DON'T TOUCH IT

By: Michael Weber

So, this week we looked at 2 Samuel 6, where David and his men were trying to move the Ark of the Covenant back to Jerusalem. As we learned, the first attempt didn’t go well, Uzzah was struck down by God for touching the Ark. I, for one, am REALLY glad God doesn’t deal with all sin this quickly, or I would have been dead a long time ago.

When you first heard this story, did you think God was being really harsh? I know that was my initial reaction. After hearing the message, you hopefully understand a little better why God punished Uzzah, but you still may be thinking God went a little overboard by killing him on the spot. I’m sure many of us feel that way, but the fact that we feel that way is just proof that we are guilty of the same sin Uzzah was. We are not fully honoring and respecting God for who he really is. This is probably because we have gotten comfy-cozy with God, just like Uzzah got used to the Ark. When we get used to God, we fail to honor his position as the all-powerful creator and ruler of the universe.

Think of it this way….The word “holy” literally means, “set apart.” You probably know that holiness is one of God’s attributes, in that he is totally set apart from sin. But I don’t think any of us really appreciate the degree to which God is “set apart” from us and our sin. In the Hebrew language, repeating a word was a way of strengthening its meaning. So, if something were “holy, holy” then it would be REALLY REALLY holy; more holy than just about anything else. In Isaiah 6, angels in heaven say, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts.” Now that you understand a little about how the Hebrew language worked. This should make your mind EXPLODE!!! Isaiah is saying that God is a million times holier than the holiest thing that’s ever been holy! To put it in eight year old terms, he is double holy time infinity!!!

So, when Uzzah reaches out and touches the Ark of God, Uzzah is essentially bringing sin into the presence of the holy, holy, holy God. God cannot let this happen, and strikes him dead. God talks about the same thing in Exodus 19 when the Israelites are at Mt. Sanai. God says if any person, or animal, other than Moses, touches the mountain where his presence is, they have to die. It’s that same separation that exists later in the temple between the “holy of holies” where the Ark sits, and the rest of the temple.

Here comes another mind exploding thing to think about….. When you become a Christian, the Bible says the Holy Spirit comes to live inside of you and you have that exact same presence living inside of you that was in the Ark or on Mt. Sinai (1 Cor 6:19). Having that relationship with God and having the Spirit living inside of you is the AMAZING thing you could ever have. But remember how big a deal it is to God when sin comes into his holy presence. If we continue to sin after accepting Christ—by the things we put into our body, the things we do with our body, or the thoughts and words that are formed within it—we are essentially doing what Uzzah did, and bringing sin into God’s presence….Scary huh? Looking at sin this way can help us get an idea of just how seriously God takes it, and why he says we should be different once we have accepted Christ (1 Peter 1:15-16).

Here are some things to think about:

How accurately do you think you see God for who he really is? (Jeremiah 9:24; John 17:3; 1 John 3:2)

In what ways do you “touch the Ark” and bring sin into God’s presence? (1 Cor. 6:19; Romans 8:9; 12:2)

How might you do a better job of living the way God calls us to live? (Romans 8; Col. 3; Heb. 10:19-39)