Uzza Put Forth His Hand

1 Chronicles 13:9-10, “[9] And when they came unto the threshingfloor of Chidon, Uzza put forth his hand to hold the ark; for the oxen stumbled. [10] And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzza, and he smote him, because he put his hand to the ark: and there he died before God.”

This passage of Scripture talks about a man named Uzza. Uzza was a man who was commanded by King David to move the Ark of the Covenant from one place to another. However, Uzza and the men did not do it the right way.

It was well-known that the only way that the Ark of the Covenant was to be moved was to carry it. Four men would get on the four corners and use the poles to pick it up. This was also the only allowable contact with the Ark. No one was to touch it. The men in this passage thought it would be good and easier to build a cart to transport it. This would definitely be easier, but it definitely was NOT right. While the cart was going down the road, it hit a bump, and the Ark began to stumble. Uzza reached out his hand and touched the Ark to keep it from falling. Immediately, Uzza was struck dead which brings us to today’s thought.

It’s never ok to do a “good thing” if it goes against God’s instruction. Building a nice cart for the Ark seemed like a good thing, but it is not a good thing when God’s direction was to carry it. It seemed like a good thing for Uzza to touch the Ark to keep it from falling, but it’s not a good thing when God said not to touch it. Many people today want to do “good things” even though it goes against God’s direction. Helping a friend move would be a good thing, but it’s not a good thing if you skip church to do so. I’ve heard the following as a child. Mom says to stay inside while she is gone. While mom is gone, the child goes outside to pick flowers for his mom. It’s a good thing to pick flowers, but it’s not good to pick flowers when mom said to stay inside. It’s been said, “It’s never right to do a wrong to do a right.” Let’s not focus today on doing “good things.” Let’s focus today on doing right things.

Happy Sunday!