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From Eternity Past
God Requires Precise Obedience
The fate of Uzzah was a divine judgment upon the violation of
a most explicit command. None but the priests, the descendants of
Aaron, were to touch the ark, or even look upon it uncovered. The
divine direction was, “The sons of Kohath shall come to bear it: 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 staves, which were placed in rings on each side of the ark. They
should bear the ark “upon their shoulders.”
Numbers 7:9
. There had
been an inexcusable disregard of the Lord’s directions.
David and his people had engaged in a sacred work with glad and
willing hearts, but it was not performed in accordance with the Lord’s
directions. The Philistines, who had no knowledge of God’s law, had
placed the ark upon 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. Trans-
gression of God’s law had lessened Uzzah’s sense of its sacredness.
With unconfessed sins upon him, in face of the divine prohibition, he
had presumed to touch the symbol of God’s presence. God can accept
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no partial obedience, no lax way of treating His commandments. The
death of one man, by leading the people to repentance, might prevent
judgments upon thousands.
The Ark Brings Blessings to Those Who Love the Lord
Feeling that his own heart was not wholly right with God, David
feared the ark, lest some sin bring judgments upon him. But Obed-
edom welcomed the sacred symbol as the pledge of God’s favor to
the obedient. All Israel watched to see how it would fare with his
household. “And the Lord blessed Obed-edom, and all his household.”
David was led to realize as never before the sacredness of the law of
God and the necessity of strict obedience.
At the end of three months, he resolved to make another attempt to
move the ark, and he now gave earnest heed to carry out the directions
of the Lord. Again a vast assemblage gathered about the dwelling
place of Obed-edom. With reverent care the ark was placed upon the
shoulders of men of divine appointment, and with trembling hearts the