In Numbers 13-14, there is a tragic story that takes place. You may befamiliar with the first part: Moses sends twelve men to explore Canaanand provide a report. But when they return, ten of them create panicamong the people by focusing on the strength of the enemy. This re-port is disputed by Joshua and Caleb, the only ones to express faith inGod‘s ability to give the Israelites victory. But the people rebel, whichleads to God telling them to turn back into the wilderness.
- P111
The second part is less well-known:
after Moses tells his people aboutGod‘s decree, they mourn. But then they immediately exacerbate theirfirst mistake
-lack of faith-by preparing to take Canaan! DespiteMoses‘s pleas, they march forward. The result is a heavy defeat at thehands of their enemies.
In this account, we see two clear sins, both of which are displeasing tothe Lord. The first is lack of faith, which is disobedience because weare putting our trust in someone or something other than God. - P111
Theother is the sin of presumption, when we assume that God is leadingus to do something when we have not bothered to seek His counsel.
To avoid both sins, we must stay steeped in God‘s Word and seek Hiswisdom before we take action. - P111
We must also heed godly counsel-things might have gone differently for the Israelites had they listenedto Joshua, Caleb, and Moses! In this way, we will be protected fromboth lack of faith and wrongful presumption. - P111
2 He and all his men went to Baalah in Judah to bringfrom there the ark of God, which is called by theName, the name of the LORD Almighty, who is enthroned
between the cherubim on the ark.
- P112
6 When they came to the threshing floor of Nakon,
Uzzah reached out and took hold of the ark of God,
because the oxen stumbled.
7 The LORD‘s anger burned against Uzzah because of hisirreverent act; therefore God struck him down, and hedied there beside the ark of God. - P112
8 Then David was angry because the LORD‘s wrath hadbroken out against Uzzah, and to this day that place iscalled Perez Uzzah. - P112
10 He was not willing to take the ark of the LORD to bewith him in the City of David. Instead, he took it to thehouse of Obed-Edom the Gittite.
11 The ark of the LORD remained in the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite
for three months, and the LORD blessed him and his entire household.
- P113
12 Now King David was told, "The LORD has blessedthe household of Obed-Edom and everything he has,
because of the ark of God." So David went to bring upthe ark of God from the house of Obed-Edom to theCity of
David with rejoicing.
13 When those who were carrying the ark of the LORDhad taken six steps, he sacrificed a bull and a fattenedcalf. - P113
David and his men go to Baalah to bring up the ark of the Lord. When the oxenstumble, Uzzah reaches out to take hold of the ark and he is struck down byGod for his irreverent act. - P113
David is afraid and leaves the ark in the house ofObed-Edom, a Gittite. The Lord blesses Obed-Edom‘s household, so Davidgoes to bring the ark into Jerusalem with rejoicing. - P113
By retrieving the ark of the covenant, a magnificent wooden chest thatrepresents and manifests God‘s glory, David demonstrates his longingto be near God. - P114
When we taste of God‘s goodness, we do whatever isnecessary to draw near to Him. - P114
However, tragedy strikes when Uzzahtries to steady the ark. He is struck down by God because by touchingthe ark, he has violated God‘s holiness. - P114
If we look at Exodus 25, we seethat David did not give the correct instructions for transporting the ark;it should have been carried by Levites on poles slipped through ringsinstead of on a cart. - P114
This story serves to remind us that we are to fearthe Lord and give Him the honor He is due, in the way that He directs. - P114
Because of what happened to Uzzah, David becomes hesitant to takethe ark. But after realizing the blessing the ark provides, he brings itback to Jerusalem. - P114
With the ark now back in its rightful place, there iscause for great celebration. We have even greater cause for celebrationtoday because through the cross of Jesus Christ, God‘s gracious presence -what the ark once symbolized-now dwells in our hearts forever.
- P114
So, we have all the more reason to rejoice with reckless abandon, justas David did. This passage clearly demonstrates David‘s character as aman after God‘s own heart: he only wants to please the Lord and doesnot care what others think. - P114
Let us adopt the same heart and mind inboth our public and private worship. - P114
Dear Lord, when I come into Your courts, I am always reminded of how goodit is to be in Your presence. Fashion me into a worshiper who seeks You in thefear of You, for You are worthy of my whole heart, mind, and body. In Jesus‘name, amen. - P115
ln The Screwtape Letters by C. S. Lewis, there is a specific quotecan be helpful when it comes to our worship and prayer lives. In thisseminal work, Lewis imagines Screwtape, a senior devil, writing lettersto Wormwood, a junior devil. - P115
Their joint mission is to employ strate-gies that lead human beings astray from the Lord. As Screwtape writesto Wormwood about discouraging people from serious prayer, hesays, "At the very least, they can be persuaded that the bodily positionmakes no difference to their prayers; for they constantly forget, whatyou must always remember, that they are animals and that whatevertheir bodies do affects their souls." - P115
Whether it is raising our arms in celebration, bowing down in reverence, or lifting
our hands in surrender, utilizing our bodies is aneffective to kick-start our hearts
when we come before the Lordwayin worship. - P115
May we discover new heights and depths as we move ourbodies to express our love for the Lord. - P115
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