God Does Not Need Our Help

1 Chronicles 13 and 15 are very interesting and telling portions of scripture. In chapter 13, king David decides to move the Ark of the covenant. He runs this by the people and they agree it should be done. The Ark is put on a cart and moved by oxen. The ox stumbles and the Ark begins to fall. Uzzah, a man guiding the cart, reached out to catch the Ark and God strikes him dead. David was angry that God did this.

1 Chronicles 13:12-14 “David was now afraid of God, and he asked, “How can I ever bring the Ark of God back into my care?” So David did not move the Ark into the City of David. Instead, he took it to the house of Obed-edom of Gath. The Ark of God remained there in Obed-edom’s house for three months, and the Lord blessed the household of Obed-edom and everything he owned.”

Shortcuts don’t please God

The Levitical priests were to carry the Ark using the poles and loops. This was laid out in the book of Deuteronomy. The Ark symbolized the presence and glory of God. When I envision what they did today it’d be like they put “God’s presence” on a microwave cart on top of a cow! They moved the Ark in a way that was convenient for them. However, God never wastes words. If He took the time to set out how He wanted things done, that’s what they should’ve done. No amount of short cuts will please Him. God does not bless shortcuts because shortcuts imply He is not worth the time to do it right. We are devaluing who God is by not being bothered by things like details. We should not be surprised when God does not respond in approval, but rather anger.

In chapter 15 David again moves the Ark, but this time the right way. He came to his senses. 1 Chronicles 15:13 “Because you Levites did not carry the Ark the first time, the anger of the Lord our God burst out against us. We failed to ask God how to move it properly.” This time with no shortcuts there were no problems.

God does not need our help.

When the Ark began to fall, Uzzah went to stop it from falling. He should’ve let it fall. The Levites had a whole process of how to handle holy things. This was not because God likes to keep us busy, but to emphasize we are not worthy touch holy things. Each step the priests carried out, reminded them of how pure God is and how unclean they were. However He provided a way to purify themselves so, an unholy people can come before a holy God. Uzzah, thought he could help God and by doing that downgraded who God was. He does not need our help, we need His. He does not need us, we need Him. Nonetheless, He still chooses to use us to accomplish His will. Why? Because He loves us. 1 John 4:19 “We love Him because He first loved us.” John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” He loves us and that is quite a gift. He lets us in on His plans, but we still need to always be aware that it is because He is gracious and not that we are deserving.

We can live in fear of God or live by the fear of God.

They are two totally different things. David walked outside of God’s will and did not move the Ark the way God had clearly laid out. When God brought judgement, David was afraid of God. When we move out of His will, His covering, fear can come into our lives. Think of Adam and Eve. They sinned and hid from God. They were afraid of Him. They had never known that type of fear before that. Yet, we can have a godly fear or reverence of Him as we move in His will. We have a respect for God because of who He is. His intentions toward us are always good. Jeremiah 29:11 “ For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” One fear is liberating and the other debilitating.

I’m challenged by this portion of scripture. I can think of countless times I’ve taken short cuts. Sometimes it worked. Sometimes it didn’t. When it comes to God, He deserves my best because He gave His best for me, His son Jesus. I also am reminded that I am nothing special. I don’t say that in a woe is me manner, but in comparison to God, I’m like a little ant on the ground. Psalm 8:4 “What is man that You are mindful of him, And the son of man that You visit him?” Even though we are nothing and He is everything, He has lifted us up and made a way to fellowship with Him. Since I can live in fellowship with Him, I don’t need to live in fear of Him. I respect or fear who God is, and realize He is not out to get me. He seeks to bless me.