And David went up, and all Israel, to Baalah, that is, to Kirjathjearim, which belonged to Judah, to bring up thence the ark of God the LORD, that dwelleth between the cherubims, whose name is called on it. And they carried the ark of God in a new cart out of the house of Abinadab: and Uzza and Ahio drave the cart. And David and all Israel played before God with all their might, and with singing, and with harps, and with psalteries, and with timbrels, and with cymbals, and with trumpets. And when they came unto the threshingfloor of Chidon, Uzza put forth his hand to hold the ark; for the oxen stumbled. And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Uzza, and he smote him, because he put his hand to the ark: and there he died before God. And David was displeased, because the LORD had made a breach upon Uzza: wherefore that place is called Perezuzza to this day. And David was afraid of God that day, saying, How shall I bring the ark of God home to me? I Chronicles 13:6-12

Wow!! Things really went sideways. What happened?

Was it the insincerity of David and the others that were bringing the Ark back to Jerusalem? No, David and the others seemed very sincere in their work, their worship, and their joy. They sang praises to the Lord “with all their might.” It wasn’t their sincerity or their motives that were the problem. David desired to unite the people around the one thing they should have all been united around- the worship of the LORD their God. The Ark was central to that worship for upon it sat the Mercy Seat where the atoning blood of the lamb was spilt to cover the sins of a nation.

Was it the place to which they were bringing it? No, Jerusalem was now the capital city and why shouldn’t the Ark representing the presence, power and love of God for His people not be honored with a place there? Eventually, God would ordain the building of the Temple in Jerusalem, which would house the Ark and bring the people together in worship of the LORD!

Was it the method they used to move the Ark? Yes, that was the problem! The people were to move the Ark from place to place using poles which slid through rings attached to the Ark at the corners. It had to be moved as they were traveling in the wilderness, but no one was to touch it. The poles and rings provided a way for that to be accomplished. When the Philistines took the Ark in battle from Eli’s sons who were misusing it as sort of a good luck charm, they discarded the poles and sent it back to Israel on a cart. They intended on keeping it as a trophy but after suffering plaques of tumors and seeing their idol, Dagon, dismantled before it, they decided to send it back. The Israelites certainly should have known to make new poles to transport it, but they thought it unnecessary. After all the Philistines didn’t use poles. Unfortunately for David and particularly Uzza, who was just trying to keep it from sliding off the cart, the festivities ended early and tragically.

Did the details matter? Yes! Were sincerity and effort the only things that mattered? No! God struck Uzza dead because he touched the Ark which was forbidden. That never would have happened had they honored and obeyed the Lord by moving the Ark as God prescribed!

Is there a lesson in there for us today? Certainly! God does care about how we do things. The ends do not justify the means. The details matter in our doctrine, our moral choices, our service, and our worship. We are to do all to the glory of God!! God’s desires must come first- ours and others, second. Is it God we worship and serve or ourselves? Though it may be okay to do some things differently than the previous generation, there are some things which needn’t change. There are some methods that are right and others that are wrong in the eyes of God.

• First, you must come to God for salvation through faith in Christ. There is no other way. Sing as loud as you like or give everything you have in the service of God, but if you do not come to God through faith in Christ alone, you are not accepted in the beloved, and your name is not written in the Book of Life.
• There are certain lifestyle choices that are pleasing and others that are displeasing. You can sing and praise God with all your heart, but if you are living in unrepentant sin, God is not pleased, and you will not be rewarded. The world often takes issue with this today, but God is always right!! It is just as wrong for us to let the world dictate our worship of God and lifestyle choices as it was for Israel to let the Philistines influence theirs.

When considering how we serve the Lord and how we worship the Lord, we need to ask first what pleases God before we choose to do what pleases men. There is much room to consider culture and personal preferences but never at the expense of sending the right message about who our God is. Our worship and dress and music and many other things are likely different today than 500 years ago or different from the practice of those on the other side of the world. Yet, we must not allow the preferences of sinful men to dictate the worship and service of our God. There are lines which must be drawn, and Biblical traditions and commands which must be followed. God’s pleasure and God’s blessing must be paramount. Lest, while we seek to worship and honor Him, in our haste, we do the opposite.