Uzzah

Week 15 II Samuel

II Samuel six starts with David’s decision to bring the ark of the covenant to Jerusalem. It had been sitting in Abinadab’s house in Baalejudah for twenty years. Now David wants it in the royal city.
It’s a big event, a processional with crowds, celebration, music. The ark sits on an ox-cart escorted by Ahio and Uzzah. The ark begins to tip over; Uzzah steadies it. And then it happens: the anger of the Lord burned against Uzzah, and God struck him down there for his irreverence.
Uzzah steadies the ark in one second, the next second he’s dead.
David’s reaction is a bit of a consolation to me. He was angry over Uzzah’s death. He was afraid. He stopped the procession in its tracks. All of a sudden he didn’t want the ark. He just left it right there with a Philistine named Obed-Edom.
It’s a weird story for how you’re left feeling. Uzzah was an irreverent man and got the costly outcome of irreverence. At the same time it seems kind of unfair, like he got what he didn’t deserve. I feel perplexed, and I wish I knew more.
Sometimes the bible tells me more than I want. But not this time.
I sit for awhile thinking about reverential fear for the Lord, not so much concerned for Uzzah, more concerned about mhj.

Notes: See the ark story in I Samuel 4-7. Quote is from II Samuel 6:7 (NASB version)