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Prosperous Reign of David
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near him, David let it stay where it was. They found a place for it
nearby, at the house of Obed-Edom.
God Requires Precise Obedience
The fate of Uzzah was a divine judgment for disobeying a very
clear command. No one except the priests, the descendants of Aaron,
were to touch the ark or even look at it unless it was covered. God’s
instructions were that, “The sons of Kohath shall come to bear them;
but they shall not touch any holy thing, lest they die.” (
Numbers
4:15
). The priests were to cover the ark, and then the Kohathites
must lift it by the rods that were placed in rings on each side of the
ark. They should bear the ark “on their shoulders.” (
Numbers 7:9
).
There had been an inexcusable disregard of the Lord’s directions.
David and his people had started doing a sacred work with glad
and willing hearts, but they had not done it in keeping with the
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Lord’s directions. The Philistines, who knew nothing of God’s
law, had placed the ark on a cart when they returned it to Israel.
But the Israelites had a plain statement of the will of God in these
matters, and their neglect of these instructions was dishonoring to
God. Since God’s law had been ignored, Uzzah had a lessened sense
of its sacredness. With unconfessed sins in his heart, and in the face
of the divine prohibition, he had dared to touch the symbol of God’s
presence. God cannot accept partial obedience or careless ways of
treating His commandments. By leading the people to repentance,
the death of Uzzah might prevent judgments on thousands.
The Ark Brings Blessings to Those Who Love the Lord
Feeling that his own heart was not entirely right with God, and
seeing what had happened to Uzzah, David feared the ark, worried
that some sin might bring judgments on him. But Obed-Edom
welcomed the sacred symbol as the promise of God’s favor to people
who obey. All Israel watched to see what would happen in his home.
“And the Lord blessed Obed-Edom and all his household.” David
was led to realize as never before the sacredness of God’s law and
the necessity of strict obedience.