Articles
Do It Right
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"Let us bring the ark of our God back to us, for we have not inquired at it since the days of Saul." Then all the assembly said that they would do so, for the thing was right in the eyes of all the people. (1 Chron. 13:3-4)
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After a long and painful period of tribal division, the kingdom was finally united under David's rule. He had taken the Jebusite city of Jerusalem to be his capital; wouldn't it be wonderful if Jerusalem could also serve as the spiritual center of the nation as well? So David enlisted the support of all the people and their leaders to have the ark moved from its temporary home in Kirjath Jearim to Jerusalem.
The plan "was right in the eyes of all the people," and was implemented immediately. The ark was placed on an ox-drawn cart, and a great procession accompanied it on the road to Jerusalem. It was a joyous national celebration; David and the people "played music before God with all their might" along the way (v. 8).
Then disaster struck. The cart began to tip over and Uzzah, one of the attendees, reached out his hand to steady it. Uzzah was not a Levite and had no right to touch the ark. God instantly struck him dead for his violation of protocol. The incident shocked David and the people, and put a halt to the move.
Later, in assessing what had gone wrong, David realized that in their haste to do this good work, they had failed to "consult Him about the proper order” (1 Chron. 15:13). God had provided clear instructions in the Law on the proper procedure for transporting the ark, but in their enthusiasm to do this great thing, David and the people had ignored those instructions. A man lost his life as a result.
Before we criticize God for being too picky here, we need to remember the larger issue at stake. It is God who makes the rules, not us. When He sets the boundaries, we'd better respect them. It doesn't matter how good an idea appears to us, or how many people are on board with it; if we do not conform to God's will in the matter, we're elevating our desires above His. That's a simple definition of rebellion.
It is well that we get excited about doing great things for the Lord. But we mustn't allow our enthusiasm to outrun our respect for His word. We must take care to do it right by honoring the details He has given us.
--David
