History of the person
The options of voicing our opinions, questioning our leaders, and voting for the candidate of our choice, are the rights of all Americans. These, among others, are the benefits of living in a democratic society. If you ever doubt their value, imagine living in a dictatorship where your voice and your choices are quickly removed. Chances are we would appreciate many things we formerly took for granted. It’s sort of like breaking your thumb. You always knew it was good to have, but never realized how valuable it was until you were unable to use it.
One might think the privileges we all experience hold no disadvantages. In a subtle way, however, these God-given blessings may actually impair our ability to follow the very instructions our gracious God commands for living in our free society. It is quite possible that because of the independence and autonomy we so freely experience and enjoy, our willingness to be obedient to our heavenly Father is sometimes diminished, or worse yet, we reject his authority altogether.
Reflect for a moment on the cultural norms we all embrace. Typically, when any of us are asked to follow a new policy, or instructions given from a superior in the workplace, or perhaps even a new law, how do we usually respond? Don’t we all expect, even demand, the right to explore all sides of a matter, decide whether or not we think something is fair, and ultimately be able to make a choice that seems right for us? Doing something just because we are told to goes against our very nature. Ask any parent if you wonder whether or not this is true!
We are not so different from our children. As adults, we also have a pressing need to see everything as “fair.” When we conclude there is equity, we will embrace the mandate given. Making sure instructions, policies, and laws are fair is not a bad thing in and of itself. That is, in part, what makes our country so great. The danger occurs when we take a headlong jump into spiritual quicksand because we have determined that when it comes to God’s laws we will decided what is “fair” rather than obediently following God’s instructions. Perhaps that is why many folks struggle with what happened to a man who lived at the time of King David, a Levite named Uzzah.
Uzzah was one of Abinadab’s sons. Abinadab had been given a special role among the Israelites. For a twenty-year period the Ark of the Covenant had remained in his home, as ordered by King Saul. After Saul’s death, King David declared that the ark should be brought back to the temple in Zion . The news that the ark was returning to the people was met with great celebration. The people were ready to see this treasure back in Zion .
As the journey began, one of the oxen stumbled and it appeared that the ark was in danger of tumbling over. Uzzah laid hold of the ark to prevent it from falling. It would appear that Uzzah’s quick thinking saved the day. If we were there, we can even imagine breathing a sigh of relief and thanking him for his assistance. God’s response was quite different. We read in 2 Samuel 6:7: ”And the anger of Jehovah was kindled against Uzzah. And God struck him there for the error. And he died there by the ark of God.” Why did Uzzah’s behavior anger the Lord so greatly that God struck him down on the spot?
In order to adequately answer this question, we need to switch tracks and take what might appear to be a tangential approach—that of understanding the holiness of God. Apart from grasping the holiness of God, one will most likely struggle to accept the fate of Uzzah. There are three examples from Scripture that can help us to begin to comprehend the holiness of God and why Uzzah’s offense was so great:
1. In the book of Exodus, we read of Moses having a conversation with God. Moses requests of God that he be able to see God’s glory. God’s response:
And he said, ‘Thou canst not see my face; for man shall not see me and live; and Jehovah said, behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon the rock: and it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a cleft of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand until I have passed by: and I will take away my hand, and thou shalt see my back; but my face shall not be seen.’ (Exodus 33:20-23)
2. The prophet, Isaiah, had a vision in which the holiness of God is revealed:
In the year that King Uzziah died I then saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and His train filled the temple. Above it stood the seraphs; each one had six wings; with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one cried to another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is Jehovah of Hosts; the whole earth full of His glory. And the doorposts moved at the voice of the one who cried, and the house was filled with smoke. Then I said, ‘Woe is me! For I am undone; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, Jehovah of Hosts.’ (Isaiah 6:1-5)
Isaiah was overcome with a sense of his unworthiness. He had seen God, and he felt that he was would not be able to live. The seraphim touched his lips with a hot coal and assured him his sin was taken away.
3. Peter and his fellow shipmates had a bad night at sea. No fish were caught. Christ approached the men and instructed them to launch their boats again and lower their nets. The outcome:
And doing this, they enclosed a great multitude of fish. And their net was being torn. And they signaled the partners, those in the other boat, to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they were sinking. And seeing, Simon Peter fell at the knees of Jesus, saying, Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, Lord. (Luke 5:6-8)
Peter, like Isaiah, was standing before a high and holy being and was painfully aware that he was quite unworthy to be in His presence
These three men, Moses, Isaiah, and Peter, each had a life-changing event. They were confronted with the holiness of God. All of them responded similarly – they had a new respect and reverence for the Holy God they served and also an increased awareness of their own sinfulness. Back to our friend Uzzah.
Numbers 4:15 -20, gives clear instructions regarding the ark. The Levites were strictly forbidden to touch the ark. The penalty for breaking this law was death. God did not name any exceptions to this commandment. In the case of Uzzah, if he had a true awareness of and fully embraced the holiness of God, when the ark was about to crash his immediate reaction would have been to back away. Offending God would have been feared much more than saving the ark from falling. Uzzah’s actions were presumptuous - a well-intended act of disobedience. His greatest offense: a posture of irreverence toward a holy God. Through Uzzah’s death, God would instruct the Israelites to recognize His holy nature by fully obeying His teachings and commandments.
Life Lesson
Have you made it your life’s passion to pursue an understanding of the depth and breadth of the holiness of God? Perhaps you find yourself bypassing this study and instead focusing on living a life of good intentions. The trouble is, good intentions apart from an intimate knowledge of and reverence toward the Holy God we serve, will take us down a path of self-glorification. Perhaps as a reminder to check our good intentions at the door, we need to post: “There is a way which seems right to a man, but the end of it is the ways of death.” (Proverbs 14:12)
When God issues His instructions for our lives, He does not say, “I’m offering you this commandment as an option. If you decide it is right for you and fits the situation you are in, then I’d like you to follow it. But, if you determine it doesn’t fit, as long as you have good intentions you’ll be fine.” That would fit the philosophy of relativism so prevalent in our current-day culture, wouldn’t it? The truth is, God expects much more than good intentions; he expects obedience. When one grows into a true understanding of the holiness of God, and what He has done on our behalf, obedience is not a blind obedience; rather, it is an expression of our gratitude and allegiance to a Holy God who is fully worthy of our trust. It is at this point that, with peace and confidence, we are able to follow the instructions found in Proverbs 3:6: “In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.”
Life Question
Is the desire of your heart to obey God at all times, whatever the cost? Is your obedience rooted of the awesome nature of God, and motivated from a heart of gratitude?
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