Hungry for God; Starving for Time
Like every other event gone bad, the celebration started well.
People gathered from all over the land. Singers and musicians, their hearts full of joy, led in songs of praise. A brand new cart, pulled by two strong oxen, stood ready.
King David had sought the wisdom of the people, and all had agreed – it was time for the ark of God, the place where God’s presence dwelt, to return to Jerusalem. The Israelites’ hearts overflowed with happiness and excitement.
Until something went terribly wrong.
The oxen pulling the cart stumbled. The ark shifted, sliding precariously close to the edge. Acting without thinking, Uzzah, reached out his hand to steady the teetering ark. Before the oxen could take another step, Uzzah was dead.
And so was the celebration.
This millennia-old story contains a powerful and timely lesson for us today.
Like David and the Israelites, many of us approach God with sincerity and enthusiasm. Taking our cues from the pulse of the population, we decide that if it seems right to the majority, it must be right before the Lord. If it feels right, we conclude, it must be right.
But that’s not what God says.
He didn’t say it in King David’s time, and he doesn’t say it now. God doesn’t leave worship to the dictates of our own hearts or the popular trends of the day. He’s very specific about how we should worship him. And while he leaves some areas of our Christian lives to our own discernment, he gives very clear instructions about this most important matter.
“God is spirit,” John 4:24 says, “and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”
What does this mean?
The Israelites worshiped God in the Spirit – their hearts were dedicated to him and his purposes. King David loved the Lord. The people longed for God’s power and presence to fall upon them. The men who drove the cart wanted to honor God.
But they failed to worship him according to truth.
Truth is God’s instructions to us through his Word, the Bible. The sacred pages contain “everything we need for life and godliness” (2 Peter 1:3). They also contain God’s specific instructions for how the Israelites were to transport the ark of God (See Numbers 4:15 and Deuteronomy 10:8).
King David followed the desires of his heart (which in this case weren’t wrong), but he failed to consult God’s Word.
We’re often like King David. We have an idea for how to honor or serve God, but we fail to hold the idea up to the plumb line of God’s Word.
Here are some examples of “spirit” worship that goes against “truth” worship:
We neglect to worship regularly with other believers.
Hebrews 10:25 tells us “not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”
We claim the name of Christ, while failing to honor him with our bodies.
First Corinthians 6:19-20 commands, “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.”
We accept some parts of the Bible as inspired while dismissing others.
Second Timothy 3:16-17 says, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
We exchange what’s right for what’s politically correct.
James 4:17 warns us, “So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.”
In the wake of Uzzah’s tragic death, King David sought the Lord in spirit and in truth. He dug into God’s Word, memorized its precepts, and applied them to his life. The result was a beautiful, joyful, celebration of God’s presence among them.
“So David and the elders of Israel and the commanders of units of a thousand went to bring up the ark of the covenant of the Lord from the house of Obed-Edom, with rejoicing” (1 Chr. 15:25).
What area of your life and worship needs to come under the authority of God’s Word? Why not surrender it today? When you worship God in Spirit and in truth, like David and the Israelites, you will be filled with joy.
Frank Sinatra recorded the song “I Did It My Way” in 1969, but King David could have sung it in 1010 BCE.
Fresh from a victory over Israel’s enemy the Philistines and newly crowned king of all Israel, David had thrown the party of the century. Three days of eating, drinking, and dancing, and family everywhere. “There was joy in Israel.”
As they were sitting around eating raisin cakes, burgers, and lamb chops, David proposed an idea. “What do you think, guys? I’d kinda like to have the ark back. (You'll remember that the Ark of God was a large wooden box that contained priceless artifacts from the exodus). It’s been way out in Kirjath Jearim for a long time, and we haven’t been able to use it to inquire of God. Wouldn’t it be cool to restore it to its rightful place among the people?”
“Sounds good to me,” the military captains said.
“Great idea,” the local leaders said.
“Let’s do it,” the people of Israel said.
So David gathered everyone together, placed the ark on a brand new cart, gave the band its cue, and the parade began. All was well until Oxen #1 hit a pothole and stumbled. Uzza, the chief petty officer in charge of the ark, reached out to catch it and keep it from sliding off the cart.
Quicker than you can say “Duck,” a giant lightning bolt shot from the sky. When the smoke cleared, all that was left of Uzza was his dogtags.
What’s up with this? All King David wanted to do was restore the ark to its rightful place (a good thing). All the people wanted to do was support their king (a good thing). All Uzza wanted to do was keep the ark from hitting the ground (a good thing).
And lightning crackles from heaven and turns Uzza into a French fry?
On the surface, this seems so wrong. So out of the blue (pun intended). So random. So UNFAIR. They were just trying to do something GOOD. Something GOOD FOR GOD, for heaven's sake.
Enter Frank Sinatra.
And the problem that has beset mankind since Day 1 in the Garden.
“I did it my way.”
Many years before, through Moses, God gave the Israelites special instructions for handling and transporting the ark. These instructions are recorded in (Numbers 4:4, 15, 17-20):
Only one particular branch of the Aaronic line, the Kohathites, can move the most holy things.
Never touch the ark.
Carry it on poles.
Remember, this wasn’t just a piece of furniture. It was a symbol of God himself—the place where God chose to place his presence. He “dwelt between the cherubim” on top of the ark. When David proposed moving the ark, he wasn’t just switching the sofa from the east wall to the west, he was relocating GOD. Did God care about how that was done? Yeah!
In total presumption and independence, David, his captains, and the people never stopped to ask God if he wanted the ark moved. Or how he wanted it moved. They just did it.
I am so guilty of this.
I get a great idea. I plan how to make it happen. I invite other people to help. I implement the plan.
But I forget to pray about it. To ask God if it’s his idea or mine. To be still before him and listen for his thumbs up or thumbs down. Sometimes I don’t even care if it’s his idea or mine. I just want him to rubber stamp it.
There are at least four dangers to doing good things without God:
1. We harm instead of help. (Think of Uzzah.)
2. We lack Holy Spirit power. ("Apart from me, you can do nothing. John 15:5)
3. Our work is useless in the kingdom. It is wood, hay, and stubble and will burn up on the Day of Judgment.
4. We misspend and misdirect valuable time, energy, and effort.
So what should David have done? And what should we do?
* Begin with prayer. Sit at God's feet and invite him to give us our marching orders. Let the ideas come from God.
* Write down what we think we hear. As we pray about it, does the desire grow stronger over time or fade?
* Ask, does it agree with Scripture? (If David had asked this question, Uzzah would never have died.)
* Seek counsel from wise, godly experts. If David had consulted the priests, they would have told him there was a special protocol for moving the ark.
Thankfully, David didn’t let his failure stop him. He spent time before the Lord, and God revealed his error (1 Chron. 15:13). He took the appropriate steps, then went back and did it right. The result was a beautiful celebration and the return of God’s presence to Gibeon.
“So David, the elders of Israel, and the captains over thousands went to bring up the ark of the covenant of the Lord from the house of Obed-Edom with joy” (15:25)
“O give thanks to the Lord,” David penned, "for He is good! For His mercy endures forever. . . Blessed be the Lord God of Israel from everlasting to everlasting!”
If you’re like me, you want to please God and further his kingdom. By praying, seeking his will, confirming it with Scripture, and obtaining wise counsel, we’ll have a better understanding of how to do this.
What about you? When you think you’re hearing from God, how to you find out for sure? Leave a comment below and share your thoughts.
If you'd like to hear "Old Blue Eyes" sing his famous song, here you go. If you're reading by email, click HERE to watch it on Hungry for God.
