Today’s Reading: 1 Chronicles 15
It’s
a big day in Israel! It is finally time to bring the Ark of the Covenant to its
new home. David had prepared a special place for the Ark in the city and pitched
a tent there to cover it. The darkness and defeat which had marked the final
days of king Saul’s reign were finally giving way to God’s light and new hope
for the nation. Holy worship was returning to Israel. It is a happy day. It is
a day for rejoicing!
You’ll
remember that back in 2 Samuel 6 and 1 Chronicles 13, David and the Israelites
had failed on their first attempt to bring the Ark to Jerusalem. As the ark was
being transported, the oxen pulling the cart stumbled, and a man named Uzzah
took hold of the ark. God’s anger burned against Uzzah and He struck him down
and he died. There are some reasons why God took such severe action.
God
is a God of precision. And He expects us to follow His word precisely. God had
given Moses very specific instructions for carrying the Ark and the rest of the
holy things from the Tabernacle. The Lord had specified that when the Ark was
ready to move, the Levites were to come to do the carrying. It was not to be
placed on a cart and pulled by oxen. The Levites were to insert carrying poles
into the rings on the Ark and carry it on their shoulders. God was very
specific about this. No matter how innocently it was done, touching the ark was
in direct violation of God’s law and did not honor His holiness.
When
God gives precise instructions, we must follow His words precisely. When God told Noah to build the Ark, He gave
Him precise instructions – the materials to use, the dimensions, the number of
animals, etc. And Noah followed God’s instructions precisely. In the time of
Moses, the people knew the awesomeness of God’s absolute holiness. They had
witnessed great miracles when the ark was with them. They respected that God’s
ways and thoughts were much higher than theirs.
Tragically
today, many people within the Church have lost that sense of God’s holiness and
following His word with precision. They try to ignore His commands to: pray
continually, study His word, fellowship with others, worship Him, and share His
good news. They live worldly lives close to sin and indulge in acts God doesn’t
approve of because they don’t have a healthy respect for His holiness and a
passion to follow His words precisely. They claim the name of Christ, but they
are not doers of His word. They have lost (or never had) and unwavering commitment to God's Word.
Fortunately for David, they acknowledged the error of their ways. They repented of their lackadaisical approach to carrying the Ark and so today is a happy day in Israel. The Ark finally arrives at its new home. Notice verse 14 & 15: “So the priests and the Levites consecrated themselves to bring up the ark of the Lord, the God of Israel. And the Levites carried the ark of God on their shoulders with the poles, as Moses had commanded according to the word of the Lord.” They returned to following His word precisely and God honored them for it, just as He will honor you for your unwavering commitment to His Word.
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