I Declare War Part 3, The Time for War is Now

Then David danced before the Lord with all his might; and David was wearing a linen ephod.  So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the Lord with shouting and with the sound of the trumpet.                  2 Samuel 6:14-15

As we read this passage of scripture, we see David, “the man after God’s own heart,” worshipping God with abandon. That may sound typical.  Nothing unusual about David praising the Lord, right?  Well, not until you back up a few verses and read that David and all his troops had set out to bring the ark of God to the city of David.  They were transporting it from the house of Abinadab, and Abinadab’s sons, Ahio and Uzzah, were guiding the cart which transported the ark.  David and the whole house of Israel were dancing before the Lord with all kinds of instruments, It sounded like such a joyous and worshipful time.  But it was cut short in a most tragic way.  The oxen carrying the cart stumbled, and Uzzah reached out his hand to stabilize the ark.  Verse 7 tells us that God’s anger burned against Uzzah, and He struck him dead on the spot for his irreverence.  

What?

That can’t be!

David was so angry with God that he named that place “Outburst Against Uzzah.”  Then he left the ark at the house of Obed-edom

for 3 months.

I can sympathize with David.  Here he and the others are praising God with all their might, and God strikes Uzzah dead.  I’ve been there.  I’ve been praising God and living a joyous life when tragedy struck, and I wondered at the timing of it all.  I’m sure you have been there as well.  You may have asked:

Why allow my baby to die before it had a chance to live?  Why allow my spouse to leave me? Or my health to diminish?  Or my job to end?  Or any number of other questions you may have asked. It all seems so senseless! So we become angry and question the love and goodness of God. 

Yet in our scripture today, David is praising God once again. What changed?  David got to the place where his faith was about who God is, and not about what God does.  God is faithful, true, just, loving, giving, holy, and righteous.  

David knew the specific instructions on how to transport the ark of God. It was to be carried on poles resting on the shoulders of men – not on the backs of oxen.  But David and the  others disregarded those instructions, and Uzzah died.  

Unlike David, we may never have answers to our whys.  But, if we turn our focus on who God is, we can get past our deep hurts and tragic losses.  And we can, once again, give God our abandoned praise and worship for who He is. If you aren’t there yet, don’t worry.  You may need to shout and tell God how angry you are.  That’s okay.  He’s a big God, and He can take it.  Just allow Him to hold you while you cry.  And just like He waited for David, God will wait for you and for me.  He will never leave us nor forsake us (Deut. 31:8).  

     What a wonderful promise to cling to!