The man’s name here is Uzzah. He and his brother had been given the responsibility of driving the cart that carried the Ark up the hill to Jerusalem. Here’s verse three again. (3) “And they set the ark of God upon a new cart, and brought it out of the house of Abinadab that was in Gibeah: and Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, drave the new cart.”
Just for information, these men were not doing what you and I might do today if we were driving. There was no “seat;” nor was there a “steering wheel” in this cart. What these men did was to carry a stick, somewhat similar to what we today would call an “ox goad.” And, while walking alongside the ark, Ahio and Uzzah were the ones who prodded the oxen to keep them moving. The Bible says that Ahio was in the front; Uzzah at the side. And, it’s clear that Uzzah’s action resulted in his death.
Now, listen to what the Bible says here about King David when Uzzah’s life is taken. (8) “And David was displeased, because the LORD had made a breach upon Uzzah: and he called the name of the place Perezuzzah to this day. “David was displeased because the LORD had made a breach upon Uzzah.” What that means is this.
The word in the original is a word that means “to blaze with anger.” When someone gets very angry today you might say they were “hot.” David was hot.
Now, let me say this here. The passage doesn’t actually say that David became angry with the LORD. There are some Bible teachers who say that he became upset with himself because he was the one who had made the plan to move the ark and bring it to Jerusalem. But is that what the Bible says? Had he been angry with himself, he would have faced his sin and come to the LORD in repentance and confession. Instead, he moves the ark elsewhere for the time being, and refuses to bring it into the city. So, along with many others, I believe that David was upset with the LORD because He had taken Uzzah’s life.
How many times have you seen this in life? Something large occurs in someone’s life and the response is this. They become upset with the LORD; even angry at God.
Now, when you read and study the Bible, you often come across events that are unsettling. And you might even be tempted, like David, to judge God for things that He has deemed necessary. Here we are in the year 2011 reading about what God did with Uzzah and we today might even stand in judgment of the LORD because He took Uzzah’s life? After all, we wonder “Why would He take Uzzah’s life simply because he had reached out to steady the cart?
And of course, there is nothing wrong with asking questions when you read your Bible. You should ask the hard questions. You aren’t really growing up in the LORD is you don’t want to face the hard questions in life. And like you, I want to know “Why? Why did the LORD take Uzzah’s life?” Most of us would say it was a good thing Uzzah did when he reached out to steady the ark; right? So, why did the LORD intervene so severely?
Well, had it been a good thing, then the LORD would have been pleased and Uzzah would not have lost his life. But the Bible clearly says that the LORD was angry with him. (7) “And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Uzzah; and God smote him there for his error [offense, fault, sin]; and there he died by the ark of God.”
First, God always does the right thing even when we don’t understand.
One of the most satisfying things in life is to know that God always acts with perfect righteousness. Behind everything God does stands His love. He knows what He’s doing. The difficulty is always that we don’t have a large enough awareness of what He’s really like. So, we stand in judgment. We’ve all got our idea of the LORD. And we are quite sure of what we believe about Him. And then something occurs; something shatters our world. If anything, it baffles us. Well, can God do anything other than what is right and good and wise and just and fair? No, He can’t.
Here’s what we read in the first Book of the Bible. Genesis 18:25 “…Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?”
Go on to Page Three
Just for information, these men were not doing what you and I might do today if we were driving. There was no “seat;” nor was there a “steering wheel” in this cart. What these men did was to carry a stick, somewhat similar to what we today would call an “ox goad.” And, while walking alongside the ark, Ahio and Uzzah were the ones who prodded the oxen to keep them moving. The Bible says that Ahio was in the front; Uzzah at the side. And, it’s clear that Uzzah’s action resulted in his death.
Now, listen to what the Bible says here about King David when Uzzah’s life is taken. (8) “And David was displeased, because the LORD had made a breach upon Uzzah: and he called the name of the place Perezuzzah to this day. “David was displeased because the LORD had made a breach upon Uzzah.” What that means is this.
The word in the original is a word that means “to blaze with anger.” When someone gets very angry today you might say they were “hot.” David was hot.
Now, let me say this here. The passage doesn’t actually say that David became angry with the LORD. There are some Bible teachers who say that he became upset with himself because he was the one who had made the plan to move the ark and bring it to Jerusalem. But is that what the Bible says? Had he been angry with himself, he would have faced his sin and come to the LORD in repentance and confession. Instead, he moves the ark elsewhere for the time being, and refuses to bring it into the city. So, along with many others, I believe that David was upset with the LORD because He had taken Uzzah’s life.
How many times have you seen this in life? Something large occurs in someone’s life and the response is this. They become upset with the LORD; even angry at God.
Now, when you read and study the Bible, you often come across events that are unsettling. And you might even be tempted, like David, to judge God for things that He has deemed necessary. Here we are in the year 2011 reading about what God did with Uzzah and we today might even stand in judgment of the LORD because He took Uzzah’s life? After all, we wonder “Why would He take Uzzah’s life simply because he had reached out to steady the cart?
And of course, there is nothing wrong with asking questions when you read your Bible. You should ask the hard questions. You aren’t really growing up in the LORD is you don’t want to face the hard questions in life. And like you, I want to know “Why? Why did the LORD take Uzzah’s life?” Most of us would say it was a good thing Uzzah did when he reached out to steady the ark; right? So, why did the LORD intervene so severely?
Well, had it been a good thing, then the LORD would have been pleased and Uzzah would not have lost his life. But the Bible clearly says that the LORD was angry with him. (7) “And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Uzzah; and God smote him there for his error [offense, fault, sin]; and there he died by the ark of God.”
First, God always does the right thing even when we don’t understand.
One of the most satisfying things in life is to know that God always acts with perfect righteousness. Behind everything God does stands His love. He knows what He’s doing. The difficulty is always that we don’t have a large enough awareness of what He’s really like. So, we stand in judgment. We’ve all got our idea of the LORD. And we are quite sure of what we believe about Him. And then something occurs; something shatters our world. If anything, it baffles us. Well, can God do anything other than what is right and good and wise and just and fair? No, He can’t.
Here’s what we read in the first Book of the Bible. Genesis 18:25 “…Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?”
Go on to Page Three