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David Was Angry, Uzza Was Dead - 1 Chron. 13
David Was Angry, Uzza was Dead - 1 Chron. 13
Having built a new 'tabernacle' to house the Ark of the Covenant, David sets out to bring the Ark to Jerusalem. God HAD given specific directions on how to move this holy item: using poles, the Levites were to carry it without touching the ark itself (Num 4:15; Deut. 10:8; AND 1 Chron. 15:1).
Why reinvent the wheel? They prepared a better way to move the ark. They prepared a new cart and used 'new' oxen. It no longer would take 4 or more men to carry it, it could be moved long distance with only one man. What could go wrong? When the oxen stumble, Uzza steadies the ark on the cart by putting his hand on it. THEN: "The anger of the Lord burned against Uzza, so He struck him down because he put out his hand to the ark; and he died there before God" (1Chron. 13:10).
It is interesting to see that David responded with two emotions: David was angry (vs. 11), and David was fearful (vs. 12). Their celebrating with all their might (vs. 8) had come to an abrupt end.
What went wrong? David will explain: "the LORD our God made an outburst on us, for we did not seek Him according to the ordinance" (vs. 13).
We may never know why God instructed the Levites to carry the ark using the poles, but He did. We may think that we have a better procedure than what God revealed, but Uzza is dead!
David has a right to be angry, but not with God. It is David that disobeyed. It is David that exalted his own plan above God's word. It is David that has brought about the situation wherein Uzza has died.
They had breached that which was holy. They failed to distinguish between the holy and the 'profane' / common. They failed to do "as Moses had commanded according to the word of the LORD" (cp. 15:15). Uzza is dead, the Ark is not in Jerusalem, David is angry, and the LORD was angry.
People today, upon reading this story, still respond even as did David, and become angry; angry that God becomes angry with our disobedience. Yet, the response should be to have a more fully developed fear of the LORD. Such a godly fear remembers that God is God, and we are NOT! Such remembers that God's ways are not OUR ways, and His thoughts are not OUR thoughts. Such learns to respect that which God has sanctified.
When they then did as the Lord commanded, there was joy (15:16). Hugh DeLong
