What did Uzzah do so wrong when he touched the Ark of the Covenant and God killed him on the spot? This is my Bible study this morning.
Numbers 4:15 And when Aaron and his sons have made an end of covering the sanctuary, and all the vessels of the sanctuary, when the camp is to set forward, then after that the sons of Kohath shall come to carry it. But they shall not touch any holy thing lest they die. These are the burden of the sons of Kohath in the tabernacle of the congregation.
2 Samuel 6:5-11 And David and all the house of Israel were dancing before Jehovah on all instruments of fir wood, with lyres and with harps, and with tambourines, and with sistra, and with cymbals. 6 And when they came to Nachon’s threshing-floor, Uzzah reached out to the ark of God, and took hold of it; for the oxen upset it. 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. 8 And David was displeased because Jehovah had broken forth upon Uzzah. And he called the name of the place The Break of Uzzah to this day. 9 And David was afraid of Jehovah that day.
1 Chronicles 15:2,11-15 Then David ordered that the Ark of God was to be carried by no one except the descendants of Levi, because the LORD had chosen them to carry the ark of the LORD and to serve him forever… Then David summoned the priests Zadok and Abiathar, along with the descendants of Levi Uriel, Asaiah, Joel, Shemaiah, Eliel, and Amminadab and addressed them: “As leaders of your Levitical families, set yourselves apart, both you and your relatives, so you can be qualified to bring up the ark of the LORD God of Israel to the place I’ve prepared for it. Because you didn’t carry it from the very first, the LORD our God attacked us, since we didn’t care for it appropriately.” So the priests and descendants of Levi set themselves apart to carry the ark of the LORD God of Israel. The descendants of Levi carried the Ark of God the way Moses had commanded and in accordance with the command from the LORD—that is, with poles on their shoulders.
2 Samuel 6:13-14 After those who were carrying the ark of the LORD had taken six steps, he sacrificed oxen and fattened animals, dancing in front of the LORD with all of his strength and wearing a linen ephod.
Abinadab was a Levite of Kirjath-jearim. It was his house where the Ark resided after it came back from the Philistines (1 Samuel 7:1-2). It remained there 20 years, till David brought it to Jerusalem. Uzzah was a son of Abinadab. Eleazar was his elder brother, Ahio was his younger brother. Uzza and Ahio were in charge of the cart carrying the Ark.
Uzzah was a Levite, son of Abinadab. What did he do that was so offensive to God?
The Ark of the Covenant was supposed to be carried by the family of Kohathites (of the Levite tribe, but a particular family) on their shoulders. NOT on a “new cart”. The Philistines carried the Ark of the Covenant on a “new cart” and kept the Ark of the Covenant but there were curses that happened to them. So they sent the Ark of the Covenant on a “new cart” pulled by 2 milk cows who had never pulled a cart before and the cows pulled the cart straight to Beth-shemesh. In Beth-shemesh, the men pulled the Mercy Seat lid off the Ark of the Covenant to look inside. God put to death 50,070 men for doing that! So the survivors at Beth-shemesh called on Abinadab to come get the Ark of the Covenant. He did and the Ark stayed at his home for 20 years. Then King David defeated the Philistines and re-captured the Ark of the Covenant and he wanted to bring it to Jerusalem, his capital city.
King David called 30,000 of the best men of the Israelites to come and join the parade to take the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem. That’s not counting all the people who would have lined the parade route. They were singing praises and dancing before the Lord. They had the best intentions, but they did it their way, not God’s way!
The Ark of the Covenant was supposed to be carried on the shoulders of the Kohathites NOT on an oxen cart.
The Ark of the Covenant was exposed to common view.
Uzzah forgot the reverence due the Ark of the Covenant as the earthly throne and visible pledge of the presence of the unseen God. The sacredness of the Ark was because it’s where Jehovah Sabaoth, “the Lord of Hosts”, “dwelled between the cherubim.”
“The ark was nothing less than the burden of the Lord, and the burden of the Lord was to be carried on the hearts of the Levites.” (Redpath)
They thought the Philistines got away with using a “new cart” so they could too. But they were suppose to know better. The Philistines were pagans. The Israelites had the Laws given by God. If they were ignorant, they were willfully ignorant. If they weren’t ignorant, they were disobedient!
Not one jot or tittle of the law can fail; therefore the least violation must bring suffering on the part of those who offend.
Uzzah may have come to regard the sacred Ark, which had been in his house so long, with too much familiarity, taken it for granted.
This new generation of Israelites needed to be reminded of who God is. They needed to have reverence and respect for who He is and show it by obedience to His revealed Word.
Uzzah means “strength” and Ahio means “friendly”. Much service for the LORD is like this – a new cart, a big production, with strength leading and friendly out front – yet all done without inquiring of God or looking to His will. Surely David prayed for God’s blessing on this big production, but he didn’t inquire of God regarding the production itself. This was a good thing done the wrong way. – David Guzik
Uzzah erred in thinking that God couldn’t take care of the ark of Himself.
They thought the Philistines got away with using a “new cart” so they could too. But they were suppose to know better. The Philistines were pagans. The Israelites had the Laws given by God. If they were ignorant, they were willfully ignorant. If they weren’t ignorant, they were disobedient!
“We want God’s presence very much, don’t we? But we like to hitch His presence to some of OUR NEW CARTS. We like to add Him to our list of organizations, to load Him on top of our busy life, and then drive. How much of our service is really in the energy of the flesh, I wonder! So often we put forth our hands, but not our hearts.” (Redpath)
“The ends justify the means” is NOT scriptural. To do something in a way we see as “easier” rather than the way God shows us, is disobedience. We should do what He wants us to do, in the way He wants us to do it and according to His timing. It’s not about what is easier for us because that makes it all about us. It’s all about pleasing Him. It’s all about God. And if we cooperate and obey Him, then the blessings we get from it are infinite! So it is in our best interests to keep God as our focus, to subsume our will to His and to flow with Him in His Work.
Hebrews 10:26-29 For if we choose to go on sinning after we have learned the full truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but only a terrifying prospect of judgment and a raging fire that will consume the enemies of God. Anyone who violates the Law of Moses dies without mercy “on the testimony of two or three witnesses.” How much more severe a punishment do you think that person deserves who tramples on God’s Son, treats as common the blood of the covenant by which it was sanctified, and insults the Spirit of grace?
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