Among the darkest days of Israel’s history was the capture of the Ark of the Covenant by the Philistine army. Those were the days of Ichabod, where “the glory has departed from Israel” (1 Sam 4.21). Can you imagine the joy and great relief when it arrived back in Beth Shemesh?
Twenty years later, the newly-crowned king David decided to bring the Ark to Jerusalem as he wanted to honor God. During the transport, tragedy struck:
When they came to the threshing floor of Kidon, Uzzah reached out his hand to steady the ark, because the oxen stumbled. The Lord’s anger burned against Uzzah, and he struck him down because he had put his hand on the ark. So he died there before God. 1 Chr. 13.9-10, NIV
I must admit that this has long been a deeply troubling passage for me. Anyone with a servant heart and good intentions would have done the same thing–me included. Uzzah’s reaction seems fully justified, and yet God fatally wounded him. This turn of events caused David to react in anger, fear, and confusion:
Then David was angry because the Lord’s wrath had broken out against Uzzah, and to this day that place is called Perez Uzzah. David was afraid of God that day and asked, “How can I ever bring the ark of God to me?” vss. 11-12
Despite his reaction, David quickly came to terms with what had happened. Being “a man after God’s own heart,” he must have sought the Lord to work out the problem. He gathered the priests and Levites and made it clear:
“It was because you, the Levites, did not bring it up the first time that the Lord our God broke out in anger against us. We did not inquire of him about how to do it in the prescribed way.” So the priests and Levites consecrated themselves in order to bring up the ark of the Lord, the God of Israel. And the Levites carried the ark of God with the poles on their shoulders, as Moses had commanded in accordance with the word of the Lord. 1 Chr. 15.13-15
The Lord had given the Law with all its details to follow. He had also given the charge to take the cities of Canaan, and we see many examples where they inquired of the Lord before attacking. After many years, however, the people became increasingly relaxed and careless. It took a courageous leader like David who, even though prone to mistakes and oversights, kept pointing people back to God and His ways.
The situation in Europe is not unlike this story, as the glory of Christianity seems to have been carried away by the enemy. In recent years, we have been seeing movements of God emerge in many places, giving us great hope! However, we always risk the danger of relying on our methods and falling back into comfortable routines. Well-meaning and helpful as we may be, we must continually return to God’s word, abide in Him, and continually seek the Father’s heart.
