It's Complicated (S2): WK 2 - WED
2 Samuel 6:3-11
They placed the Ark of God on a new cart and brought it from Abinadab’s house, which
was on a hill. Uzzah and Ahio, Abinadab’s sons, were guiding the cart that carried the
Ark of God. Ahio walked in front of the Ark. David and all the people of Israel were
celebrating before the LORD, singing songs and playing all kinds of musical
instruments—lyres, harps, tambourines, castanets, and cymbals.
But when they arrived at the threshing floor of Nacon, the oxen stumbled, and Uzzah
reached out his hand and steadied the Ark of God. Then the LORD’s anger was
aroused against Uzzah, and God struck him dead because of this. So Uzzah died
right there beside the Ark of God.
David was angry because the LORD’s anger had burst out against Uzzah. He named that
place Perez-uzzah (which means “to burst out against Uzzah”), as it is still called
today.
David was now afraid of the LORD, and he asked, “How can I ever bring the Ark of the
LORD back into my care?” So David decided not to move the Ark of the LORD into
the City of David. Instead, he took it to the house of Obed-edom of Gath. The Ark of
the LORD remained there in Obed-edom’s house for three months, and the LORD
blessed Obed-edom and his entire household.
It’s tempting to skip this part of the story. The death of Uzzah raises many difficult questions, and I want to be honest from the start— we won’t be able to address them all thoroughly. Sadly, we might overlook the concern that matters most to you. I encourage you to participate in a Crosswalk small group experience to explore even further.
Uzzah’s death feels sudden, brutal, and capricious. Isn’t Uzzah just trying to help? Stories like this highlight a stark contrast between the God of the Old Testament and the love of Jesus in the Gospels, creating a divide in how we understand God the Father and His Son. It gets even more complicated when we hear Jesus’ claim to be the I Am, the Yahweh God of the Old Testament (John 8:58). Wait, this isn’t a comparison between an angry Father and a loving Son? This is the same God all along? Maybe that’s the key to understanding. Let’s compare this story with one from the New Testament, assuming Jesus is the God of both.
The Gospels tell the story of a woman desperately seeking healing (Luke 8:43-48). She limps through a crowd, weakened from twelve years of bleeding, trying to reach Jesus to ask for relief. Suddenly, the center of the moving mass shifts toward her, and Jesus appears just inches away. On impulse, she reaches out to touch Him.
The woman reaches out, touches Jesus, and is healed. Uzzah reaches out, touches the Ark with the presence of Jesus, and dies. How is this different?
The Children of Israel received detailed instructions on how to transport the Ark from one place to another. It was to be carried on poles resting on the shoulders of Kohathite men, a specific family of Levites tasked with caring for the most sacred symbols of the temple. For the past 20 years, the Ark had been kept in the house of Abinadab, a Kohathite priest. His sons grew up caring for it. Now, as priests themselves, Uzzah and Ahio were entrusted with transporting the Ark at the king's request.
As they evaluate their task, these priests choose to imitate the methods used by their Philistine enemies instead of following God's instructions. They consider the eight-mile journey to Jerusalem, which ends with a steep uphill climb, and decide to place the ark on a cart rather than carry it on their shoulders. While David and his companions engage in spirit-filled worship, the words of Jesus describing the care that should be taken are overshadowed by the opinions of Uzzah and Ahio.
The climax of our story happens at a bend in the road where the team of oxen shudders and stumbles. The Ark wobbles dangerously, and Uzzah faces a choice. The decision to ignore God’s words has caused this problem. He knows not to touch the Ark with his hands. But if the Ark shatters on the ground, it will be a disaster. He will be the center of scrutiny as a nation seeks an explanation for why the word of God had been set aside. He believes he is strong enough (the name Uzzah means strength) to fix his failure, so he reaches out to save God, and Jesus stops the procession. Uzzah’s life ends, and this bend in the road will be called “breach of strength.”
While we don’t know Uzzah’s eternal salvation, it is clear that Jesus is uncomfortable letting us believe we are the appropriate architects of worship. Our lives are at risk when we ignore His voice and depend on the strength of our efforts. Worship is submission to Him, rather than control over Him.
Touching Jesus is not the problem. When we reach out for Jesus, understanding our need, we find healing. However, when we reach out to adjust Him to our opinions, biases, and selfishness, to reposition Him on the cart of our compromises, we forfeit the life He intends for us.
1. How many times have you moved homes in your life? What is your least favorite part
of the moving process?
2. On a scale of 1-10, how opinionated are you? What feedback do people give you about
this?
3. What unresolved questions do you have about the story of Uzzah? Who would you
like to talk with about them?
They placed the Ark of God on a new cart and brought it from Abinadab’s house, which
was on a hill. Uzzah and Ahio, Abinadab’s sons, were guiding the cart that carried the
Ark of God. Ahio walked in front of the Ark. David and all the people of Israel were
celebrating before the LORD, singing songs and playing all kinds of musical
instruments—lyres, harps, tambourines, castanets, and cymbals.
But when they arrived at the threshing floor of Nacon, the oxen stumbled, and Uzzah
reached out his hand and steadied the Ark of God. Then the LORD’s anger was
aroused against Uzzah, and God struck him dead because of this. So Uzzah died
right there beside the Ark of God.
David was angry because the LORD’s anger had burst out against Uzzah. He named that
place Perez-uzzah (which means “to burst out against Uzzah”), as it is still called
today.
David was now afraid of the LORD, and he asked, “How can I ever bring the Ark of the
LORD back into my care?” So David decided not to move the Ark of the LORD into
the City of David. Instead, he took it to the house of Obed-edom of Gath. The Ark of
the LORD remained there in Obed-edom’s house for three months, and the LORD
blessed Obed-edom and his entire household.
It’s tempting to skip this part of the story. The death of Uzzah raises many difficult questions, and I want to be honest from the start— we won’t be able to address them all thoroughly. Sadly, we might overlook the concern that matters most to you. I encourage you to participate in a Crosswalk small group experience to explore even further.
Uzzah’s death feels sudden, brutal, and capricious. Isn’t Uzzah just trying to help? Stories like this highlight a stark contrast between the God of the Old Testament and the love of Jesus in the Gospels, creating a divide in how we understand God the Father and His Son. It gets even more complicated when we hear Jesus’ claim to be the I Am, the Yahweh God of the Old Testament (John 8:58). Wait, this isn’t a comparison between an angry Father and a loving Son? This is the same God all along? Maybe that’s the key to understanding. Let’s compare this story with one from the New Testament, assuming Jesus is the God of both.
The Gospels tell the story of a woman desperately seeking healing (Luke 8:43-48). She limps through a crowd, weakened from twelve years of bleeding, trying to reach Jesus to ask for relief. Suddenly, the center of the moving mass shifts toward her, and Jesus appears just inches away. On impulse, she reaches out to touch Him.
The woman reaches out, touches Jesus, and is healed. Uzzah reaches out, touches the Ark with the presence of Jesus, and dies. How is this different?
The Children of Israel received detailed instructions on how to transport the Ark from one place to another. It was to be carried on poles resting on the shoulders of Kohathite men, a specific family of Levites tasked with caring for the most sacred symbols of the temple. For the past 20 years, the Ark had been kept in the house of Abinadab, a Kohathite priest. His sons grew up caring for it. Now, as priests themselves, Uzzah and Ahio were entrusted with transporting the Ark at the king's request.
As they evaluate their task, these priests choose to imitate the methods used by their Philistine enemies instead of following God's instructions. They consider the eight-mile journey to Jerusalem, which ends with a steep uphill climb, and decide to place the ark on a cart rather than carry it on their shoulders. While David and his companions engage in spirit-filled worship, the words of Jesus describing the care that should be taken are overshadowed by the opinions of Uzzah and Ahio.
The climax of our story happens at a bend in the road where the team of oxen shudders and stumbles. The Ark wobbles dangerously, and Uzzah faces a choice. The decision to ignore God’s words has caused this problem. He knows not to touch the Ark with his hands. But if the Ark shatters on the ground, it will be a disaster. He will be the center of scrutiny as a nation seeks an explanation for why the word of God had been set aside. He believes he is strong enough (the name Uzzah means strength) to fix his failure, so he reaches out to save God, and Jesus stops the procession. Uzzah’s life ends, and this bend in the road will be called “breach of strength.”
While we don’t know Uzzah’s eternal salvation, it is clear that Jesus is uncomfortable letting us believe we are the appropriate architects of worship. Our lives are at risk when we ignore His voice and depend on the strength of our efforts. Worship is submission to Him, rather than control over Him.
Touching Jesus is not the problem. When we reach out for Jesus, understanding our need, we find healing. However, when we reach out to adjust Him to our opinions, biases, and selfishness, to reposition Him on the cart of our compromises, we forfeit the life He intends for us.
1. How many times have you moved homes in your life? What is your least favorite part
of the moving process?
2. On a scale of 1-10, how opinionated are you? What feedback do people give you about
this?
3. What unresolved questions do you have about the story of Uzzah? Who would you
like to talk with about them?
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