It Seemed Good At The Time!

That's usually when we get into trouble. It's when life gets out of balance and as the trainer on my Wii Fit says, "You put your foot down, didn't you?" That's what happens when we don't listen to God's Word and obey His instructions; we fall off the balance board!

In the email I sent out today "All Questions - One Answer" from 1 Chronicles 13:7 it reads:

They placed the Ark of God on a new cart and brought it from Abinadab's house. Uzzah and Ahio were guiding the cart.
1 Chronicles 13:7 (NLT)

The problem came about when Uzzah disobeyed God concerning the commands about the Ark, or so it would seem.

Then the Lord’s anger was aroused against Uzzah, and he struck him dead because he had laid his hand on the Ark. So Uzzah died there in the presence of God.
1 Chronicles 13:10 (NLT)

What seemed like disobedience in Uzzah's life, was actually the result of David's failure to follow God's command regarding the transportation of the Ark of the Covenant. In Exodus we're told:

And you shall put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark to carry the ark by them. The poles shall remain in the rings of the ark; they shall not be taken from it.
Exodus 25:14-15 (ESV)

Then we know that God gave strict orders that the Levites were to carry the Ark whenever it was moved. God never intended for the Ark to be carried on a cart, but to be carried on the shoulders of those who had been appointed to do so. Okay, some of you are saying, AYTMTB? (And Your Telling Me This Because...)

Because when God speaks, He means it! That's why there is nothing more important than knowing and doing the Word of God. If you read all of 1 Chronicles 13, you'll see that David got mad at God for killing Uzzah and didn't take the Ark to Jerusalem for another three months (I think he was pouting!) But all the while, David knew what God's word said about the Ark, the rings, the poles, and the Levites. As a matter of fact, read 1 Chronicles 15:1-2 and you'll see that David repented (changed his mind) and finally brought the Ark back to Jerusalem. What a great and glorious day that was!

We must learn that God is God. When He speaks our response is to hear and obey, even if our way may seem right at the time. God's Word teaches us that...

There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of
death. Proverbs 14:12 (NKJV)