[The Ark stayed at Kiriath-Jearim or] Baalah of Judah… 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 that carried the Ark of God. Ahio walked in front of the Ark. 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. 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. 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.
2 Samuel 6:2–7 (NLT)
This letter from Uzzah to Joab might explain why he died
Dear Commander Joab,
I hope this letter finds you well. I wanted to inform you that preparations are underway to transport the Ark of God to Jerusalem. My brother Ahio and I are honored to be a part of this momentous occasion. We’ve been taking care of the Ark since our father Abinadab and eldest brother Eleazar passed away, so you can rest assured that it’s in capable hands. I dare say we know the Ark better than anyone else in Israel.
I heard you were planning to send some men to assist us, but I assure you, there’s no need. Ahio and I have been around the Ark for as long as we can remember. Over the years, the Ark has become something of a family heirloom, a constant presence in our lives. We’ve grown quite accustomed to its divine aura, and I dare say, we’ve become experts in its handling. We’ve got this under control. We’ve even built a new cart to carry the Ark, and I can tell you, it’s a work of art. Sturdy, balanced, and designed to ensure a smooth journey. We’ve thought of everything, down to the last detail.
I understand the Ark’s significance, of course. It’s the throne of God, the heart of our nation. But let’s be honest, it’s been sitting in our home for years without any incident. We’ve become quite familiar with it, and I dare say, it’s become familiar with us. We’ve lived in its divine presence, and nothing unforeseen has ever happened. So, I don’t think we need to be overly cautious or formal about this. It’s not like we’re strangers to the Ark or to God’s presence.
I appreciate your offer to send a contingent of men to assist us, but rest assured, Ahio and I are more than capable. We’ve been around the Ark for so long that we know how to manage it as easily as one would handle a cart of grain. I’m confident that the journey to Jerusalem will be completed without any hitches, and the Ark will soon reside in its rightful place, blessing our great city and nation.
So, rest easy, Commander. The Ark is in capable hands, and we are more than ready to bring it to its new home in Jerusalem.
Best regards,
Uzzah
Share with your friends “What are the dangers of becoming too familiar or casual in our worship and relationship with God?”
Familiarity breeds contempt. Jesus said as much in Mark 6 regarding his hometown:
“Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own town, among his relatives and in his own home.” He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. He was amazed at their lack of faith.”
Mark 6:4-6
When religious rituals become commonplace and routine, we run the risk of mindlessly going through the motions, and not allowing the message or meaning to penetrate our hearts.
This risk is even greater for our kids, who can parrot scripture verses about how Jesus died on the cross for their sins without encountering how Jesus died on the cross for their sins.
I wept big ugly tears during the last worship song on Sunday, repenting of my contempt for my Savior who For the joy that was set before Him, took upon himself all of my guilt and shame on that ugly cross so that I can not only be set free but adopted into His family.
I find Uzzah’s death to be quite severe. He was simply trying to prevent the ark from falling and getting damaged. It’s understandable that God’s judgment can be confusing at times. We tend to emphasize God’s love and blessings while overlooking His righteous anger, wrath, and sorrow when we disobey Him. We often forget to hold a reverent fear of Him.
This leads me to reflect on the holiness of God, something we don’t frequently contemplate. God’s holiness includes His aversion to sin, and we sometimes underestimate His love for sinners. Uzza had a level of familiarity with God, and being familiar with God isn’t inherently wrong. In fact, I desire to draw closer to God and become more intimate with Him. However, I also recognize the importance of maintaining a healthy reverence and fear of Him.
Oh God, I repent for any casualness I’ve shown towards You. Please draw me closer to You and help me become familiar with Your precious blood that was shed for me, all while preserving a deep reverence for You.
(from Charles)
The danger of becoming too familiar or casual in our worship and relationship with God is that we can forget who God is and ultimately diminish who He is. It is nice to think of God as our friend and father but irrespective of the relational attributes attributed to Him, God is still God and thus we must always show reverence for God. When we forget we may start to treat God like an equal or something less than who He is. As we have seen in the past sermon on David, that may have led to the death of Uzzah. Even though that may be an extreme and rare case, it nonetheless is a warning that we should not become too casual in our worship of Him.
Wow, that was crazy. I’ve never know about what happened to Uzzah.
I can see how Uzzah’s thought hindered him from feeling too confident about him. It is one thing to follow God and another to know him. I see how easy it is for our pride to get in the way of our worship to God. God will always keep us from having a hardened heart I believe. A hardened heart would not be able to grow in understanding him on a deeper level.
God please help me. I struggle with thinking that I just need to know you better but if I do not respect you and lose track of understanding your power and Holiness. I would fall away and lose sight of you who I am to worship
When we get casual or too familiar it’s just like getting content. We become complacent and this is when things can begin to slip. We can fall into possibly dangerous territory. We begin to perhaps miss things or can even become disrespectful in some of the things we do as worship. We shall not forget that this life we live is not self led. This life is nothing without the Lord. It is through him that we can do all things. Through him is how we can accomplish all we have accomplished. So we shall not choose how we worship or become casual with it. It’s a sacred time between the Lord and us. That should not be misconstrued.
I think becoming too familiar and casual in our worship can lead us to become complacent. Our attitude can also affect the way we worship. When we think we know something too well, there is no need to learn more or it can be difficult to have an attitude of seeking more. I don’t think we will even be amazed anymore and is that even worship? We may even grow numb or be blinded from seeing the goodness of God and that could even cause to be reluctant to worship
This story confuses me not just because it seems so harsh a punishment. I understand the explanation that Bumble presented in the sermon but I have a different question about it.
In this passage, it seems that God expected exact ritualistic obedience to his law about handling of the Ark. Also in the OT there are other such stories.
But in the NT, Jesus spoke out against legalistic interpretation of the law and ritualistic worship. Instead He emphasizes heart and love in worship. That’s how we worship today, I think.
If you love someone deeply you should NOT take them for granted. Taking your spouse for granted…also a pretty big no-no 🙂
In our time, we follow Jesus teaching and emphasize love and heart and intention in our relationship with God.
I think if we ask pastor Bumble, he would point out that this is because Jesus brought to us a new covenant. Basically a new set of “rules” or rather a new way to worship emphasizing “love” above all.
Love the Lord and love your fellows and love even your enemies. It is from this new covenant and outlook that we interpret everything.
It is because of this, I think, is why this passage is so hard for us to understand.
To make sense of this, we have to remember that the people who lived in this time was under the old covenant with God. They did not benefit from Jesus sacrifice and is not under the new covenant.
From this light, I feel incredibly bless that Jesus sacrificed so much for me so that I can now live under a NEW covenant based on love and grace!
Charlie, your understanding leads to the distinction between the Old Covenant and the New Covenant, the Dispensation of Law and the Dispensation of Grace. But as tomorrow’s devotional will show, grace is also concealed in the old covenant and law is also revealed in the new covenant. Both are expression of the same entity.
The dangers of being too comfortable in our relationship with God is no longer seeing the need to continue to grow in our faith anymore. However, it’s so necessary to not lose the faith and forget who He is. When we forget who He is, we forget about His plans for us and in turn, become selfish and put our wants before God. Our wants can be destructive and dangerous.
I feel like when we become to familiar and to casual with our relationship we in a sense lose that respect with God where we don’t see him as higher authority more of like an acquaintance. So for example like when committing a sin there is a weight of it I feel that its on me for the committing sin, but if I become too comfortable i see myself just thinking like oh God loves me and forgives me so I don’t need to repent. Not sure if that make sense