Doing as God Prescribes

​2 Samuel 6:6-7 ~ “And when they came to the threshing floor of Nacon, Uzzah put out his hand to the ark of God and took hold of it, for the oxen stumbled. And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzzah, and God struck him down there because of his error, and he died there beside the ark of God.”
 
Let us take warning from our text today that we should not try to do what God commands without first understanding how God has commanded it. The LORD Almighty does lay before us the entirety of His book in order to give us knowledge and instruction in His will. Without the Scriptures we would be at a loss to know how we are to obey the LORD. As often is the case, it would be good for you to read all of 2 Samuel, chapter six, for the context of the text we consider today.
 
David had struck down the Philistines. And with this enemy defeated, the king of Israel wanted to bring the ark of the covenant to the capital city. Let us first understand that the motive of David was honorable, his intentions were good. He wanted to worship the LORD and have the ark present as it represented the LORD going before His people (see Numbers 10:35). It was a holy article, a representation of the Almighty that required absolute adherence to a prescribed method of transport. In fact, all the articles of the tabernacle (later, the temple) were purposed by God to be handled a particular way, and were not for common or independent use. It was not up to anyone to do as they saw fit with the instruments of worship that God had designed, but to use them only in the method that God had determined. Psalm 96:9 states, “Worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness; tremble before him, all the earth!” What does it mean to worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness? To be “holy” is to be separated from all that is common and worldly. It is to be set to do what God had commanded, as He has commanded it. No other interests or instructions will come into view, as being holy means to be separated unto the LORD.
 
And as we come to our text today, we see that they were transporting the ark of God, but doing so according to their own ideas. 2 Samuel 6:3-4 says, “And they carried the ark of God on a new cart and brought it out of the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill. And Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, were driving the new cart, with the ark of God, and Ahio went before the ark.” I’m sure it seemed like a splendid idea—for God’s covenant ark deserved a new cart at least. Their desire was to worship the LORD for we find in 2 Samuel 6:5 this statement, “And David and all the house of Israel were celebrating before the LORD, with songs and lyres and harps and tambourines and castanets and cymbals.” Beloved, their hearts were right but their actions were wrong. They did not do with the ark as God required.
 
We see in our text today, “the oxen stumbled.” The man driving the cart, Uzzah, only wanted to steady the item and settle it so that it would not pitch out of the cart and be damaged. Surely God would not want His ark broken upon the ground. Yet we read in Numbers 4:15, “And when Aaron and his sons have finished covering the sanctuary and all the furnishings of the sanctuary, as the camp sets out, after that the sons of Kohath shall come to carry these, but they must not touch the holy things, lest they die. These are the things of the tent of meeting that the sons of Kohath are to carry.” Despite the intention of his heart, Uzzah did in a moment of casual concern that which would cost him his life. “And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzzah, and God struck him down there because of his error, and he died there beside the ark of God.”
 
So, beloved, consider for a moment your own life and the life of the church today. How much of what is done comes from the command of God in His word, and how much of our activities of worship and service to the LORD is derived from our own minds? Shall we handle that which is meant to be holy unto the LORD with worldly designs? In many aspects of our life, we are given liberty to live and serve the LORD as best we know how, but there are some things that are regulated by God Almighty with stern warnings. Let us take heed against such actions by learning from God’s word what must be done. David was angry with himself (see 2 Samuel 6:8). Had he read the book of Numbers, he would have learned the right way to transport the ark. Let us, dear friends, learn the right way to worship the LORD by doing as God prescribes.
 
In His Grace,
Pastor Michael

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