Good Intentions
(S) Scripture
When they came to the threshing floor of Kidon, Uzzah reached out his hand to steady the ark, because the oxen stumbled.
The LORD's anger burned against Uzzah, and he struck him down because he had put his hand on the ark. So he died there before God.
1 Chronicles 13:9-10 (NIV)
(O) Observation
David is returning the ark of the covenant back to their land. The ark was on a new cart and was guided by Ahio and Uzzah. At one point the oxen stumbled and Uzzah reached out and touched the ark to steady it. Touching the ark was forbidden and Uzzah was struck down by the Lord. Although his intentions were good, to steady the ark, his faith was weak because he did not believe that God could keep the ark from falling. It was his lack of faith that resulted in him touching the ark (overt disobedience) that brought about his death. The consequence of his disobedience was his death. Good intentions do not excuse disobedience.
(A) Application
I wonder how often I excuse disobedience because my intentions were "good". Here the lesson is to trust God fully and to be obedient to Him. My actions have consequences, some good and some bad. When I am obedient to the Lord the ultimate consequence is good. Being obedient may bring some persecution and trouble those who do not know the Lord but that is nothing compared to the consequence of not obeying. I am not talking about losing my salvation. The consequence of being out of fellowship with the Lord and feeling distant from Him is scary. I cannot imagine living apart from the assurance of His protection and care and strength and love. Today I will listen to the Lord and will obey Him. I want to do His will. I do not want to excuse disobedience with :good intentions".
(P) Prayer
Lord you know how easy it is for me to excuse my disobedience with good intentions. Let my intentions be Yours and empower me to do your will. Let me trust you today. Amen
2 comments:
Does not touching the ark also reveal the all too human desire to reduce the nature of God by putting him on a level where we can become all too familiar with Him? Instead of standing back at a distance and being amazed at his awesome nature (a position that was quite prominent in the OT) we wish to "touch" Him by putting on a level where he can become known by us in a way that is sometimes unhealthy. What this passage tells me is of my need not to reduce God to my level of understanding where I can be acquainted with Him. I need to balance his immanence with his transcendance. As soon as I place him on a level where he can be touched, understood and minimized, I am in trouble. Your thoughts? The old bud also returns from vacation.
While I appreciate "Bud's" insight, I wonder if there is not another interpretation to this text. It's interesting that the text says that David wanted to "bring back the ARk of God". WHile we can't be sure, one wonders if there may have been a bit of smugness in DAvid...a quiet assumption. "We're bringing God back to our side. Now he's playing on our team. Yippee! Yeah!" It's almost as if the Hebrews are attempting to control and influence God. The attempt to touch the ark is further indication that the Hebrews hoped to keep God on their side...control Him and he'll play for us. However God refuses to be controlled, even when we think it's in our and His best interest. WE may at times even think we are helping God out, which perhaps is why David became angry when Uzzah died. However, God will have no part in being controlled, influenced or "taken." God is God! We dare not approach him with the desire to dicate, dominate or manipulate..no matter how good our intentions might be. Good thought Bud but I like mine better :)
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