August 01, 2010
Bible Studies for Life Sunday School Lesson
God’s holiness, our response
Melissa Riley, youth minister, Baring Cross Church of Sherwood
The sixth chapter of 2 Samuel begins with the celebration of the entry of the Ark of the Covenant. The celebration is quickly cut short by a sudden turn of events caused by disobedience. As the processional carrying the Ark passed by, the oxen stumbled, and a man named Uzzah caught hold of the Ark. The problem with that is Deuteronomy 10:8 says the Lord established that the tribe of Levi should be the only ones to carry the Ark. Uzzah was of the tribe of Judah. What may seem to us to be a helpful gesture was, in fact, a violation of the guidelines the Lord had set in place for the Ark.
The Ark was not merely a memory box for the Israelites. It was a physical representation of the Lord’s presence among the people. This violation was not an inadvertent act, but rather disregard for the holiness attached to the Ark. It is never acceptable to act outside of God’s law. Many times in our own lives, we want to rationalize our actions in order to make our own agendas appear to fall in line with God’s plan. The truth is that God does not need our help or our agendas to accomplish His will. What He requires of us is our obedience.
As a result of Uzzah’s actions, the Lord, in anger, struck him down, causing David to fear the Lord. God’s justice can produce two types of fear in the hearts of people: healthy or unhealthy. A healthy fear of the Lord causes God’s people to act according to His laws out of respect for His authority in their lives. Conversely, an unhealthy fear of God’s anger can cause us to miss out on how He is working. Living according to God’s laws prevents us from being crippled by fear of God’s vengeance and produces freedom to experience the blessings that come from living in the will of God. David’s fear caused him to send the Ark to the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite. The house of Obed-Edom was blessed by the presence of the Lord.
God’s blessings cannot be fully realized outside of respect for His work in our lives. As humans we pray for blessings of prosperity, protection and fulfillment. None of these things in themselves are wrong. However, we cannot expect these things from God when we seek to accomplish them apart from Him. Acknowledging His supremacy and obeying His precepts are important steps in growing in your relationship with the Lord.