INTERESTING FACTS : "THE OLD TESTAMENT, AS EVERYONE WHO HAS LOOKED INTO IT IS AWARE, DRIPS WITH BLOOD; THERE IS, INDEED, NO MORE BLOODY CHRONICLE IN ALL THE LITERATURE OF THE WORLD." --HENRY L. MENCKEN [AMERICAN JOURNALIST, ATHEIST]

 

DAILY READING : 2 SAMUEL 4 - 7

 

TEXT : 2Sa 6:5  And David and all the house of Israel played before the LORD on all manner of instruments made of fir wood, even on harps, and on psalteries, and on timbrels, and on cornets, and on cymbals. 2Sa 6:6  And when they came to Nachon's threshingfloor, Uzzah put forth his hand to the ark of God, and took hold of it; for the oxen shook it. 2Sa 6:7  And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Uzzah; and God smote him there for his error; and there he died by the ark of God. 2Sa 6:8  And David was displeased, because the LORD had made a breach upon Uzzah: and he called the name of the place Perezuzzah to this day. 2Sa 6:9  And David was afraid of the LORD that day, and said, How shall the ark of the LORD come to me?

 

THEME : OBEDIENCE

 

Henry Mencken, an American journalist who wrote for the Baltimore Sun many years was correct in his statement - "The Old Testament, as everyone who has looked into it is aware, drips with blood; there is, indeed, no more bloody chronicle in all the literature of the world. " Although he toggled between an agonistic and an atheist, we acknowledge his statement as true, though his motive was more critical than complimentary. Whenever we open the Old Testament, it drips with blood. However, this does not mean God endorses all the actions of his appointed and anointed men. Obviously, He does not approve of the deeds of the unrighteous. Further, there are many instances where He himself gives to order to go to war.

 

This we must acknowledge since it is right in front of us as we read the Bible. So be it. If it drips with blood, it drips with blood. We do not correct God on His Word or His Will. Therefore, we must not shy away from the truth of the Bible. What it says, it says. We did not write it, therefore we have no permission to amend it. It is God's Word and we take it at face value. As those who seek the truth, we must reckon the statements of the Bible with our theology so we are not out of balance, or worse, heretical. We need not protect God. He is God and He will safeguard Himself. We simply defend Him as His servants, charging Him with no evil, and giving an answer for all who ask about the hope that lies in us. ["But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear." {1Pe_3:15}]

 

Thus, we find the murder of Ishbosheth at the hands of two brothers - Rechab and Baanah, and their execution for this misdeed by David. The vying for power in this world is truly a bloody business. It always has been. Still, there is a difference in the motive of Rechab and Baanah's murder and David's execution. The former have one aim in mind - to win the favor of David, while David views their act as wholly unrighteous. Thus, we find motive playing an important part of our relation to God. For even though our action may not be correct, if our  motive is to do what is right, them our end will be good. However, when we seek only our own gain and promotion, the end is not as we hoped or expected.

 

David, now established as the king of Israel goes after Israel's perennial enemies the Philistines to retrieve the Ark of God. When he is successful, there is great celebration and rejoicing among the Jews. However, two notable events accompany this regaining of the Ark. One is the death of Uzzah, the other the distain Michal has for David.

 

David is greatly displeased with the Lord's action in taking the life of Uzzah. In David's mind, he understands Uzzah's motive to be pure as Uzzah only seeks to keep the Ark from falling over when shaken by the oxen. That at least is the outward appearance. However, God knowing the hearts of men may have seen something other than pure altruism toward the Lord. Perhaps the matter was not as simple a pure heart seeking only the glory of God. In any case, are we to charge God with evil? If God takes the life of [any] soul that is His to begin with, that is God's business, for all souls are  His. ["Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die." [{Eze_18:4}] John Gill comments.

 

"the ark was put upon a cart, to which he might be the chief adviser, as Procopius Gazaeus notes, when it should have been carried on the shoulders of the Levites; and that be touched it with his hand, which none but priests might do, supposing him to be a Levite, which it is not clear he was, however not a Kohathite; and he took hold of it in order to carry it in his arms, which even Levites, and those Kohathites, might not do, but with staves put into it, which only they were to hold; and besides, as Abarbinel observes, he showed little faith in the power and providence of God, as if he could not take care of the ark without him."

 

God counted Uzzah's action as sin. The ark was to be transported only by the Levites, and no one could touch it. Therefore David was mistaken in this instance since God can do no evil. Neither can He sin. However, we can sympathize with David since we often are perplexed, perhaps even angry with God when we do not understand His ways. Therefore, David only shows himself human when he is perplexed, disturbed, and afraid of God as he ponders what to do with the Ark.

 

Michal's distain of David as he dances and sings before the Ark as it is returned to the Tabernacle shows the love between them [that is David and Michal] is no longer present. We must assume had her affection for David remained the same as it was when she protected him from the wrath of her father - at the risk of her own life I might add, then she would have rejoiced with David and the rest of Israel. Dancing on an occasion of great celebration and joy [the Ark had been in the Philistines hands for twenty years; See 1 Samuel 7:2] is certainly no cause for such an acerbic rebuke. Yet, her disregard for David gives evidence of the fact that she resented being taken from Phaltiel and given back to David. Anyway, the love between them is not there, and it begs the question if David's decision to take her to himself after he was king was out of love or his desire to "keep the record straight" since she was his wife first. It is a debatable point, and not one with which we need to occupy our time.

 

The sovereignty and providence of God [as Gill notes above concerning the Ark] is truly a comforting and inspiring truth! He is in complete control of the history of Man and always will be as we see in the following verses.

 

"And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom. 2Sa 7:13  He shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever. 2Sa 7:14  I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men: 2Sa 7:15  But my mercy shall not depart away from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before thee" [2 Sa 7:12 - 15]

 

Here God speaks of Solomon who was the son of Bathsheba. David's relationship with Solomon's mother begins with adultery and the murder of her husband Uriah, yet God works through it all and establishes Solomon as God prophesies here. In other words, God who knows all things, decided to elect Solomon to the throne as David's successor though the relationship between David and Bathsheba is born in wickedness and treachery. How amazing is God? He could have chosen anyone to take the throne of David and establish it. Yet, He chooses Solomon in order to teach us how He intends to show Man mercy through the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This is further elucidated by the fact that Jesus genealogy has Tamar in it [the women Judah went into thinking she was a prostitute] and Ruth - a Gentile. Therefore, we are greatly encouraged to learn man's sin cannot destroy God's power to save!

 

TRUTH FOR TODAY : GOD'S WORD IS WRITTEN FOR INSTRUCTION NOT INFORMATION!

 

In the incident with Uzzah we learn one salient truth. Obey God the way He says to. We are not permitted to serve God our way, making up rules as we go along. Neither are we permitted to edit God's Word by taking His Laws out, or putting ours in. The Book stands as written. No one can add to it or take away from it. Even as we are warned in Revelation chapter 22 - 

 

"For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book." [Rev 22:18  - 19]

 

God does not need or want our help in serving Him in His Kingdom. Rather, He expects us to obey Him, taking Him at His Word. Had Uzzah realized this, he would not have touched the Ark. The orders were explicit. First, no one touches the Ark. Second, those who do handle it must do it according to instruction [for instance, carrying it with staves]. Third, they must be a Levite. It is assumed Uzzah was a Levite, though he still had the orders not to touch the Ark. Fausett's dictionary explains.

 

"Uzzah though with good intentions had in his rash act forgotten the reverence due to the ark, the earthly throne and visible pledge of the presence of the unseen God. The Lord's service is no excuse for self-willed service. We must not in presumptuous haste try to sustain God's cause, as if it must fall unless it have our support; God can guard His own ark. We are reverently, and in the way of God's call, to put forth our efforts, believing that His true church is safe, however threatened, because it is His. God's law (Numbers 4; Eze_25:14) had ordained that the ark was to be carried on the Levites' shoulders, not in a carriage.

 

Even the Levites (Eze_25:15) were not to touch it, on pain of death. Instead of this David and Israel had followed the Philistines' method (1Sa_6:7, ff). David's excitement changed into fear of Jehovah; not daring to bring the ark near him, since a touch proved so fatal, he removed it to the house of Obed Edom the Gathite. Contrast the blessed effect of the touch of faith toward the ark's Antitype, Jesus (Mat_9:20-22; Mar_5:25-34). Uzzah was evidently a Levite, for otherwise the ark would not have been allowed to remain at his father Abinadab's house 20 years. Moreover, if Abinadab had not been a Levite his son Eleazar would not have been consecrated to take charge of the ark (1Sa_7:2)"

 

What we take away from this incident is the difference between instruction and information. Instruction implies conformity and compliance. Information is no more than that - simple facts of life, history, or the intellectual knowledge of God and His Word. The two are as different as night and day. Many mistake reading the Bible or hearing a sermon for faith. It is not. God commands obedience, which is instruction. It is also faith, since faith without works is dead. [But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?" Jas_2:20]

 

Therefore, let us not make the same mistake as Uzzah with regard to serving Christ in His Kingdom. We must follow His instructions, doing what He says less we deceive ourselves into believing we are doing God a service with our good intentions or our own works.

 

'Further, we can start here if we want people to know we are [truly] Christians -

 

"By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another." [Joh_13:35  ]

 

In addition, we should neglect this command of Jesus -

 

"And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.  Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:  Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen. "[Mat 28:18  - 20]

 

This is Jesus' truth about evangelism - love each other and make the converts disciples [literally "scholars," as in mastering a subject in a practical as opposed to a theoretical sense]. Anything added or deleted from Jesus Word[s] is the sin of Uzzah. God instructs not informs. Let us therefore be compliant and obey, as God's Word is written for instruction not information.