Hands Off....

When I read the account of Uzzah being struck down by God for touching the Ark of the Covenant, I can’t help but think “Why”? Why would God do such a thing? Uzzah was only trying to help, right? Then I always go back to scripture and read in Isaiah 55, “His ways are not my ways, and His thoughts are above my thoughts”. God is Holy, He is set apart. His presence is perfect, and we are far from that. When Uzzah reaches out to steady the Ark, he did it thinking, “I can’t let the Ark touch the ground, that would be horrific”. He stepped into the realm of playing God. He clearly knew he wasn’t supposed to touch the Ark, but in that brief moment he thought his sinful hand was much better touching it than a handful of dirt. When we have this kind of mindset (and we all do), we step into the role of playing God. This isn’t right or appropriate. God does say that He will not share His Glory with anyone. Uzzah’s mistake of forgetting God’s command and His Holiness, thinking it was more important to steady the ark by touching it, cost him his life. This is a respect that seems to be lost in our modern times. We tend to put ourselves before God, and we do it by thinking, “steadying the Ark is more important than obeying God’s commands”. This is where we get into trouble. The second we put our agenda ahead of God’s commands, we run into trouble. When we start to play God instead of obey God, we stain our hands with disobedience. And the results can be deadly. We need to hold God in the highest of reverence. And ask Him everyday to help us be obedient. Unlike Uzzah, when the oxen stumbles, we need to stay obedient and let God steady the cart.

3 They placed the Ark of God on a new cart and brought it from Abinadab’s house, which was on a hill. Uzzah and Ahio, Abinadab’s sons, were guiding the cart as it left the house, 4 carrying the Ark of God. Ahio walked in front of the Ark. 5 David and all the people of Israel were celebrating before the Lord, singing songs and playing all kinds of musical instruments–lyres, harps, tambourines, castanets, and cymbals.6 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. 7 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.8 David was angry because the Lord’s anger had burst out against Uzzah. He named that place Perez-uzzah (which means “to burst out against Uzzah”), as it is still called today.9 David was now afraid of the Lord, and he asked, “How can I ever bring the Ark of the Lord back into my care?” 10 So David decided not to move the Ark of the Lord into the City of David. Instead, he took it to the house of Obed-edom of Gath. 11 The Ark of the Lord remained there in Obed-edom’s house for three months, and the Lord blessed Obed-edom and his entire household.12 Then King David was told, “The Lord has blessed Obed-edom’s household and everything he has because of the Ark of God.” So David went there and brought the Ark of God from the house of Obed-edom to the City of David with a great celebration. 13 After the men who were carrying the Ark of the Lord had gone six steps, David sacrificed a bull and a fattened calf. 14 And David danced before the Lord with all his might, wearing a priestly garment. 15 So David and all the people of Israel brought up the Ark of the Lord with shouts of joy and the blowing of rams’ horns. 2 Samuel 6:3-15