Scripture 1 Chronicles 15:12-13

He said to them, “You are the heads of the Levite families. You and your relatives must perform the ceremonies to make yourselves holy. Then bring the ark of the Lord God of Israel to the place I prepared for it.

Because you weren’t there the first time, the Lord our God struck us. We hadn’t dedicated our lives to serving him in the way he designated.”

Observation

After David had defeated the Philistines, and constructed buildings for himself, he prepared a place for God’s ark. They had tried to move it once before, when the Philistines, having captured the ark of God but releasing it since their gods crumbled in its presence. The Philistines set it on a cart and unguided, the oxen pulled it back into Israel.

The whole assembly of Israel had agreed it was the right thing to move it back to Jerusalem. Putting the ark on a new cart, they started the journey, celebrating with all their might. But then the oxen stumbled. When Uzzah reached out to steady the ark, he was struck dead.

David was angry, and afraid. Upon reflection, though, he realized they had not handled the ark properly. They had ignoring God’s instruction given to Moses for dealing with His holiness. They dealt casually with His holiness, and Uzzah paid the price. This time, he insisted that the right protocol be followed. Only the Levites were to carry the ark, only after they made themselves holy.

Application

In our day where anything goes, God’s response seems overly harsh. That’s because our standards for what is right and wrong are based on popular opinion, and personal desires.

God’s standards for holiness remain unchanged, perfectly without sin. It’s not that God is being unrealistically demanding. Holiness is who He is. Perfection is His nature. Sin cannot exist in His presence.

The grace of God doesn’t excuse my sin or compromise His holiness. Grace sent Jesus to pay the price for my sin, so that I am clothed in His holiness. Grace creates in me a new heart, where God’s Law is written and His Holy Spirit in me shapes my character daily into Christ likeness.

Prayer

Lord, I don’t fully understand your holiness or your grace. May I not take either for granted. Stir and enable me to live each day increasingly to your standard, the way You originally designed me to be.

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