When God Breaks Out

April 17, 2024 at 10:03 am | Posted in I Chronicles | 2 Comments
Tags: 1 Chronicles 13, Ark of the Covenant, commentary on 1 Chronicles, death of Uzzah, Sunday School lessons on 1 Chronicles, Uzza, Uzzah, Uzzah and the Ark, wrath of God

I Chronicles 13 deals with the return of the Ark of the Covenant, one of the two (but vastly different) “arks” in the Bible. The Ark of the Covenant contained the two tablets of the Decalogue, Aaron’s rod, and a little pot of manna.

And David consulted with the captains of thousands and hundreds, and with every leader.

I Chronicles 13:1

These were some of the leaders described in the previous chapters. It is interesting that David consulted with men, seeking their opinions, when he often received instructions from God through a prophet.

² And David said unto all the congregation of Israel, If it seem good unto you, and that it be of the Lord our God, let us send abroad unto our brethren every where, that are left in all the land of Israel, and with them also to the priests and Levites which are in their cities and suburbs, that they may gather themselves unto us: ³ And let us bring again the ark of our God to us: for we enquired not at it in the days of Saul.

I Chronicles 13:2-3

It seems that maybe, rather than seeking approval (although that’s what it sounds like), what David really wanted was for everybody to recognize the authority of God represented by the Ark. Under Saul’s leadership, decisions were not made by seeking God’s counsel.

Notice that Verse 3 says “let us bring AGAIN the ark.” In I Samuel 4 the Philistines had captured it for a few months. When they got tired of the plagues of mice and “emerods” they sent it back (I Samuel 6). It stayed in Beth-shemesh and Kiriath-jearim for about 100 years, but now the Israelites had a capital city, and David and the people wanted to bring the Ark to Jerusalem.

God had given specific instructions for how the Ark was to be transported (Exodus 25:10-15; Numbers 4:15). It was supposed to be carried by the Levites using poles through the rings built onto it, not touched by the hands of men, and not put on some type of cart. That’s what the Philistines had done, but God clearly did not want his people to disobey His direct revelation.

⁷ And they carried the ark of God in a new cart out of the house of Abinadab: and Uzza and Ahio drave the cart. ⁸ And David and all Israel played before God with all their might, and with singing, and with harps, and with psalteries, and with timbrels, and with cymbals, and with trumpets. ⁹ And when they came unto the threshingfloor of Chidon, Uzza put forth his hand to hold the ark; for the oxen stumbled. ¹⁰ And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzza, and he smote him, because he put his hand to the ark: and there he died before God.

I Chronicles 13:7-10

There was ingenuity and cleverness. There was excitement. There was enthusiasm and fanfare. But there was not obedience. As Vance Havner used to say, “It will not do to say of that which is ill-done that it was well-meant.”

Uzza’s death may seem overly harsh to some people, but we need to recall that God, at different points of redemptive history highlighted in the Bible, used extreme punishment for disobedience. Some examples include the deaths of Nadab and Abihu after they experimented with strange fire in the Tabernacle, Moses striking the rock twice instead of once, the death of Achan and his family after he buried spoils from the battle of Jericho in his tent, and the deaths of Ananias and Sapphira near the outset of New Testament church ministry. Uzza’s mistake was thinking that his own sinful hand was cleaner than God’s dirt into which the Ark would have fallen if it had toppled off the cart.

¹² And David was afraid of God that day, saying, How shall I bring the ark of God home to me? ¹³ So David brought not the ark home to himself to the city of David, but carried it aside into the house of Obededom the Gittite. ¹⁴ And the ark of God remained with the family of Obededom in his house three months. And the Lord blessed the house of Obededom, and all that he had.

I Chronicles 13:12-14

This blessing on the house of Obededom (who, remarkably, was not even Jewish!) continues the theme of the Lord “breaking out.” Just as His anger had broken out against Uzza, so His blessings break out on those who recognize His exclusive Deity and honor Him accordingly. David had been both angry (at himself) and fearful of God. These attitudes honor God, so, as God’s blessings broke out over Obededom at the end of Chapter 13, the Chronicler will now show that they break out upon David’s life and kingship in even greater ways. God’s blessings will “break out” on us too, if we honor Him. A break-out (or “outbreak”), though, is not something controlled by us, or even expected. It is a work of God that overtakes us and may even make us uncomfortable at times. The key is to trust Him, fearing to sin against Him, but experiencing joy at the blessings He pours out even if they are not what we – in our finite limitations – would have chosen.