2 Samuel 6:1-23

Good intentions are not always enough.  David decided that he wanted to bring the Ark back into the city of Jerusalem.  His intentions were very good.  The celebration was cut short when Uzzah was killed for touching the Ark in order to prevent it from falling off of the new cart on which it was being transported.  Once again, Uzzah’s intentions were very good, yet he lost his life in the process.  David becomes angry with God and fearful of God and decides to leave the Ark in a nearby home instead of bringing it to Jerusalem.  This is a great illustration of the fact that God is not only concerned with what we do; but that He is also very concerned with how we do it.  God had left very clear instructions on how the Ark was to be transported.  David and Uzzah did not follow those instructions, which is what lead to the death of Uzzah.

DAVID’S DISOBEDIENCE OF THE LORD LEADS TO THE DEATH UZZAH: The Ark of the Lord has been outside of Jerusalem since the Philistines sent it back when Samuel was still alive.  David decides that he wants to bring it back to Jerusalem, which seems like a great decision.  However, we do not see him consulting with God concerning this, nor do we see him following God’s instructions on how this is to be done.  When the Philistines sent the Ark back to Israel, they sent it on a new cart.  They acted in ignorance because they had now instructions on this matter.  David should have known better.  God had made it very clear that the Ark was to be carried with the poles that accompanied it.  This “modern means of transportation” might have made perfect sense, but it was not what God had instructed them to do.  It was strictly forbidden to touch the Ark so when Uzzah put out his hand to balance the Ark, he was struck down by God.  We often try to serve the Lord in the way that we want to or according to our own understanding.  We think that as long as our intentions are right that God will be pleased, that may not necessarily be true.  The fear of the Lord is often missing from our culture today and we must be careful to worship and serve the Lord according to His desires and instructions and not our own understanding.

DAVID’S DANCING BEFORE THE LORD LEADS TO DISAGREEMENT WITH MICHAL: When David decides to bring the Ark back the second time, he does so in the correct manner; carrying the Ark.  Additionally, he makes sacrifices to the Lord and celebrates its return with dancing and very expressive worship.  David is not concerned about how he looks, what he is wearing or what other people might think of him.  It is a day for great celebration and David is celebrating with all of his heart.  Besides the sacrifice, the dancing and the worship; David also distributes gifts to all of the people.  When David returns to his home, Michal, his wife, confronts him for being undignified as a king.  She had watched him from the window and was distressed to see her husband acting in such an undignified manner.  She was for more concerned with her own reputation and how David would reflect upon her than she was about celebrating the Lord.  David confronts her and makes it clear that both his motives and actions were pleasing to the Lord.  It appears that Michal’s refusal to join the worship and her criticism of David lead to her being unable to have children.  We must be very careful not to judge or criticize the way that people might express their worship to the Lord as long as it is in accordance with His Word.  We are far too often more concerned with what others might think of us than we are concerned with truly worshiping our Lord from the heart.  As we worship we must be concerned with the standards of God’s Word and at the same time allow for spontaneity to flow from our hearts.