In our reading in 2 Samuel you will notice that David does not make a move in battle without inquiring of the LORD! Not only does the LORD answer, the LORD GOD provides military strategy for David and Israel. However, when it comes to moving the ARK David does not seek the LORD and he encountered a deadly problem!
Check it out in 2 Samuel 6:6-7 When they came to Nacon’s threshing floor, Uzzah reached out to the ark of God and took hold of it, because the oxen had stumbled. 7 Then the Lord’s anger burned against Uzzah, and God struck him dead on the spot for his irreverence, and he died there next to the ark of God. 8 David was angry because of the Lord’s outburst against Uzzah, so he named that place an Outburst Against Uzzah, as it is today. 9 David feared the Lord that day and said, “How can the ark of the Lord ever come to me?” 10 So he was not willing to move the ark of the Lord to the city of David; instead, he took it to the house of Obed-edom the Gittite. 11 The ark of the Lord remained in his house three months, and the Lord blessed Obed-edom and his whole family.
On the surface it appears that God was very harsh toward Uzzah, but that is only because that we see things from a sinful human perspective and not from the perspective of a Holy God! It is like people asking..."if God is truly a loving God how could HE send anyone to hell?" When the question that we should be asking is, "if God is truly a Holy God, how in the world could HE allow a SINNER LIKE ME INTO HEAVEN, INTO HIS PRESENCE?" HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE?
Consider that the ground that the ARK would have landed on was created by God and is therefore good! Now consider that the hand that reached out to steady the ARK was the hand of a fallen and sinful human. God was clear through Moses and the Law how the ARK was to be transported...you did not have to guess. David used a new cart! Bad idea! WE MUST COME TO GOD IN THE WAY HE PRESCRIBES...IF YOU DON'T YOU WILL SPEND ETERNITY IN HELL...THERE IS ONLY ONE WAY! We will see HIM in a moment in our reading in John.
The scripture does not tell us that David inquired of the LORD, but check out in verse 13 that the ARK is being carried...it does not tell us that it is being carried on poles, but you can trust that it was, that was the way God said it should be done and it was the only way HE would bless!
12 It was reported to King David: “The Lord has blessed Obed-edom’s family and all that belongs to him because of the ark of God.” So David went and had the ark of God brought up from Obed-edom’s house to the city of David with rejoicing. 13 When those carrying the ark of the Lord advanced six steps, he sacrificed an ox and a fattened calf. 14 David was dancing with all his might before the Lord wearing a linen ephod . 15 He and the whole house of Israel were bringing up the ark of the Lord with shouts and the sound of the ram’s horn. 16 As the ark of the Lord was entering the city of David, Saul’s daughter Michal looked down from the window and saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord, and she despised him in her heart.
2 Samuel 6:21-23 David replied to Michal, “I was dancing before the Lord who chose me over your father and his whole family to appoint me ruler over the Lord’s people Israel. I will celebrate before the Lord, 22 and I will humble myself even more and humiliate myself. I will be honored by the slave girls you spoke about.” 23 And Saul’s daughter Michal had no child to the day of her death.
You have to love David's passion and single heart toward the LORD God. Clearly, David did not care what anyone thought about him, he sought to please only one...the LORD!
A few thoughts, pray without ceasing and pray about everything, even the little things. Pray about living in a manner worthy of the calling we have received in Christ Jesus. BE VERY CAREFUL...DO NOT DESPISE ANYONE YOU SEE WORSHIPING GOD...IF YOU THINK THEY ARE WORSHIPING IN AN UNWORTHY MANNER...LEAVE IT TO GOD...DO NOT DESPISE THEM.
David Crowder had this passage in mind when he wrote Undignified...I hope it plays for you.
You will hear many like Oprah ridicule the fact that there is only one way to God, they contend that there are many ways to God. IN ONE SENSE THEY ARE RIGHT! DON'T PICK UP ANY STONES JUST YET:) ALL ROADS DO LEAD TO GOD! EVERYONE WILL EITHER FACE GOD'S WRATH AT THE GREAT WHITE THRONE...IF THAT IS YOUR PATH, YOUR JOURNEY, THEN YOU ARE ON THE BROAD ROAD THAT LEADS TO DESTRUCTION! PLEASE GET OFF THAT ROAD, PLEASE!
In John 14:6, Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. What does Jesus teach us in Matt 7:13-14? “You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. 14 But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it.
“where I am, there you may be also” Heaven is where Jesus is (cf. 17:24)! Heaven is really face to face fellowship with the Triune God!
14:4 “you know the way” Jesus’ statement causes Thomas to express his doubt about knowing the way. Jesus’ answer is expressed in three terms often used in the OT.
14:6 “I am the way” In the OT, biblical faith was spoken of as a lifestyle path (cf. Deut. 5:32–33; 31:29; Ps. 27:11; Isa. 35:8). The title of the early church was “the Way” (cf. Acts 9:2; 19:9, 23; 24:14, 22). Jesus was emphasizing that He was and is the only way to God. This is the theological essence of John’s Gospel! Lifestyle good works are an evidence of personal faith (cf. Eph. 2:8–9, 10), not a means of righteousness.
“the truth” The term “truth” in Greek philosophy had the connotation of “truth” versus “falsehood” or “reality” versus “illusion.” However, these are Aramaic-speaking disciples who would have understood Jesus to be speaking in the OT sense of truth which was “faithfulness” or “loyalty” (cf. Ps. 26:3; 86:11; 119:30). Both “truth” and “life” characterize “the way.” The term “truth” is often used to describe divine activity in John (cf. 1:14; 4:23–24; 8:32; 14:17; 15:26; 16:13; 17:17, 19).
“the life” In the OT, a believer’s lifestyle faith is spoken of as a path unto the life (cf. Ps. 16:11; Pro. 6:23; 10:17). All three of these terms are related to lifestyle faith which is found only in personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
“no one comes to the Father but through Me” What a shocking claim! It is very restrictive but also very obvious that Jesus believed that only through a personal relationship with Himself can one know God. This has often been called the exclusivistic scandal of Christianity. There is no middle ground here. This statement is true or Christianity is false! In several ways this is similar to John 10. Utley, R. J. D. (1999). Vol. Volume 4: The Beloved Disciple's Memoirs and Letters: The Gospel of John, I, II, and III John. Study Guide Commentary Series (127). Marshall, Texas: Bible Lessons International.
Please come to Jesus! HE is the only way God can allow a sinner like me to enter into HIS presence! Jesus took my sin and your sin and nailed it to the Cross...the dept is paid in full! Come, drink of the living-waters, come and be satisfied, come and be filled...taste and see that the LORD IS GOOD!
Mt 11:28-30 Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”
John 7:37 Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink.
Rev 22:17 The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost.
Father in heaven,
open the eyes and ears of our hearts to know YOU, to love YOU, to pursue YOU in a manner that is worthy of YOU! Enable us to delight in YOU the way David delighted in YOU with all his might. Let it be done for YOUR glory and our JOY in YOU.
love,
m