When the Oxen Stumbled
Lessons from the Death of a “Good Man” - 1 Chronicles 13:1-14
It was a day of great joy in Israel. “And David and all Israel were celebrating before God with all their might, with song and lyres and harps and tambourines and cymbals and trumpets” (1 Chronicles 13:8). After being neglected for more than forty years, the ark of God was now returning to its place again in the midst of the people of Israel (1 Chronicles 13:1-3; 1 Samuel 4:1-11). But at the height of the celebration and the festivities, the oxen that were pulling the ark along on its new cart stumbled as they came to Chidon’s threshing floor. To keep the holy ark of God from falling onto the ground, Uzzah the priest reached out his hand and held it steady. But as he did so he died, consumed by the wrath of the Lord. The great day of joy quickly was plunged into a day of great sadness and mourning.
What went so wrong that day that the wrath of the Lord was kindled against this "good man" who was trying simply to protect the holiness of the ark of God?
A Wrong Beginning
The desire for the ark was, in fact, a desire for the presence of God (1 Chronicles 13:6; Exodus 25:17-22). This is absolutely a proper desire. But is it possible that there is a proper way to seek the presence of God? Is it possible that there is a proper way to worship Him?
Let us examine how David began in error as he sought for the presence of the Lord:
1. David first called together all of the important people of Israel. “David consulted with the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, with every leader” (1 Chronicles 13:1). The "important" people – the rich, the politicians, and others who have some influence among the nation – are often the least interested in doing the will of the Lord, because they may believe that they already have all they need without Him. For example, a rich young man asked Jesus what he needed to do in order to be saved. When Jesus answered him with the challenge to decide between following Jesus or following his riches, the young man decided rather to keep his important position and his wealth (Luke 18:18-23). If we desire the presence of God in our lives, we should of course first consult with and then follow the Lord – there is no one more important than Him!
2. David wished to know the opinion of the congregation of Israel. David said, “If it seems good to you” and afterward he added, “…and from the Lord our God... Then let us bring again the ark of our God to us, for we did not seek it in the days of Saul” (1 Chronicles 13:2-3). Though it was very subtle, David placed the opinion of the people above the will of the Lord. The truth is, if a thing is “from the Lord”, then it is no longer necessary to know “if it seems good to you”. Once the Lord has spoken on a matter, it is His opinion that we must follow.
3. David was pleased with the opinion of the people. “All the assembly agreed to do so, for the thing was right in the eyes of all the people” (1 Chronicles 13:4). When the assembly all gave their support, David no longer sought to see if the matter was “from the Lord our God”. Unfortunately, when they see that something is agreeable to “all the assembly” or “all the people”, many leaders forget about what pleases the Lord! Many churches today are guilty of this very error, with the leadership doing everything in order to please the congregation, but no longer seeking for that which pleases the Lord.
In all of these instances, David erred because he began his search with people instead of seeking first the Lord. We must always begin with the Lord. God Himself is seeking for people who will worship Him “in spirit and truth” (John 4:23-24). God reveals this truth in His word, in order that He may sanctify and unite His worshippers (John 17:17-21). Therefore, as we seek the Lord we must first consult His word, listen to His opinion, and do what is pleasing to Him.
Two Wrong Decisions
“And they carried the ark of God on a new cart, from the house of Abinadab, and Uzzah and Ahio were driving the cart” (1 Chronicles 13:7). There was no lack of zeal on the part of David and all the people of Israel. They made extensive preparations so that the ark of God could be brought to Jerusalem in all of its holy glory. But in their great desire to “glorify the Lord”, they forgot about what He considered to be glorious! God had already given very explicit instructions about how His glorious ark should be carried: “You shall make poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold. And you shall put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark to carry the ark by them. The poles shall remain in the rings of the ark; they shall not be taken from it" (Exodus 25:13-15). It was God’s desire that the proper way to carry the ark should always be by means of these golden poles that He had designed. When they decided to put the ark on a new cart instead, they rejected the commandment of God.
“And when they came to the threshing floor of Chidon, Uzzah put out his hand to take hold of the ark, for the oxen stumbled" (1 Chronicles 13:9). The ark of God was one of the sacred items that belonged to the tabernacle sanctuary. The Lord strongly prohibited anyone from touching or even looking at the holy items: “And when Aaron and his sons have finished covering the sanctuary and all the furnishings of the sanctuary… after that the sons of Kohath shall come to carry these, but they must not touch the holy things, lest they die. ...Aaron and his sons shall go in and appoint them each to his task and to his burden, but they shall not go in to look on the holy things even for a moment, lest they die” (Numbers 4:15, 19-20). However, when the oxen stumbled, Uzzah saw that the ark, in all of its glory and holiness, was falling toward the ground, where it would become profaned! Of course, his natural reaction as one of the holy priests of God was to reach out his hand and hold it steady in order to keep it holy. But when he decided to touch the ark, Uzzah rejected the command of God.
Both men made decisions and acted without considering the will of the Lord. David was more concerned with the approval of the people than with what God wanted. Uzzah’s reaction shows that he was more concerned with the ark (an object) than with the will of God (the divine Being). The one who is seeking and desiring God must be prepared to make decisions based on His word, which often may not meet with the approval of others (see Galatians 1:10-12). The one who is seeking God must cultivate a renewed mind through the study of His word, the kind of mind that is trained to act according to the desires of the Lord instead of reacting in response to the circumstances of the moment (Romans 12:1-2).
Learning the Lesson of Authority
“And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Uzzah, and he struck him down because he put out his hand to the ark, and he died there before God. And David was angry because the LORD had broken out against Uzzah. …And David was afraid of God that day, and he said, ‘How can I bring the ark of God home to me?’” (1 Chronicles 13:10-12). The young king was devastated. God had taken the life of one of his servants, and the holy ark of God was lying helpless along the road to Jerusalem, with no way to advance it further toward its home. If it is so hard to seek the presence of God, who can ever succeed in finding Him? In the death of Uzzah, David learned a hard lesson about authority.
Authority is the power to command. Because of the eternal power and wisdom of God, His word is the supreme authority. The desire of David to seek the ark of God and bring it to Jerusalem was a noble cause, but he violated the authority of God when he changed the method God had designed for carrying it. David thought that his way to carry the ark was just as good as (perhaps better than?) using the golden poles. However, not even all his power and authority in Israel as God’s chosen king conceded to David the right to change the law of God. David’s sin in this matter created the situation that led to the death of his servant Uzzah.
The authority of God is based on what He has revealed to us in His word. He is going to judge the world by means of this word He has revealed (John 12:48). Notice that it wasn’t written in God’s law that they were not to carry the ark on a new cart. In reality, it wasn’t necessary for God to write this detailed prohibition, because when He revealed the proper way to carry the ark, He already left out all other possibilities. The authority of God works like this: “The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us… that we may do all the words of this law" (Deuteronomy 29:29). The one who wishes to act according to the authority of God must know what God has revealed, not what He has not revealed! The revealed word of God properly equips us for "every good work" under His authority (2 Timothy 3:16-17).
Applications as we Serve God in our Day
Today, many people with even less power and authority than what God had given King David maintain and teach their own methods and doctrines as though they were just as good as (perhaps better than?) what the Lord has revealed. Rejecting and sometimes even completely contradicting the very word of God Himself, many religious leaders simply follow their own authority, changing the law of God as they see fit, deceiving a trusting multitude of people who have not been trained in the practice of seeking the authority and the will of God in His Scriptures. But the errors of David and of Uzzah teach us some very practical lessons:
1. Leaders can make mistakes: Even good leaders who truly desire to do the will of the Lord are capable of error. David was a man whom God described as "after my own heart" (Acts 13:22). All of the people trusted in his great vision as he worked to bring home the ark of the Lord. But he neglected to consult the word of God in what he was doing, and his error led to the death of Uzzah. Knowing that leaders can make mistakes – or even that sometimes they deliberately deceive – we must always consult and trust in the Lord and in His word instead of in people and in their personal interpretations of what He has said (1 John 4:1).
2. What seems right is not always what is right: The whole assembly of Israel was joyous and danced with expectation beside the ark on its new cart. But Uzzah died from a general lack of respect for the word of God. Either no one knew (because they hadn’t been studying God’s word) or no one dared to tell the king and the priests that it was wrong to carry the ark as they were doing. Many today are desperately searching for a church where they will feel good about themselves, where everything seems to be focused on the peace and the joy of the Lord. But if the word of God is not being taught and obeyed and no one has the courage to challenge the leaders about it, their joyous celebration is going to end in tragedy and the death of peoples’ souls.
3. We must respect the authority of God: David and Uzzah knew the word of God, but did not follow it carefully that day. Because of their carelessness, in a moment of panic Uzzah reacted incorrectly and died. Many are willing to follow the word of God in those things that seem "convenient", but will not be able to act with proper conviction when a crisis arises. But the one who truly respects the authority of God will understand the words of the psalmist: “I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you" (Psalm 119:11; Colossians 3:16-17)
Jesus Christ has all authority today. He said of Himself, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:18-20). Those who desire to serve God in Christ must be taught to “observe all” that He commanded through His apostles. The word of Jesus Christ has been revealed to us in the gospel through His prophets and apostles (Ephesians 3:3-5). Because of His authority, the word of Christ is the power of God for salvation (Romans 1:16-17). If we desire to seek the presence of God in order to obtain salvation, we must seek Him entirely in accordance with the authority of His word.
David learned a very hard lesson that day! Later he brought the ark to Jerusalem using the golden poles on the shoulders of the Levites, just as the word of God had instructed (1 Chronicles 15:1-15, 25-28). The death of Uzzah testifies that there is a proper way to seek and to worship the holy God. May we desire to seek and to serve God according to His word – that we may live and not die, and in obedience that we may obtain salvation for life with God in eternity (John 5:24).
– by Carl D. Ballard