirit".  I think that's significant.

I think sometimes we do the same thing that David, and Uzzah, and the people of Israel did.  I think we can be so desperate to understand Him, that we lower Him, or His Word, or His commandments, to a level that makes sense to us, or seems sufficient to us.  But here we saw what happened when God had enough of their disdain.

His commands are not suggestions.  Doing His will your way is no better than not doing His will at all.  He is worthy of our respect, and our obedience. 

~ "So they brought the ark of the Lord...

and David blessed the people

 in the name of the Lord" ~

2 Samuel 6:17,18