Frank Sinatra’s song, I Did It My Way sheds an interesting light on the heart of humanity. Listen to the last verse:
… For what is a man, what has he got?
If not himself, then he has naught
To say the things he truly feels
And not the words of one who kneels
The record shows I took the blows
And did it my way
… Yes, it was my way
How does that hit you? At some level, you go, “Wow, I’ve never really considered the lyrics of that song.” And at the very end, what does he say? Essentially, I won’t speak like one who “kneels.” I won’t submit to something bigger than me in the final analysis. Ultimately, I won’t submit to a God called The Creator who gave us a revelation from His Word. He’s going to do it his way.
Now, when he died, and he did, what did he face according to the Scriptures? The God who created all things. Isn’t that interesting?
How might this apply to us today? Let’s answer this question by examining Uzzah in 1 Chronicles 13-15.
You have probably come across this passage and thought, “What in the world is happening with Uzzah and the Ark? What happened to Uzzah? Why did he get struck down after he simply did something that seemed like a helpful act?” Let me briefly explain what happened to the ark in the days of Saul. We got to go previous to the days of Saul. And you think about this: where are we in biblical chronology and theology? Where are we? So we’re at the end of judges at the beginning of the kings, and it’s going to be the people that come to Samuel, and they say, “We want a king like the nations.”
So, their view of God is obviously altered to some degree because they see themselves in a certain light. They see God in a certain light as well. What God has provided for them is, in a sense, devalued. So, the significance of the Ark is somewhat lost in these people. What happened before David in First Chronicles 13 is fascinating. So, at the beginning of Samuel’s book, he watches as the priest of that day essentially doesn’t have the strength to discipline his children. And what does he do? He lets them do what they want. And so, they go to battle with the Philistines.
And what do they take to battle with them against the Philistines, the Ark of the Covenant? And what happens? They get defeated. They’re scared to death, right? The Ark of the Covenant has become a rabbit’s foot, so to speak; this little magical box is how they viewed it, and it didn’t win for us. What did God have to teach him? The glory has departed because the people who use God’s Ark in such a way had to be judged for their, we’ll just say, devaluing of the things of God.
Now, we have to back up and answer this question. What is the role of the Ark in relationship to the people and God? Just think about this: What is the role of the Ark in relationship to the people of Israel and God? It is the place where what happens? Where blood is being spilled, and the people who are far away because of their sins are brought near to God, who is holy. And so, how are they using this incredibly significant sacred instrument? How are they viewing it? They’re viewing it as a pragmatist would view it, right?
What is pragmatism? Well, if it works, do it. What did Frank Sinatra say, if it’s up to anyone, it’s up to who, me? And that’s a pragmatic way of looking at life. However, I’m sure you would say, Drew, I must do things. Indeed, we do. But what’s behind the doing? What motivates us to do things? In the case of the Israelites, what were they fearing more than God? When they brought that Ark to the Philistines, thinking they would win? They feared people. And God always wants us to fear Him more than people. As soon as we start fearing people, what do we start doing with the things of God? Devaluing, not seeing their significance. We begin to get pragmatic.
We see this when we deal with conflict resolution. What’s the first thing that you go to typically? You think, “How can I not be uncomfortable?” On the other hand, godly conflict resolution is always about how I can glorify God and restore either a brother or sister or myself to God. That’s Matthew 18. It’s the ministry of restoration. It’s not the ministry of confrontation, although that’s part of it. I am an instrument used by God to bring us who are sinful back into a right relationship with God. Now, isn’t that amazing? That’s the Christian life. Be encouraged because God wants to use you and me in that process, but we don’t want to overvalue our role and undervalue the means He’s used to bring us into that place of reconciliation.
And so, number one, what can we learn about God? Number two, what can we learn about ourselves?
Number one: As we look at Uzzah. So, what happened with Uzzah? Look at verse 7 of 1 Chronicles 13. They carried the ark of God on a new cart from the house of Abinadab, and Uzzah and Ahio drove the cart. Now let me ask you all a question: How long had the Ark been at Abinadab’s house? When they brought it back after they lost the Israelites to the Philistines, they brought it back and said, “We’re not going to store it with us because Ichabod, the Glory, has departed.” This is the beginning of First Samuel. We’re going to store it at Abinadab’s house. Well, Abinadab had sons. Uzzah was one of them.
So, you’ve had the Ark in this house for almost two decades. And what do you see around you constantly? What do you walk past? Think about this for two decades, or at least you’re around the ark. So, what can you assume about the Ark and your relationship with the Ark? It’s pretty comfortable, right? Like, this is just a piece of furniture. What’s that? It gets mundane, like, there it is. It’s stored at my dad’s house. Here’s the Ark. I walk past it. Now, what is, again, the role of the Ark? What is the role of the Ark? You have to understand that and let that sink in. It is where God accepts the goat’s blood to forgive and reconcile the people’s sins to Him. It is of utmost significance to the people of Israel and their relationship to God. So Uzzah, is he a Levite? He’s not a Levite, but he’s around this Ark. So what can we assume, number one, about God? He is holy, and the instruments He designates as sacred are to be treated as holy.
What might have caused Uzzah to act in such a way? It’s presumption. We can act very quickly with presumption. What does presumption mean? The book of James says in chapter four, don’t say we’re going to do we’re going to do this. We’re going to do that. Don’t say those things. You don’t know what tomorrow brings. Say, “If the Lord wills, we’ll do these things.” Presumption upon having this business deal and success over here is presuming upon God that these things will happen. That’s that’s the lesson in James.
And so that’s the lesson here for Uzzah. He presumed upon Go. In a sense, his familiarity with the Ark caused him to devalue the things God ordained and, ultimately, God. So when you look at Uzzah, you go, “Why would he, when he’s doing something seemingly helpful, be struck down dead?” What does that tell us about God? That God’s holiness is that important. His holiness is that important. And because He is holy, what must he do to someone who presumes upon His holiness? What must He do? What will He do? Because of His nature, He will only act in one way. He will act in judgment. His nature requires Him to act a certain way because He is righteous and holy. He won’t just stick his head in the sand and act like it didn’t happen. He won’t say, “Okay, do it, but I didn’t see you.” This isn’t God. He doesn’t just wink, as one preacher said, at sin. He doesn’t just turn away and act like He didn’t see it. He deals with it and shows us that here in 1 Chronicles 13. So what did David do? What did David do? He was he was struck by this, wasn’t he? It frustrated him. So, what did it tell you about David and his understanding of God? He didn’t understand.
However, something changes. In 1 Chronicles 15. What does David do? Look at verse two. David didn’t stay in a state of confusion. David made a change, and that’s a good application for us today. So what did David do? Look at verse two. Then David said, No one is to carry the ark of God, but who? Levites now? What is David doing? He’s obeying. Francis Schaeffer said, “We do the Lord’s will, the Lord’s Way.” Is it easy? Think about this in your own life. Is it easy? Is it easy? We often think that something must not be right because it is hard. We can do that, right? I mean, and you go, “It’s hard.” That’s the second point. We naturally don’t like hard. We, like Sinatra, like it our way.
However, pressing through the hard is where we discover courage.
Point two: So what does David do? Okay, so David dealt with a difficult situation, right? And so what does he do? Does he say, “I did it my way and will continue down this path?” What does he do? No, he aligned himself with the truth of God’s Word. Which is what? Well, there are certain things that God set forth to ensure that the people of God remained instruments of His truth to the nations. So he said, “This is who God has chosen.” David aligned himself with God and His Word.
Now look here at verse 13. Now we understand the reason for Uzzah’s death. Look at Verse 13 of 1 Chronicles 15 because you did not seek Him according to the ordinance. So take Frank Sinatra. How would Frank Sinatra have viewed this story? How would most people who are unbelievers view the story? Was that unjust? They might say, “God shouldn’t have put it in his house. How can he be blamed for keeping the Ark that God has set forth as the instrument whereby He will reconcile sinful humans to Himself? How can he not keep that Ark from falling on the ground and breaking and shattering?” Do you see the pragmatic thinking? But that’s a deficient view of God. That’s a Frank Sinatra view of God.
How should the Christian view this story? God is holy. He has established means for us, who are unholy, to be reconciled and to stay reconciled with Him, and no matter how difficult it is, we have this understanding of God as Christians.
Application. When you think about people who do not know God, what is their hope to see this truth about God’s holiness in living color? What is one way to help them understand the hope of the gospel, and what does God use to bring that to them? What might He use? His Word. The Church. What is one aspect of the Church that God uses to shed His light on others? Christians living His Word.
What’s the application? Walk in confession of sin and struggle well against sin and temptation. You do this because you have a right view of God and yourself. That’s the application.
Have you ever heard of Oswald Chambers? Listen to this. We must be careful of the Pleasant View of the Fatherhood of God:
God is so kind and loving that, of course, He will forgive us. That sentiment has no place whatever in the New Testament. The only ground on which God can forgive us is the tremendous tragedy of the cross of Christ. To put forgiveness on any other ground is unconscious blasphemy.
You see what he’s saying if we just say this, essentially, this is the this is the pragmatist looking at Uzzah saying, God shouldn’t have done that. He’s kind, He’s loving. Why did He do it? Because He’s holy. Chambers continues:
This forgiveness, which is so easy for us to accept, cost God the agony of Calvary. It is possible to take the forgiveness of sin, the gift of the Holy Ghost, and our sanctification with the simplicity of faith and to forget at what enormous cost to God it was made ours.
So it is very simple. The faith of a child can come. But what cost was it at the cost of the Son? His life. Forgiveness is a Divine miracle of grace. It cost God Jesus Christ before He could forgive sin and remain a holy God. So why did Uzzah die? Because he presumed upon God’s holiness. So start thinking about that concerning the cross. Just think about that. Chambers goes on:
Never accept a view of the fatherhood of God if it blots out the atonement. The revelation of God is that He cannot forgive [without the atonement]. He would contradict His nature.
So what God had to accomplish to bring us into reconciliation with Himself, to deal with it, to deal with that sin, and then reconcile us back to God, is of utmost significance. It motivates our sanctification in gratitude. Chambers goes on:
Sanctification is simply the marvelous expression of forgiveness. Walking in holiness is the expression of what He accomplished through the atonement–which awakens the deepest well of gratitude in a human being. God has forgiven sin. Paul never got away from this. Once you realize all that it costs God to forgive you, you will be held as in a vice constrained by the love of God.
So here’s the application. Who presumed upon God? Gospel application, who presumed upon God? We did. We did. We were born in presumption. However, who did God strike down? Christ. Christ became like Uzzah. You see, this is the gospel application. He was struck for our presumption. He was the faithful priest who could have stopped the Ark from falling and crushing us in judgment. But He didn’t. He let the Ark of God’s judgment crush Himself so that His Atonement would be sufficient for us.
That’s the gospel. Christ took Uzzah’s judgment on the cross. So, now, how do we view the cross? It is that instrument that God deemed as the only instrument to forgive our sins and reconcile us to Himself. Isn’t that amazing? Amazing? Let’s pray.
— November 20, 2024