“David again brought together all the able young men of Israel—thirty thousand. He and all his men went to Baalah in Judah to bring up from there the ark of God, which is called by the Name, the name of the Lord Almighty, who is enthroned between the cherubim on the ark. They set the ark of God on a new cart and brought it from the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill. Uzzah and Ahio, sons of Abinadab, were guiding the new cart with the ark of God on it, and Ahio was walking in front of it. David and all Israel were celebrating with all their might before the Lord, with castanets, harps, lyres, timbrels, sistrums and cymbals. When they came to the threshing floor of Nakon, Uzzah reached out and took hold of the ark of God, because the oxen stumbled. The Lord’s anger burned against Uzzah because of his irreverent act; therefore God struck him down, and he died there beside the ark of God. Then David was angry because the Lord’s wrath had broken out against Uzzah, and to this day that place is called Perez Uzzah. David was afraid of the Lord that day and said, ‘How can the ark of the Lord ever come to me?’ He was not willing to take the ark of the Lord to be with him in the City of David. Instead, he took it to the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite. The ark of the Lord remained in the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite for three months, and the Lord blessed him and his entire household. Now King David was told, ‘The Lord has blessed the household of Obed-Edom and everything he has, because of the ark of God.’ So David went to bring up the ark of God from the house of Obed-Edom to the City of David with rejoicing. When those who were carrying the ark of the Lord had taken six steps, he sacrificed a bull and a fattened calf. Wearing a linen ephod, David was dancing before the Lord with all his might, while he and all Israel were bringing up the ark of the Lord with shouts and the sound of trumpets.”—2 Samuel 6:1–15 (NIV) 

Have you ever used a bit more “help” than you should have to complete an assignment for school? I definitely had a few instances where I used the internet too much which helped me in the moment, but when the teacher asked me questions in class, I just stared at her like a clueless puppy dog! When I read today’s Scripture, it starts in a similar situation except much more serious. 

As the new king, David’s trying to bring the ark of the covenant to the new capital, Jerusalem. The ark of the covenant was the sacred chest that resides in the innermost part of the temple where God’s presence dwelled. Inside the ark itself were the Ten Commandments, a jar of manna to remember God’s provision in the desert, and Aaron’s staff. The top of the ark, called the mercy seat, was also where the high priest would make the atonement sacrifice once a year for the sins of the people. 

The instructions for handling the ark (Numbers 4) were therefore very important! God clearly stated that the Kohathite clan, within the Levite tribe, were the only ones who could move the holy furnishings of the temple. The instructions also mention they must use poles to carry everything so they don’t touch it or else they’ll die. No one else and no other object or device was supposed to be used to carry these holy items. 

All these rules are disregarded in the excitement of the moment. Despite the intense celebration happening, they were being disobedient. When Uzzah carelessly reached out to grab the ark because the oxen, not Kohathites, were stumbling while carrying it, God struck him dead. He disregarded God’s commands and didn’t take His holiness seriously. 

There are times where we get so caught up in wanting to “look” happy or “feel” good in our faith that we disregard God’s commands. We choose to pursue worship and celebration without obedience and devotion, yet true worship cannot exist without these things! 

After this, David gets upset with God. He’s probably confused and angry because they were having such a good time for a seemingly good reason. Although his intentions were good, they still weren’t acted on with wisdom and care for God’s instructions. 

Thankfully, Obed-Edom was a Levite in the family of Korah and Kohath (1 Chronicles 26:4). When David left the ark with them for three months, he witnessed the blessing of God on his obedience. David recognizes that God’s commands are for His people’s good—so they may be blessed by Him! 

When the ark finally makes its way to Jerusalem with David in the appropriate way, he can’t help but rejoice with dancing! What a beautiful image! Although emotions must not be manipulated or used as an excuse to walk in disobedience, they must also not be suppressed or ignored. David danced before the Lord with all his might! God’s worthy of our complete obedience and of our extravagant worship!

Pause: Is there an area in your life where you’re ignoring clear commands from God because of the temporary “feel-good” experience you’re chasing? Is there an area in your life where you could worship God more boldly, but you’re too scared to?

Practice: Spend time in prayer today asking God the questions above. Set aside time to listen to what He might have to say, and as He does, see what His Word has to say as well. Then, take time to listen, sing, and even dance to a worship song wherever you are! 

Pray: Father God, thank You for being holy! You’re so incredible. You’re worthy of my complete obedience and extravagant worship! I don’t want to hide behind pleasure or comfort. I want to choose obedience even when it’s increasingly difficult to. I want to worship You with abandon not caring about what others might think. Give me the courage and wisdom to keep moving forward with You. I love you. Amen.