The Danger of Casual Worship (2 Samuel 5-7, 1 Chronicles 13-16)

A Few Thoughts to Consider

Is your relationship with God too casual?

While this might seem like a strange question, 2 Samuel 6 has some important thoughts on this matter. At first glance, this passage feels like a bizarre contradiction. On the one hand, Uzzah simply sticks out his hand to guide the ark, and he’s struck dead. On the other, David strips down till he’s almost naked and dances before the Lord in the presence of his people, and God approves.  

Let’s start with the story of Uzzah. He and others are transporting the Ark of God on a cart when verses 6-7 tell us, ⁶ “When they came to Nacon’s threshing floor, Uzzah reached out to the ark of God and took hold of it because the oxen had stumbled. ⁷ Then the Lord’s anger burned against Uzzah, and God struck him dead on the spot for his irreverence, and he died there next to the ark of God.”

At first glance, this seems horribly unjust. David certainly thinks so and becomes angry. But when we take a step back, we see why God is upset. According to the law detailed in the Torah, only Levites could touch the sacred Ark, and even they had specific regulations on how to handle it. As Heath Thomas and J.D. Greear write, “God had given specific instructions about how to transport the ark (Exod 25:10–22). The priests were to use poles that slipped through four rings on the ark so that their hands would never touch the ark itself. But here they were carrying it around just like the Philistines did—on an oxcart.”^[1] Thomas and Greear go on to write:

Uzzah’s touch represents a failure to understand his own sinfulness. Uzzah saw the ark headed toward the dirt, and he reached out because he assumed his hand was less dirty than the ground. Most of us would have done the same. But think of this: the earth has never committed the blasphemy of rejecting God’s authority. The earth has always obeyed the commands of God. Dirt could never pollute the ark. But the touch of a sinful man could.^[2]

While the penalty for Uzzah’s actions seems harsh, we must keep in mind the communal aspect of God’s nature. As he demonstrated with the Israelites coming out of Egypt, he was intent on revealing his holy character to his people. He was a God who was not common and ordinary. Instead, he was a being that was set apart and wanted his people to be holy as he was holy. Walter Brueggemann notes that this event had a positive communal benefit because “when people are no longer awed, respectful, or fearful of God’s holiness, the community is put at risk.”^[3]

Coming away from this experience, the Israelites took extra care to follow everything God instructed. When the ark finally arrived in the city of David, David stripped down to a linen ephod (priestly underwear) and danced before the Lord with all his might. In today’s society, most Christians would probably condemn David’s action but give Uzzah a pass. However, God saw it precisely the other way around, and this tells us something about his character.

God is more concerned with obedience to his commands than he is with the “dignity” of our worship.

A Meditation to PRAY

Praise | I praise you for your holiness and righteousness, which set the order of the universe. Your ways are just, your wisdom infinite, and your presence fills the earth with glory as it did within the Ark of the Covenant.

Release | I release my understanding of worship and obedience, acknowledging that my ways are not yours. Forgive me for the times I have approached you with irreverence or failed to honor your commands in my worship.