Hello Sweet friends,
Today’s Reading … Psalm 133, 106-107, 1-2, 15, 22-24, 47, 68, 2 Samuel 6, 1 Chronicles 13-16
Today’s reading caused me to pause and wrestle with what initially appeared to be contradictory. I know God’s Word does not contradict itself and that God is not a God of confusion. So, when something seems off, it is my flag to stop, pray and reevaluate my perception of the character of God.
“Praise the Lord! Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good;
For His loving-kindness is everlasting.” Psalm 106:1
“Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good,
For His loving-kindness is everlasting.” Psalm 107:1
“Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good;
For His loving-kindness is everlasting.” 2 Chronicles 16:34
This is a very clear message. God is good. God is loving. God is kind. His character never changes and so we can rest in this truth for all eternity.
“But when they came to the threshing floor of Nacon, Uzzah reached our toward the ark of God and took hold of it, for the oxen nearly upset it. And the anger of the Lord burned against Uzzah, and God struck him down there for his irreverence and he died there by the ark of God.” 2 Samuel 6:6-7
Wow!! We went from warm and fuzzy to dead in the matter of some clumsy oxen! We can recall that only the priests were to touch the ark of God, and Uzzah was guilty of breaking this law. However, the punishment seems to be very swift and very extreme. This, at first glance, contradicts the character of a God whose “loving-kindness” endures forever.
It was in re-reading the account of this situation in 1 Chronicles that it appeared to make a little more sense to me.
“It was because of you, the Levites, did not bring it (the ark) up the first time that the Lord our God broke out in anger against us. We did not inquire of Him about how to do it in the prescribed way.” 1 Chronicles 15:13
This was more than a sin of impulse by Uzzah. There was a deeper heart condition permeating the Israelites. They did not seek God’s will on how to move the ark. This was also not the first time they had failed to seek and obey God’s laws, which were designed to protect and guide them.
Uzzah, the Israelites and we ourselves, are all guilty of believing that the ends justify the means. God does not operate under that belief. He is a God of absolute truth, unchanged by situation. In this moment, although painful, He reveals to His children, and to us, His absolute authority in our lives.
This message still carries weight today, in a society where many feel that there are multiple ways to interact with God. In truth, there is only one way and that is through Salvation in Jesus Christ. The same God who burned in anger against Uzzah, sent His son as a sacrifice to cover us from such consequence. It in only through Jesus that we are accepted by this powerful and holy God. That is loving-kindness, more than we can grasp, and it truly endues forever!
Love to you all,
Kinsee
“so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return empty, but accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it”(Isaiah 55:11).
