Question concerning 2 Samuel chapter 6?

Question

These verses always made me wonder about the Lord:

6 When they came to the threshing floor of Nacon, 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 his irreverent act; therefore God struck him down and he died there beside the ark of God. 8 Then David was angry because the LORD's wrath had broken out against Uzzah, and to this day that place is called Perez Uzzah.

The ark was to be cared for (and carried) by the Levites alone....God made that clear in the book of Exodus. I cannot ever question the sovereign will of God but......wasn't it a natural reaction to reach out and grab something that was about to fall? Especially something as important as the ark of the covenant?

I believe any one of us would have reacted the same if we were standing the closest to it.

What are your thoughts on this?

Answer 1

This is probably not the answer you want to hear...As I was reading and praying about it this morning I was reminded of how I had heard that an electrical field is created by the ark. If that's the case (see web site below) then Uzziah reached out to touch the ark (he wasn't trying to be disobedient) but the charge killed him. (the Levites carried it on poles that went into gold rings) God warned the people NOT to touch the ark....It's like a kid who is told not to touch the hot stove....but they bump into it by accident...The parent didn't punish the child by burning them, it was the consequence of being close to what they were told not to touch. The oxen stumbled so in that case the best thing to do would have been to stop the oxen and make them stand still for a second before going on.
I think in this case....getting ahead of God and not waiting for the Levites to carry the ark (the epoch they wore supposedly protected them...I don't think that info is in the web site, but I heard that before). David was angry at God but he was the one who was disobedient and had put the ark in the cart in the first place....he was good at repenting and turning back to God but this was just one of many reasons he wasn't allowed to build God's temple.

Answer 2

A little background information is needed first:

According to Numbers 7:9, only the sons of Kohath (who are Levites) could carry the Ark. However, they couldn't touch it -- or ANY holy thing -- or they would die (Numbers 4:15).

Uzzah was the son of Abinadab (not the same Abinadab as David's brother) a Kohathite; as such, he understood fully that he and his brethren were supposed to carry the Ark by its poles, which were to rest upon their shoulders. Instead, he and his brethren permitted the Ark to be loaded onto a cart, which violates the Law. When the Ark began to fall, Uzzah touched the Ark and, as promised by God at Numbers 4:15, he was killed.

It seems a small thing to us, doesn't it? The thought of the Ark touching the ground is unthinkable to me, and I'm not even a Jew! But Uzzah knew better. Remember, the Ark had been in his father's house for 20 years and during this time he was certainly cautioned again and again not to touch the Ark. Yet, he broke the Law.

Why did he break the Law? Because he felt he had the right to disregard it. Had he incorporated the Law into his heart and obeyed the Lord, he wouldn't have permitted the Ark to be loaded onto a cart in the first place! But to then touch it was the last straw. So in the end, disobedience got him. Leviticus 10 shows us another example of this principle: when Aaron's sons offered "profane fire" to the Lord, they also were killed by God.

Remember, also, that the Ark is a "type" or symbol of the Messiah.

Answer 3

Your right it is the natural act of men to respond in the Uzzah did and that is the point. Uzzah should not have reacted as a natural man would, but rather he should have reacted as a man of God would have, which is to strive to obey God in all things no matter what. God had commanded that no one was to touch His Holy Ark of the Covenant without first being made clean. Uzzah should have obeyed God and trusted in God to protect the Ark. You see Uzzah was believing in God in the same like manner that men today believe in Him, For they have a form of Godliness, but they deny the power there of. Remember Jesus said, With men this is not possible, but with God all things are possible.

Answer 4

My thoughts: God had an arrangement. The Levites were responsible for the safety of the Ark. They chose to put it on a wagon instead of carrying it as they were told. So they, the Levites would have come under God's wrath, not Uzzah.
This is a lesson to us not to usurp authority. God has placed an order...
God
Jesus
Angels
Man
Woman
Children
Animals
If we don't remain in our respective places and honor the order we too could be condemned to death.

Answer 5

Yes. It is humanly natural but Uzzah and David did something very disobedient before this event even happened. Read the scripture beforehand.

David did not want to wait till the Levites arrived and do the proper ceremony as God had commanded. He decided to move it in his own way and not God's way. He was impatient as we all can get and not wait on God to do something so we decide to do it in the way we FEEL is best.

Remember Abraham and Sarah not waiting on God to provide the child and decided to do it their way???
Remember Adam and Eve not following God's rules and doing it their own way?
Remember Saul who was king before God not waiting on God and doing priestly duties in his own way?

What we should learn in all these examples is if God has something He wants done and done by Him then that is HIS choice.

What usually happens when we do it our own way is that we end up in a BIGGER MESS than what would have been God's way and the Best Way.

Be blessed.

Answer 6

We don't know why.
The horror of the situation imprinted it into the story, but not the explanation. The ark was placed in the home of Obed-evidently an "abandonment" to a pagan Philistine-for safe keeping. David gives up his plans for the time being.
It would have been simple to leave the story out, but the terror of it served/s a purpose not yet rrevealed, Similar events occur throughout the Bible, our intrepretations are works in progress.
God's speed.

Answer 7

I've found some Bible passages that seemed biased in their translation.

To lay your hands for healing, for example, does not literally apply to hands. The word is "cheir" but hands is a literalisation of the word that actually means something like creative energy.

Rather than meaning "reach out", 'achaz means "grasp, take hold, seize, take possession, to grasp, take hold of, to be caught, grasped, be settled, to enclose, overlay, fastened." Considering that the result of this escapade is a breach (perets) or "breach, gap, bursting forth, bursting forth, outburst, breach, broken wall, outburst (fig. of God's wrath)" and there were oxen involved, I think that a broken wall may have literally been involved. I don't see passive voice for "charah." I'm looking at possibilities that the anger of God kindled Uzzah, rather than that it "was kindled" against Uzzah. David was also angry. I don't know if there are more pronouns here that aren't written into the word by word version. I don't know, but I've found things in other verses that just aren't feasible. For example, 1 Kings 20:35 contains the words of one of the sons of the prophets, but the prophets didn't run in families. I think that this prophet was only pretending to speak in God's name.

Answer 8

I agree. I remember God is outside of time, too and that really blows your mind. People all too often forget that God is also a God of wrath. There's no better way to put it. We have sinned, individually and as humanity. Sure, God is love... and more love than we could EVER comprehend. But were it not for His great ways, we would all be damned. He secured salvation for His children when he poured all His wrath on His sinless Son. Without this sacrifice, we would all be under the curse of the law, without any hope of exit.

Answer 9

Uzzah touched the holy tabernacle. You cannot touch it. Ever. It is like touching God. ( it has been said that maybe it has some kind of electrical current that they didn't know about) Something from Heaven. Most people that touched it died if they weren't supposed to touch it. Jesus was the ultimate offering. After He came there was no need of the OT ways. David undressed in front of strangers so the Catholic church would shun that because he was being vain and shameless. the Catholic church likes humility and modesty. that is probably why they would criticize that. Hope this helps.

Answer 10

I'm in total agreeance with sister Suzanne here.

Consider this also. When we try to do a right thing (assemble for worship) in a wrong way (Sunday and traditions of men) are we not guilty of the same thig as Uzzah? Do you think God is pleased by our vain, and I mean vain in the biblical sense (worthless), attempts to worship Him as we see fit?

Amos 5:21-23 I hate, I despise your religious feasts; I cannot stand your assemblies. Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them. Though you bring choice fellowship offerings, I will have no regard for them. Away with the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps.

If you think this is only a prophecy against Israel consider this.

I Cor. 10:11 These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come. (veres 6-14 for full context)

and

Heb. 3:11 Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by following their example of disobedience. (Entire chapter for context).

Stop being sheeple to a certain set of doctrines givin to you by hirelings who will desert you when the wolf comes but instead set your eyes on Yahshua who is the true shepherd and follow His example and His word. We only have one Rabbi and one shepherd and His sheep know his voice. Repent.