He Forgot. And He Died!
Maybe you’re familiar with the Ark of the Covenant. It was a large and beautiful golden “box” created with specific instructions from God. It weighed approximately 615 lbs.
The original stone tablets on which God inscribed the Ten Commandments for Moses to give the Israelites were inside the Ark.
It also held Aaron’s rod that budded when he helped Moses lead the Israelites through the wilderness.
What else was inside the Ark? The golden pot that contained manna (the food God delivered from heaven to the Israelites as they headed toward the Promised Land for more than 40 years).
In 2 Samuel 6:1-7 and 1 Chronicles 13:9-12 we see that the Ark was being transported on a cart with poles on it. And it was being pulled by oxen.
The oxen stumbled, and Uzzah reached out to steady the ark. He died immediately.
That’s right. God killed him for touching the Ark of the Covenant.
Seriously?
Doesn’t that seem a bit harsh?
Looks to me like Uzzah was trying to help the Ark.
Let’s look a little deeper.
Does God EVER need help?
If we read Exodus 25:12-14 and Numbers 7:9, we see that God gave Moses and Aaron extremely specific instructions on how to transport the Ark. It was way more than a big golden box. It served as the place of the presence of God. “And there I will meet with you . . . on the ark of the Testimony, I will speak with you” (Exodus 25:22).
God made it plain that touching the Ark was in direct violation of God’s law and would result in death.
We know that God isn’t bound by time or space. He’s above and beyond all. Yet for His people, He bound Himself to this box. He was (and is) everywhere; but He was there.
Uzzah’s touching the Ark wasn’t the only thing that went sour that day. Actually, several mistakes were made!
(We’ll chat about that next week, but today let’s just look at one.)
The Ark had been at Abinidab’s house (King David’s son) for a few years, and Abinidab’s sons Uzzah and Ahio may have become too comfortable with its presence. Maybe the Ark became too familiar. Could Uzzah have forgotten the holiness it represented?
And what about us?
Are there times when we also fail to recognize God’s holiness and His presence? Has church become a social gathering place for us?
We grab a donut, some coffee, chat with friends, sing cool songs and hear a message about God. But are we revering Him? Are we moving inside His very presence with awe and respect? Do we really stand on holy ground?
Maybe we, too, have lost some of the respect we should have for God’s presence. The Israelites had witnessed several miracles of God (the parting of the Red Sea, manna from heaven, defeating their enemies en route to the Promised Land, water from a rock—just to name a few).
God’s ways are always higher than ours (see Isaiah 55:8-9). And the Israelites were well aware of this fact. They marveled at His greatness.
The truth is: The more we try to bring God down to our worldly way of thinking and reasoning, the further away He will seem.
Should we stop trying to bring Him to us? Should we ask instead that He bring us to Him?
Let’s determine to come to Him in reverence.
Let’s come to Him on His terms—not our own.
Uzzah forgot that essential ingredient. He no longer revered God’s presence in the Ark.
And the result was death.
I don’t think we’ll be struck physically dead if we forget . . .
But if we keep forgetting—
If we continue to treat God casually in our lives AND in our churches—
we could very easily experience spiritual death.
What are some ways you revere God?
Or has He become so familiar to you, that He is now simply your buddy?
Bigger Than a King-Size Bed!
In Deuteronomy 3, we read about the Israelites (God’s chosen people) destroying those who stood in their way and wouldn’t let them pass on to the land God had promised them.
King Og of Bashan was an evil man. God empowered the Israelites to destroy Og and his entire city. After the destruction, check out what the next Scripture says:
“Incidentally, King Og of Bashan was the last of the giant Rephaim. His iron bedstead is kept in a museum at Rabbah, one of the cities of the Ammonites, and measures thirteen and a half feet long by six feet wide” (Deuteronomy 3:11 TLB).
WOW!
That’s one big bed.
That’s way bigger than a king-sized bed.
Even bigger than a California King-sized bed.
King Og was one of the giants in the land (remember Goliath?).
OK, but why does the Bible record the details of his bed?
It’s like saying, “The Americans won WWII, and Hitler drove a BMW.”
Don’t you think it’s odd that we get such details about something so specific as his bed?
Is it important to know how big his bed is?
No.
Do we even care about the bed this guy slept in?
No.
So why is it recorded?
We won’t know for sure until we get to heaven and can ask God,
but I want to make a suggestion.
God was empowering His people to annihilate everything that kept them from becoming all He wanted them to be.
Could it be that God is telling us that no matter how expensive our car is . . .
OR
how nice our house is . . .
OR
how big our flat screen is . . .
if it prevents us from becoming fully obedient to Him—
annihilate it.
Father, I love the THINGS in my home:
my Coca-Cola collection,
my library,
my fun shoes,
my recliners . . .
But if they keep me from intimacy with You—
if they hold me back from being completely obedient to Your will . . .
give me the power to annihilate.
Smash.
Destroy.
Get rid of.
I want to be full of YOU, Father.
So help me to listen carefully and attentively to Your voice.
And help me to obey You in every area of my life.
Anything you need to destroy?
What Does Genuine Praise Sound Like?
Have you ever thought about what it means to praise God?
Psalm 96 tells us that someday
the seas will demonstrate His glory,
the earth will rejoice,
and the fields will display His greatness.
Let that soak into your brain for a second.
How will the seas demonstrate His glory?
Will trillions of waves simply stand on top of the ocean’s surface
and begin singing?
Or will the plant life and mountains from the very bottom of the sea rise to the top and begin shouting glory?
Will coral hum a praise tune?
Try to imagine how the very earth will rejoice.
Will trees do hip-hop?
Can you see a hill starting the wave?
Maybe every blade of grass will boogie down to some rock and roll! Or the leaves will sing in harmony.
Every grain of sand on the earth may belt out a brand-new praise song to the Creator.
And what about the animals?
They’re part of God’s creation.
You know they’re going to be in on the action.
I can’t wait to heart it!
Hippos, hyenas, hamsters, hawks, hedgehogs, hummingbirds, and horses may have their own “H Choir.”
And I can just hear the cats, chipmunks, cows, canaries, camels, chickens, cheetahs, crocodiles, caribou, chimpanzees, cobras, candors, crows, cranes, and even cockroaches trying to outdo them!
How do you personally praise your heavenly Father?
I’m not talking about being in church and just singing what’s on the screen because that’s what everyone else is doing.
I’m talking about personal praise that comes straight from your heart. It may be through singing or listening to praise music.
Though that’s what usually comes to mind when we think of praise, there are other ways in which you can praise your Father.
Try praising Him by kneeling the next time you pray.
This is an act of humility and reverence.
It shows that you revere Him as your absolute authority.
You can also praise Him vocally.
When you’re having your quiet time with God, interrupt the quiet by saying “Hallelujah” loudly, or “I praise You, Lord!”
Another way you can praise God is by lifting your hands.
This shows you’re sending the praise in His direction.
You’re pointing toward the heavens.
You’re raising your hands in gratitude.
Try thanking God in prayer.
This blesses Him. Yes, you can actually bless the Lord.
In fact, it’s scriptural! The proof is found in Psalm 103:1:
“Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name” (KJV).
We can only imagine what it will sound like someday to hear turtles, wildflowers, and caves praising our God.
I can’t wait to hear the melody of the stars singing in unison.
Maybe the little ants will be singing soprano,
and the queen bees will be singing bass.
But we don’t have to imagine what it’s like for us.
We have the privilege of praising God right here, right now.
Let’s do it!
“All the earth worships you and sings praises to you; they sing praises to your name” (Psalm 66:4 ESV).
How do you most often express your praise to God?