Uzzah Dies From Touching the Ark (Week 26, Part 1/5) 2 Samuel; 1 Kings | June 20-26 – powered by Happy Scribe
Second Samuel 5-6 finds King David at the height of his powers.
The civil war between David and King Saul was at last at an end, with David winning the respect and honor of leading all the tribes of Israel.
All of the tribes of Israel came to David saying together, thou shalt feed my people Israel, and thou shalt be a captain over Israel.
With his hard won rule over the people firmly in place, David made some smart moves.
First, he selected Jerusalem, a city near the north/south axis of his country and a neutral territory that didn’t belong to any of the tribes.
Jerusalem was also likely the site of the ancient city of Salem, ruled over in the time of Abraham by Melchizedek, one of the most righteous kings of all time and the type of the savior himself. David also had the respect of other.
Kings in the region.
Hiring the king of Tyre sent carpenters and stonemasons to build a house for David. This is probably the same King Hiram who would later help Solomon build the temple in Jerusalem by building his capital in the center of the country in a neutral place, honoring all the tribes and invoking the image of one of the greatest kings of all time and showing he could work peacefully with other nations.
The reign of David was off to.
A good start, but there was still something missing. The crown jewel of the new capital.
City of the Israelites was to be the Ark of the Covenant.
There are indications that the ark was.
Neglected during the time of Solve one.
Chronicles, one, three, three shares that the people said to David, let us bring again the ark of our God to us, for we inquired, not added.
In the days of Saul, David not.
Only wanted Jerusalem to be the political.
Center of the country, but also the religious capital of the Israelites.
He still knew that the real king.
Of the Israelites was the Lord, and.
He wanted the most powerful symbol of.
The Lord’s mercy to be in his capital city.
But moving the ark was a tricky thing. The Ark of the Covenant was a.
Container of sacred remembrance that housed some of the holiest objects in the history of the Israelites.
Under normal circumstances, touching the ark or.
Its contents was expressly forbidden by the Lord.
Only authorized levites and then only under very specific conditions could handle the sacred ark. David called up his most elite troops and even arranged for a brand new.
Cart to transport the ark.
But during the transport of the ark, a curious incident occurred which marred the otherwise joyful events of this time. While the ark was in transport, the oxen pulling the cart slipped, and it.
Looked for a moment like the arc might fall.
A man assisting in the transport named Uza reached out with his hand instead of the ark.
Uza suddenly died as a result of this act.
Why did Uza die? Some have speculated that the Ark was.
A source of raw power and that.
Touching it was like touching an electrified cable, and the power was what killed Uza. But the record itself hints that there was something more than just a safety violation happening, indicating that something about Oza’s.
Actions angered the Lord.
Commentary on why USA was struck down comes from the Lord himself. In a revelation given in the Doctrine of Covenants, section 85, verse eight reads that man who was called to God and appointed that puteth forth his hand to steady the Ark of God, shall fall by the shaft of death, like as a tree that was smitten by.
The vivid shaft of lightning.
At the time of this revelation, the Lord was giving a stern rebuke to several leaders of the early church who were interfering in areas they had no stewardship over. Since that time, studying the Ark has become a kind of shorthand for involving yourself in something that isn’t really your business. Commenting on Uza and the Arc, elder Neil Maxwell taught some may reason that Uza was only trying, though mistakenly, to help out.
But given the numerous times the Lord.
Had saved and spared Israel, including the high drama of the Red Sea and of the manna from heaven, surely the Lord knew how to keep the Ark in balance. We assume because of the severity of the response, uzi’s motives were beyond just.
A simple desire to study the Arc.
Likewise, there are times when we want to intervene, when we second guess the.
Actions of the women and men who.
Have been called to lead us. We may be studying the Arc when we murmur about leaders or programs we don’t like. We may be steadying the Ark when.
We get testy about the Lord’s timing.
In our lives or the way others choose to worship God. The lesson is reiterated in the closing verses of Two Samuel Six, when David’s wife McCall, daughter of King Saul, criticized David for dancing with joy before the.
Ark when it arrived at last in Jerusalem.
There’s a lot going on beneath the.
Surface between David and McCall, but her criticism of David’s dancing implies that she thought his form of worship through dance was inappropriate. In the presence of the Ark, we all have our own responsibilities and our.
Own ways of worshiping the Lord. We can benefit everyone with a little less studying of the Ark towards our leaders and our fellow saints. There are times when we might be tempted to interfere in an area outside of our stewardship, and we need to trust that the men and women the Lord is called know what they’re doing. When we see someone who worships a.
Little differently than us, we can be kind and inclusive.
We all want the Lord to dwell.
In our midst and trusting in his care, and his love for his children.
Is a good place for each of.
Us to start our own own little centers of worship.
Guest Author
dyejo
