Tag: holiness

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).

Posted in God, Life

Time for a new battery

Posted on by William Douthwaite

Rowl-rowl-rowl-rowl.

Uh-oh. I know exactly what that sound means. I’ll give it one more try.

Click.

Yep, I knew it. Battery’s dead. “Battery’s dead; I’m going to get a new one.”

“How do you know it’s the battery?”

It’s usually the battery. Life in the Sunshine State means your car will need a new battery every three years. It works fine one day, and it’s DOA the next.

Has it really been three years already? I rummaged through the glove box. Yes! I knew I saved the receipt. It’s a little faded, but I can still read it. It was a three-year battery. Of course, the three-year replacement warranty ran out last week.

The good news? The car was parked in my driveway, right next to my other car, well within jumper cable distance. I opened the hoods of both cars grabbed my jumper cables and got to work. I’ve done this lots of times, but I paused and decided to glance at the owner’s manual. Which car do I hook up first? On which car do I clamp onto the engine bracket? I just wanted to be sure. I have a lot of respect for that little black box I trust to start the car each morning.

That morning I had just read about God’s presence on Mount Sinai while Moses and Israel camped nearby. They were told to keep their distance. Don’t touch. Don’t even get near. I thought to myself, “I probably fear this small black battery in my car than I fear God.”

I’ll bet that’s true for most folks. We have little fear of God. He’s a friend. Compassionate. Merciful. Slow to anger. Abounding in steadfast love.

All of that is true. But God is also holy. Isaiah took that for granted until he found himself in God’s presence (read Isaiah 6). Then he feared for his life. After that, he got a very clear view of God’s mercy.

The holiness of God not only reveals the depth of our sinfulness, but also the depth of grace. We need both to grasp how high and wide and deep and long is the love of God.