(1 Chronicles 13:1-14) Then David consulted with the captains of the thousands and the hundreds, with every leader. 2 David said to all the assembly of Israel, “If it seems good to you, and if it is from the Lord our God, let us send word everywhere to our kinsmen who remain in all the land of Israel, and to the priests and Levites who are with them in their cities with pasture lands, that they meet with us; 3 and let us bring back the ark of our God to us, since we did not seek it in the days of Saul.” 4 Then all the assembly said that they would do so, for this was right in the eyes of all the people.
5 So David assembled all Israel together, from the Shihor of Egypt to the entrance of Hamath, to bring the ark of God from Kiriath-jearim. 6 David and all Israel went up to Baalah, that is, to Kiriath-jearim, which belongs to Judah, to bring up from there the ark of God, the Lord who is enthroned above the cherubim, where His name is called. 7 And they carried the ark of God on a new cart from the house of Abinadab, and Uzza and Ahio drove the cart. 8 David and all Israel were celebrating before God with all their might, with songs and with lyres, harps, tambourines, cymbals, and trumpets.
9 When they came to the threshing floor of Chidon, Uzza put out his hand to hold the ark, because the oxen nearly overturned it. 10 But the anger of the Lord burned against Uzza, so He struck him because he had put out his hand toward the ark; and he died there before God. 11 Then David became angry because of the Lord’s outburst against Uzza; and he called that place Perez-uzza as it is to this day. 12 David was afraid of God that day, saying, “How can I bring the ark of God home to me?” 13 So David did not take the ark with him to the city of David, but took it aside to the house of Obed-edom the Gittite. 14 And the ark of God remained with the family of Obed-edom in his house for three months; and the Lord blessed the family of Obed-edom and all that he had.
TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:
Even though David had good intentions and wanted God's approval, what I don't see is David actually consulting God or waiting for His answer regarding the first attempt to move the ark. And David definitely didn't consult God after Uzza died. And because David avoided God during his personal-pity-party, he missed out on having God's blessings for those three months.
It's classic human behavior: we do something in our own strength thinking that we've got this, and because we think it's a good idea, and it feels right, then certainly God will make it all work out for us. And then when it doesn't work out, we get angry and avoid God for something we have done.
Part of consulting God involves studying and knowing scripture! If David would have looked closely at God's word, they would have observed God's directions as to how the ark was to be moved. They obviously were careless about following God's will. Such a tiny detail, but with a life-or-death significance.
It is the same with salvation. If one thinks that there are many ways to God, and all one has to do is follow a list of do's and don'ts to be "good enough" to somehow earn one's way to heaven, the intentions may be good, but the outcome won't be. One has to take a closer more thorough look into the Bible. It's all about Jesus saving us, and having a personal relationship with the Lord God.
Once we are saved, we cannot lose our salvation. But we will still make mistakes, so it is all about asking and allowing Jesus to help us, so we can enjoy having a close relationship with the Lord! How is it that we allow ourselves to be angry - whether it is righteous anger or not, but we are surprised by the fact that God can be angry at our wrong attitudes and behavior? Therefore, it is important to know that as we grow closer to God and following His will, we will not be disappointed! It is when we seek to please the Lord in the way that He teaches us, He will bless us and work things out for good.
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