“And when they came to Nachon’s threshingfloor, Uzzah put forth his hand to the ark of God, and took hold of it; for the oxen shook it. And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Uzzah; and God smote him there for his error; and there he died by the ark of God.” 2Samuel 6:6-7
King Saul, in battle with the Philistines, lost the Ark of the Covenant. After a series of events, the Ark ended in the home of Abinadab and stayed there twenty years. When David became king, he sent for the ark and en route to the Tabernacle, Uzzah, the son of Abinadab sought to save the Ark as it fell off the cart when the oxen stumbled. When Uzzah touched the Ark, God killed him.
God said, “And you shall put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark, to carry the ark by them. The poles shall remain in the rings of the ark; they shall not be taken from it.” The Lord further instructed that “the sons of Kohath shall come to carry these, but they must not touch the holy things, lest they die.” It may have seemed like an obscure command with no seeming significance and easily forgotten, but it was important to God.
Uzzah sought to help the Lord by protecting the Ark. No doubt he had a pure motive. Still, God killed him. Many New Testament commands appear to be unimportant and the breaking of them inconsequential. You may even think you do God service by ignoring commands that offend your reason. No matter how right you think you are or how insignificant God’s command may appear, you violate it at the peril of your soul.
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