Tag: fear of the Lord

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

Don’t touch that!

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

A “through the bible” devotion from 2 Samuel 6.

There are many things you do not want to touch. The following is not a complete list, just a few things that come to mind.

  • Wet paint
  • Cactus
  • Porcupine
  • Hot stovetop burner
  • Fire
  • Jellyfish
  • Poison Ivy
  • Superglue
  • The ark of the covenant

The ark of the covenant? Yes, God’s law is clear. Only Levites can touch the holy things of God, especially the ark. Mishandle it, and you die. Period (Numbers 4:15).

This isn’t like your big brother threatening, “If you touch my stuff, I’ll kill you!” It’s about a holy God and impure, sinful people. Putting them together is like dropping a match into a bucket of gasoline. Just like camping at the base of Mt. Sinai, you better keep your distance.

Anyway, in 2 Samuel 6, David wants to bring the ark of the covenant back to Jerusalem. Twenty years ago, the Philistines captured the ark. When they suffered all kinds of health problems, they quickly got rid of it. They put it on a cart, hitched up a couple of cows, and sent it down the road to Israel. It was stored at the house of a man named Abinadab.

David had secured the throne of a united Judah and Israel. It’s time to bring the ark home. Unfortunately, they got sloppy. When the oxen pulling the cart stumbled, Uzzah kept the ark from falling with his hand and died on the spot. David is angry, and “David was afraid of the Lord that day,” too (2 Samuel 6:9). Rather than bringing the ark into the city, they store it in another person’s home.

When do we take God’s holiness for granted? Most of the time. We forget that Jesus had to die a terrible death on the cross to atone for our sins and make a relationship with God possible. We get sloppy. Rather than following his clear instructions, we figure he’ll let us slide. Rather than being grateful, we’ll get impatient and demanding. We’ll even get angry with God. What does it take before you fear the Lord?

Three months later, David tries again. This time he takes his time and does it right. He saturates the journey to Jerusalem with reverence, worship, sacrifice, praise, and joy (6:13-15).