What Happened to Uzzah??

One of those passages we tend to struggle with is the story of Uzzah (2 Sam 6:5-7, 1 Chron 13:9), the hapless man who, in apparently good intentions, tried to keep the ark of the Covenant from falling off a cart. 

Here's a quick recap of what was going on:

The ark was a symbol of the presence of God among His

chosen people, the place where God would "meet and speak to His people" (Ex 25:22) With it came a set of precise and complex guidelines regarding its handling and transport (Num 4:15, 7:9). 

The Philistines had captured the ark, incurring a whole raft of problems (1 Sam 5). Rather dramatically, they send it back to Israel (1 Sam 6:1-11) with results that should have been cause for great concern and care in its handling (1 Sam 6:12-21). The ark ends up in the house of Abinadab in Kiriath-jearim. Abinidab is in charge of the ark and Uzzah is one of his sons. 

David miraculously defeats the Philistines and decides it's time to bring the ark to Jerusalem (2 Sam 6:2). 

This is where the trouble starts.

Instead of following the strict protocols, given by God, in

transporting the ark, Abinidab and his sons, now apparently consecrated to serve in moving and caring for the ark (Num 4:4-20, 1 Sam 7:1), change the way the ark is moved. They decide to put it on a cart. There's no explanation given for why they decided to do it this way. All we know is they put it on a cart, which was contrary to the way God had given them for moving it. Perhaps they thought it was OK as that's how it came back to them from the Philistines...maybe they thought it was a better way. In any event, they felt comfortable enough to change the way they were told to move the ark. 

There is an appropriate amount of celebration and reverence. They are not totally arrogant nor casual about what they're doing. These are good people, people chosen and blessed by God, dispatched to do a good thing. 

At some point, on their way to Jerusalem, the oxen stumble, 

the cart tilts and the ark begins to teeter. Uzzah reaches out to steady it...and touches it. Maybe his reaction was instinctive. Maybe he just thought he was the closest and somebody had to do something.  No matter what the motivation, this is an act strictly forbidden for anyone other than a member of the Aaronic Priesthood (Num 4:15). The repercussions are disastrous...and fatal for Uzzah (2 Sam 6:7). Look at what the text tells us, "The anger of the Lord was kindled...God struck him down there..." Why? "Because of his error."

Whatever Uzzah's intentions, whatever his heart motivation, he had made a mistake in going counter to God's explicit instructions. As clear as this is, it defies our notion of a God who is gracious, loving and forgiving. 

As difficult as this may be for us to understand, it reveals a few valuable lessons about our relationship with God, lessons that reveal facets of His character and nature. These are lessons we would do well to keep in mind: 

• When God says, "This is how I want you to do this." We do not have the option of trying to improve upon it. God's holiness and purity are subject to neither our ideas nor our circumstances.
• The very best of heart intentions is not enough to make us holy enough to come into God's presence. Our sincerity, feelings or impulses never trump His word. The very best of our feelings will end in disaster if they lead us to function outside the guidelines He has given us.
• This should have a profound impact upon our worship. We worship God on His terms, not ours. The foundation of our worship is in His holiness, not our experience. Uzzah was having a great experience. There was song and celebration. He was intimately involved in the proceedings. His experience led him to believe he could defy God's clear instructions.
• We can't "make it up" as we go. We are guided by His word, enabled by His Spirit. Anything we do in and of ourselves will fall short of His holiness and glory. 
• The final arbiter of our ideas, no matter how brilliant or practical they may seem, must be God's word. 
• There is no way for unregenerate man to come into the presence of a holy God. 
• God does not need our help. If you look closely at the passages above, you'll see that God was capable of protecting and preserving the ark without Uzzah's intervention. 
• Uzzah was a good guy, doing a good thing. He died for touching that which was holy. There was no mediator between Uzzah and God. His touch, as good a man as he was, would have defiled the ark. Coming into the presence of God can be deadly without a mediator.

Ultimately, Uzzah's biggest mistake was not in how the ark was transported, but in coming into contact with the holiness of God before being cleansed. The priests had an involved ritual to cleanse themselves before touching the ark. Uzzah was neither cleansed nor a priest. 

We no longer have an ark. We no longer have a cleansing ritual. Instead, we have Jesus Christ, whose blood cleanses us, prepares us to be in His presence. Uzzah made an impulsive move, disobeyed God and had to pay the price himself. Christ pays the price for our disobedience. Because He did, instead of death, we receive life.