UZZAH - By James Lotz

Screenshot courtesy of Lucasfilms

There is a wild story in the Bible that always makes me cringe.  I'ts found in the Old Testament and revolves around this object called “The Ark of the Covenant.”  The Ark had serious significance to Israel; it was the Presence of God among them.  It was very Holy.

If you haven’t seen the movie Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark, please watch it ASAP – if anything it provides context.  Let us continue (spoilers ahead!).  Remember at the end when they open the Ark and spirits came flying out, frying the Nazis, melting the faces of those two guys, and causing that one dude’s head to explode?  Hollywood definitely has a flair for the dramatic – but they loosely grounded this concept from the Bible – which says that God means business and His Holiness is nothing to mess with.

Some background is required to understand the wild story I mentioned previously.  Israel was at war with people called the Philistines.  At one point the Philistines captured the Ark because the Israelites brought it to a battle as a good luck charm.  Possessing the Ark brought the Philistines some bad breaks.  Some people died while others got nasty tumors (some translations say “in the “groin area”) – again, God doesn’t mess around when it comes to Holiness.  Finally, the Philistines, terrified, sent the Ark back to Israel on a cart pulled by cows (not daring to send human escorts).

Fast forward some years and we meet a man named King David (think David and Goliath).  David had a special relationship with God.  David trusted God and His Word and God guided him and blessed him in many ways.   David’s reign began by defeating Israel’s enemies.  His second order of business was to bring people back to God.  When the Philistines returned the Ark it was eventually placed in the care of a man named Abinadab – whose family was blessed tremendously until David wanted to return it to Jerusalem to bless the entire nation.

A big move (with movers) was required.  As mentioned earlier – the Ark is Holy (think Indiana Jones!).  God gave Israel the Ark and because He’s awesome, He also gave them instructions on how to care for the Ark, and even transport it (priests had to do it).  David knew this…and yet for some reason he decided that 'procedure' wasn’t a big deal – so he transported the Ark like the Philistines did, with oxen and a cart, guided by family members of the house of Abinadab, two guys named Uzzah and Ahio.

Here’s where it gets nuts.  

The oxen tripped – the cart shook, and so did the Ark.  Uzzah, concerned with this national treasure, reached out to steady the Ark.  Innocent enough, right?  But then the unexpected happened: God got angry with Uzzah – the story says it was out of Uzzah’s “irreverence” – and God struck Uzzah down, dying right there next to the Ark.

Did that just happen?

I have number of friends who identify as atheists who claim that the God of the Bible is a maniac because of stories like this.  I totally understand, I still wrestle with it.  I’m still not sure I have an “answer” – but I feel like I have some clarity on the situation after struggling with this story.  

God is very Holy.  In our culture we like to throw around the phrase “they were a good person.”  Usually the person in question wasn’t a mass murderer – but at the same time we cannot say “God is good” and “he/she was a good person” and mean that in the same way.  God is Holy – as in pure, perfect, and incapable of sin (totally unlike any of us “good people”).  

God had a mission for Israel: they were chosen to introduce the world to this Holy God and His Word.  In today’s story a man died – and from what we can see it was because the Word of God was not cherished in the hearts of the people.

Some might say, “But they were moving the Ark back to Jerusalem to honor God!”  And I agree – but that wasn’t the issue.  The issue was God had given them a specific way to live so that they could reveal Him to the world as Holy.  One of those instructions was how to care for His Presence among them (like moving the Ark).  Uzzah definitely had good intentions but the Presence of God was to be transported by priests – not by livestock.

More specifically, a man died because the spiritual leadership of the people failed to lead them in the Way of the LORD.  When God’s Word is casually treated by believers we actively participate in the destruction of people.  Ultimately, Uzzah’s death is on the hands of the king – David, whose good intentions turned devastating because he didn’t think the details mattered.

In college, my roommate’s parents bought us a futon.  Futons are awesome, a couch that converts into a bed!  Since it was technically his futon, he built it while I played video games.  Upon finishing he was left holding one little piece.  Apparently it was the mechanism that helped convert the futon from a couch into a bed.  He didn’t think it was a big deal - until he sunk into the middle of the collapsing contraption, realizing that the instructions mattered – a lot.

When we are flippant about the Word of God we fail to consider the Holiness of God.

Like in Indiana Jones - we play a dangerous and destructive game.

Back to David.  Though devastated, he ultimately understood.  He treated the Ark exactly like his pagan enemies did.  His failure to remember God’s Holiness cost a man his life.  

It was a wake up call for him – and hopefully for us.

Which brings us to our concluding point: God’s Way.  
Is God a bratty kid demanding to have everything His way?  
This accusation makes no sense when we look at Jesus.  God “having His way” was to willingly die on the cross for our sins.  It seems like He’s been telling us from the beginning that there’s a point to our lives - living fully by His Grace and Love - and Way.  
Instead, we have made it about pursuits that involve our glory and honor – even to the extent of being the bratty kid demanding to have everything our way (ironic, isn’t it?).

So wouldn’t giving us the instructions – or Way – of accomplishing things in the most complete and perfect way be the most loving thing God could do?  

Wouldn’t the most dangerous and foolish thing we could do be to reject that way in favor of our way?

In what ways am I David – operating with every good intention for God – but on my terms?  

Even scarier – who are the Uzzahs in my life – the casualties of my irreverence; my failure to take into account God’s Holiness and Word for my well-being and the well-being of those around me?

God's Way is our mission. 
God's Grace is our gift.  

If only we knew what to do.

But wait, we do.

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