DOING THE RIGHT THING IN THE WRONG WAY. 1st Chronicles 13 The writer of the Chronicles directs the people of Israel's attention to the king, who unified the twelve tribes under his leadership and then wanted to build the temple as a physical object for spiritual unity. David was able to unify them politically and socially under his leadership, but he knew true lasting unity included spiritual unity under God.
The "body politic" is only one part of national identity. "The soul of the people" is another. However, like in marriage, the nation will be unstable without spiritual unity. Chapter thirteen's events took place after some recorded later in the book because it suits the narrative's objective of bringing the need for spiritual unity to the forefront of the people's minds.
To neglect biblical worship in a gathering of the Lord's people is to miss the point of an assembly in the first place. An assembly is the "house of God." In reaching out with the Gospel to new places, there needs to be consultation with others so that we move forward in faith. Assembly life is not like a corporation or government where "the will of the people" rules, and action is taken on that basis. We are governed by a benevolent Father when we gather to His Son under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. He has arranged "under shepherds" who make decisions, upon which an assembly takes action. It is a wise group of elders who know what the saints believe about a matter, who take the opinions of others seriously, and consider their thoughts in their decision.
David made a consultation with each of his "officers, captains, and commanders," but he neglected to consult with God. We do not have to go to a temple or some special place to communicate with God. "He is near unto all that call upon Him out of a pure heart." David did not do that, but acted on his own desire. In the case of David's desire to have the ark of God brought to "the city of David," his enthusiasm for the project brought the people of God together from the southern border to the northern border.
The desire to serve God and see God honored among His people and respected by the unsaved is good, but desire without divine order is wrong. How I feel about a thing and my enthusiasm are good, but they are dangerous if I take action based on my desire to do the right thing in my own way. Unchecked enthusiasm affects not only me but also others. Great fanfare and a charismatic leader seemed to be right in the eyes of all the people. This is one of the challenges of spiritual leadership. We have to look beyond what is popular in other places and what pleases superficial believers, to what exactly the will of God is in this matter.
It is essential to know the word of God well enough to make a "thus saith the Lord" statement to the Lord's people: not to quench their enthusiasm but to guide it in a spiritual and scriptural way. Before taking action, seek divine counsel. Then, in fellowship with the Lord, confidently lead them forward, sanctifying their enthusiasm. Cooperation and unity are closely bound together. They are almost one and the same. One relates to an action, and the other relates to an attitude that motivates the action.
When we are conscious of the presence and pleasure of God, our hearts are moved to support that which is of God by our actions and presence. It may be that the weakness and obscurity of an assembly and its testimony motivates us to take some action to bring about recovery, and restore public testimony - that is a good desire. The ark of God was known as "The Name" in reference to the fact that the name of God was called upon there. Scripturally gathered assemblies are "The place of the name." Holy things demand holy people.
During the reign of Saul, the ark of God was rejected and was in the house of Abinadab since the Philistines had sent it on a driverless cart back to Israel during the time of Samuel. Uzzah and Ahio were used to having the ark there, so perhaps they had gotten used to the neglect and forgotten the holiness associated with the things of God. Whoever decided to use a new cart copied the Philistines. They made a new cart, so it looked good, wasn't tainted with dirt, had never been contaminated by anything, but it still was only a cart, not the human shoulders of consecrated priests and Levites.
It is possible for us and our children to become so used to being in "the house of God" that we forget that "Holiness becometh Thy house, O Lord, forever." Spiritual desire and enthusiasm can motivate us to act without hearing the voice of God. God's silences are as important as His instructions. Enthusiasm without spiritual direction and divine control leads to carelessness. Carelessness can lead us to act without praying, reading the Bible and serious thinking to get God's mind about a matter.
Doing the right thing in the wrong way worsens the consequences if it is continued. Man's opinion should never replace God's order, no matter what the majority of people may think. The world's way of "doing church" is just that - the world's way. God's way is clearly stated in the scriptures and has not changed. "Gather My saints together unto Me, those that have made a covenant with Me by sacrifice," remains the same truth. We gather to Him and meet under the authority of His name. Other names, practices, or organizations are based on men's opinions.
We have been given the privilege of being stewards of our Lord. With that privilege comes the responsibility of acting only under His authority. To make a profession that we are committed to doing His will, it must be consistent with what His word says. If the profession and the reality are different, we are on our own, which is not a good place to be. Much of what is being done by professing Christians today is to promote goodwill so unbelievers will be attracted by our lifestyle and join us in a desire to "change the world."
God's will does not mean people will like us. In fact, the Lord Jesus said the world would hate us because it hated Him. Paul wrote, "All that live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution." But despite that, we still seem to want to be liked. It is up to us to be "zealous of good works," in view of the time when people will "glorify God in the day of visitation."
David was responsible for the whole event and, for some reason, had become careless about how to do God's work. Leadership calls for consecration of the person who leads, and dedication to the work to do it as "unto the Lord and not unto men." Uzzah likely had become used to the ark in his father's house, so the reverence that would have been there when the ark was first placed in the living room gradually decreased. The grace bestowed on that house was taken for granted.
Children of Christians often seem to develop an irreverent attitude toward the things of God, and the life of an assembly bores them. There may be a sense in which "familiarity breeds contempt." Believing parents must express their consistent appreciation of God's grace and blessings audibly and visibly. It is vital that we do not express a bad attitude toward fellow believers, leaders, and the assembly itself. There is nothing wrong with zeal as long as it is sanctified and controlled. Man's enthusiasm and God's holiness have to be consistently in fellowship.
Apparently, God was willing to put up with the ark's movement on the cart. When the Philistines put the ark on a cart, there was no one on the cart. Whether it was under David’s direction or Uzzah acting on his own, they felt the need for someone to assist God in caring for that which was His. God’s way had been made plain centuries before, but even the Levites had become used to doing things their way instead of God’s. Priest should have been carrying the ark on their shoulders, touching only the rod provided for movement. It was touching the ark with unsanctified hands that caused Uzzah’s death.
The loud noise that made the ox stumble or a rock in the road that would have been avoided by a human foot, the sudden movement of the ark made Uzzah react just as if it were a crate of chickens he thought might tip over. God's eye saw Uzzah's heart, and when he put his careless hand on that ark, he instantly died; the whole jubilant celebrations of man's making were stopped.
We learn that what is convenient to us but unscriptural as far as God is concerned can quickly change from joy to fear. And the consequences are far-reaching. Instinct is not our guide. Instinct may be irreverent. It may make us act in haste and do what is wrong. Reverence for God and all that is holy will guide us to act responsibly in a way that suits our holy calling. We may forget that it is a sin when we do not do God's work in His way. Discipline will follow until we leave self-will behind and act in faith and the fear of the Lord.
David reacted quickly and angrily, perhaps because he thought God was extreme, but it is more likely that he was angry with himself for taking God for granted in such an important event. "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom," and he quickly learned not to leave God out of a matter.
It would take courage on the part of Obed-Edom to have the ark of God in his house for three months. The house of Obed-Edom was likely near the road, and everyone who passed along that road would be conscious of what happened at that threshing floor and likely look at that house and wonder what would happen to that family. They probably didn't have many visitors for quite some time until they realized that God was blessing that household and even their property in a special way, instead of judgment.
God's presence demands holiness on our part. We need to get used to practicing the presence of God in every aspect of our lives. When God's face smiles on our place, we rejoice in the riches of His grace. The changes at that home were wonderful, but no one would take the ark of God sitting in that room for granted. There would be a very real sense of the power of God's presence being there. When we have room for our Lord in our homes and the assembly of which we are a part, there is a special wonder at the grace of God and the blessings He gives, "And He adds no sorrow with it."
They came together from every part and made a great congregation of would-be worshippers. Something right had been left undone; it was time to fix the situation. All the leaders from each place had the opportunity to say something about what should be done, but they forgot one thing—what does the Bible say?
Finally, everyone agreed to bring the ark to Jerusalem in a certain way. It seemed so special, with all kinds of pageantry and glory, and when it was over, everyone would be able to go home and tell the others their story of the loud music and dancing and how everything seemed so bright and beautiful. There was room for all the people to participate; surely this was right, but what about the Bible? What does it say?
Instead of joy and gladness, everyone went home with heads and hearts cast down. They were all subdued when each went to their home. Though they had all agreed, it didn’t work out as they thought it would. They did what they thought was right, but never took the time to find God’s way. They thought what they did was okay, but neglected to read, review the scriptures, and find out what the Bible says.
Loud religious music is popular now; some people clap and dance “before the Lord.” Large numbers attend churches because they “like the music” and are entertained by listening to others perform, thinking they are worshipping God. Not many people go to their church carrying their Bible because they find the words “strange and hard to understand.” They like the experience of being with a great crowd of people “singing and praising God,” and will go if they don’t have anything else to do, but what about the Bible? What about listening to God's words rather than focusing on what we say to Him in our songs?
God has given us His plan for how He wants things done. The Church is His dwelling place, and where we live is His home. In the house of God, an order must be maintained, and certain behavior is expected; men do not decide the practices. It is imperative to ask, “What about the Bible? What does God say, and are we doing what He wants?” It is not up to us to decide whether to do a thing or not. We need to read the scriptures and see what the Bible says. When we know what God wants, then we act upon His will. What was there at the beginning is in the Bible, and still is, so we set out to do things according to the Bible!