2 Samuel 6

Bible Passage: 2 Samuel 6

The event that captured my attention in today’s chapter was the death of Uzzah. When I read it for the first time, I felt confused, like David was.  Surely God had overreacted.. Wasn’t Uzzah being protective of the ark? Why was he punished because of his swift reflexes and instinct?           

David gathered the choice men of Jerusalem to bring the ark of God to Jerusalem. With great joy, they set the ark of God on a new cart, which was against God’s specific command.

The atmosphere was joyful and exciting but none of it pleased God because they were disobedient.

The initial celebration came to a screeching halt when Uzzah was struck dead. David’s joy turned to anger, because God had rained on his parade.  He could not figure out why his good intentions were not good enough.

Did God not understand? Why would He strike dead someone who cares for the ark? Why would He ruin such a wonderful occasion?

We find out what went wrong by going back to Israel’s history when God gave the Israelites instructions concerning the construction and transportation of the ark.

Not only did God give very clear and specific instructions about how it should be made, He indicated who should carry it and how it should be transported from place to place.

Clearly the Israelites have forgotten the instructions given by God. Besides, it makes more sense and is easier to load it on an ox cart instead of carrying it by hand.

But this was not the way that the Lord has prescribed.

The ark of God represented the immediate presence and glory of God in Israel. Sinful men can hardly get close to a holy God. The ark was holy and could not be touched.

No wonder Uzzah was struck dead for laying his hands on it. Putting the ark on the ox cart would make it susceptible to movements of the cart and prone to falling off it. As a result, Uzzah had to grab hold of the ark and suffer the consequences.

David and those who transported the ark erred in several ways.  They feel that it did not matter who transported the ark and how it was transported. Clearly they have lost the awe and reverence one should have for God.

How about us today? Do we come up with our own fancy carts and hitch His presence on it? Do we load God on top of our own plans and ideas, and then drive?

Have we lost our awe and reverence that we once had in our truthseeking days? Do we crave for His word and attend services with a pure and willing heart? Do we have the correct attitudes when it comes to church work? Do we treat every work as giving glory to Him?

Ironically, the Isralites imitated the Philistines who transported the ark on a cart(1 Samuel 6), and unfortunately, they did not get away with it.

God expected more from His own people. Similarly, He expects more from us, who has the truth and His Holy Spirit.

May we all learn from history instead of merely reliving it.