The Death of Uzzah and the Dance of David [Part 2]

Pastor, author and Bible teacher, Alan Wright. Why would God ever strike down someone like Uzzah? I say it is because he said that there was right and wrong and Uzzah did what was wrong. And you say, well, I don't like what God had said here about this.

But the principle of the matter runs much deeper than that. God is at the same time, holy, holy, holy and loving, loving, loving. That's Pastor Alan Wright. Welcome to another message of good news that will help you see your life in a whole new light. I'm Daniel Britt, excited for you to hear the teaching today in the series Son of David as presented at Rinaldin Church in North Carolina. If you're not able to stay with us throughout the entire program today, I want to make sure you know how to get our special resource right now. It can be yours for your donation this month to Alan Wright Ministries. As you listen to today's message, go deeper as we send you today's special offer. Contact us at PastorAlan.org.

That's PastorAlan.org or call 877-544-4860. Now more on this later in the program. But now let's get started with today's teaching.

Here is Alan Wright. It was just the Lord saying for another year, I will, I will let my judgment be upon the innocent animal and that blood will serve therefore as a reminder that I do not want to destroy my people. I want them to be saved.

And the people would rejoice in this. So Yom Kippur is a holy, holy day, but it's a hopeful, hopeful day because the mercy seat was the grace of God to the people of God, the ark, the presence of God, the holiness of God, the mercy of God. So it has been 20 years been 20 years since the ark had been initially captured by the Philistines. And when those Philistines took the two oxen and their new cart and they put the ark of the covenant and the gold guilt offerings of golden tumors and golden mice and put it on the ark and sent the cattle on, what happened was it came into a region and the Hebrew people there rejoiced to see that it was there. Although there's another story in which there were some men who came and looked upon the ark inappropriately and they were slain.

The ark is eventually moved into its sort of resting place for 20 years at Keriath Jerim and there it is. And David, now king over all of Israel, he is eager to bring in the ark and the ark is brought in with unbelievable ceremony. The text says 30,000 people. This was accompanied by other people. What I'm saying is this was Super Bowl proportionate crowd of people who were every bit as loud and rejoicing who were going to escort escort this great parade all the way into Jerusalem. One of the greatest days David had imagined in his life.

He had planned for this. David was a liturgist. David was a worshiper and he had appointed the people to play the instruments. The crowds were shouting.

It was absolutely an incredible day. David in his royal arraignment and the people are marching onward when the oxen stumble and the ark begins to tip and maybe it's going to fall and seemingly instinctively Uzzah reaches out his hand to steady the ark and Uzzah is struck dead in the moment and all of a sudden all of the music and all of the worship and all of the celebration all of it suddenly stops for there's a dead man there and everyone goes home. Party is over and the ark is sent away from there. David says let's just go and put it at Obed Edom's house.

We can't take it up from there. Why was Uzzah struck and I have read what I think everybody has ever said about this and thought about it and thought about it and I have come to a simple conclusion about this. He was struck because there were very specific instructions regarding the ark and how it would be transported. It is very clear in the book of Numbers there were three absolute requirements. The ark must be covered. The ark must be carried only by priests and the ark must not be touched.

In David's royal parade all three were clearly violated. Instead of it being carried by priests David like the Philistines had done had made a cart. There was no evidence that it was covered and then Uzzah touched it. And in the book of Numbers the Lord had said whoever touches it will die. Here's why Uzzah was struck down because the Lord had said if anyone touches it and it is not transported in the proper way they will die.

So here's the predicament. Regardless of why it was that Uzzah touched it whether it was because Uzzah had as many have proposed had become quite too comfortable with the ark. It had after all been housed in his household. He'd grown up around it. Maybe he had come to this place of believing that he could somehow manage God, help God out.

All of these different ideas make some sense. But regardless of why Uzzah touched that ark the fact of the dilemma was this. God had said if you touch the ark you'll die. So in that moment if Uzzah is not killed the Lord's word was not true.

This is the dilemma. The Lord had given his word and the Lord doesn't lie. So it's not possible for the Lord to go back on his word so Uzzah had to die. Now if you're just looking at the Christian faith you'd say well what kind of God is that? I don't know if I want to worship a God who who would kill somebody over something like that.

But to answer that question you have to ask a deeper question than that. And that is is it understandable that the Lord over all is just and therefore has established the world in justice? That there is right and wrong and that because there is right and wrong and God has made a world that is just that means that sin must be punished. Because if sin is not punished then how could you say there is justice? See then people would say to this well why couldn't God just not make these holiness laws or why would he have to prescribe something like that? In other words we would like to have especially in the spirit of the age currently we would like to have a God who is just nice and is extremely tolerant and is totally accepting of all things. But here's the problem is that if you say that who is to say what is right and what is wrong? Imagine the scenario then that someone breaks into your home and steals your 52-inch high definition plasma screen tv and you report it to the police and they come over and they say but you have two other televisions perhaps the burglar needed a tv who am I to arrest a burglar because he may have needed it more than you did I can't establish a law about something like that and so you appeal it you go down to the courthouse and you want to find the district attorney and say DA I need some help here the police will not arrest this burglar and the DA says we cannot tell the police to arrest somebody we don't have laws about this we have converted the courthouse into a place where we accept everyone and we accept everything you can see where I'm going with this nobody wants to live in a world or a society or a city that has no principle of justice in it whatsoever and so we come back to our question and that is well why would God ever strike down someone like Uzzah I say it is because he said that there was right and wrong and Uzzah did what was wrong and you say well I don't like what God had said here about this but the principle of the matter runs much deeper than that God is at the same time holy holy holy and loving loving loving it is who God is and this is the God that you want you do not want a God who simply tolerates all evil and you do not want a God who is not full of mercy and compassion because you know and I know that we all sin so what has happened is that when the Lord revealed himself to Moses and and he appeared before him he called out his name and he said the Lord the Lord God who is slow to anger and full of steadfast love rich and abounding and hesed and then he adds but who in no way will clear the guilty who in no way will ignore sin if you want to know who God is and what's so wonderful about him you must know that he is both holy and absolutely merciful and so what you see in the story of Uzzah is the dilemma of every human being you see the dilemma of the whole world is that God is holy holy holy and Uzzah presumed that his dirty hands could touch the living God that he could violate right and wrong with no consequence and it cannot come to pass because it would make God to be a liar and there would be no justice so instead in that moment David found himself utterly stricken with anger and he was frustrated with this and he sent the ark to Obed Edom's house and David was feeling just like this God I'm bringing the ark into into Jerusalem I set up my palace I want to have a place of worship I want I want you to be the center of the life of Israel and now this has happened why why that's Alan Wright and we'll have more teaching in a moment from today's important series would there ever be another leader like David yes the son of David his name is Jesus and he is a better David than David could ever be he came to be your shepherd your hero and your king in a 12 message audio series Alan Wright takes you on a thrilling adventure with David in order to point you to the answer for your every need the son of David discover how Christ enables you to face your biggest obstacles deal with your fiercest persecution and live as an heir of grace it's an audio series from Alan Wright as our thanks for your donation we'll be delighted to send you pastor Alan's audio messages in either a digital download or a cd album format son of David shepherd hero king the gospel is shared when you give to Alan Wright Ministries this broadcast is only possible because of listener financial support when you give today we will send you today's special offer we are happy to send this to you as our thanks from Alan Wright Ministries call us at 877-544-4860 that's 877-544-4860 or come to our website pastor alan.org today's teaching now continues here once again is Alan Wright you look into David's heart and see his grief for how much he didn't want Uzzah to die and you'll understand something about Jesus's heart when he stood over Jerusalem and he wept over that great city and he said oh Jerusalem oh Jerusalem oh that I could have gathered you as a hen her chicks under her wings but you would not listen I want you to want you to see that the heart of God in Jesus Christ is that none should perish understand the heart of God God wants all to be saved and God wants all in his presence but here is the dilemma people have sinned and there is a massive chasm between humanity and God and it cannot be bridged by a dirty human hand reaching out over the expanse of the gulf of human sin there is no way that we can simply of our own human will strength or any of our own contaminated forms of righteousness or religion ever bridge that gulf to God and so it was Uzzah died the celebration stopped David sent the ark to Obed Edom's house Obed Edom the Gittite kind of funny because Gittite is the word that's used to describe someone from Gath remember Gath it's Goliath's hometown it was a Philistine town and art comes into Obed Edom's house and God just starts blessing that household we don't even know what all he does but it's just blessing upon blessing upon blessing everything in that household just blast blast blast and this goes on for three months here's what I'm imagining in that household nobody's sick everybody's prosperous the family is growing and everybody's happy and it is a season of unmitigated lavish blessing and so David comes back after three months and he says you know I've reconsidered the house he says Obed Edom take the ark back now please and they have a new processional and this time something changes and if you're just reading the story inattentively you'd hardly notice how stark the contrast but in this second great procession they come in with much rejoicing it may be still the super bowl crowd of a hundred thousand people I don't know it's not mentioned and David now is not seen as the royal king in his raiment but it makes a point of telling us that David now had a linen ephod on a linen ephod was the attire of a priest David didn't come from the lineage of Aaron he wasn't a priest after Aaron but on this day David was like a priest and what you'll realize also is that they now had other priests carrying the ark according to the specifications of the law what did David do David became a priest put on the ephod and now he was in the role of a mediator between God and man and what else did David do he fulfilled the righteous requirement of the law to carry the ark as it was supposed to be carried and then he did one other thing the bible says when those who bore the ark this is verse 13 had gone six steps he sacrificed an ox and a fattened animal blood was shed some scholars think that the language reads such that every six steps on the way to Jerusalem they made another blood sacrifice we don't know six steps one less than the number seven of completion one step right before the step the step that represents Sabbath that represents rest they offered a sacrifice and we are not told what exactly transpired but I envisioned David sprinkling the blood for something had happened and David had seen ahead of time into the mystery of the gospel and our forerunner to the messiah the one who prefigured the son of David was being painted on the landscape of history showing us what Jesus has done for you and for me you have in Jesus Christ a great high priest who is not unable to sympathize with your weaknesses he knows my frailties and he knows yours and he therefore understands the frailties of human flesh and he understands how quickly we are to do exactly the wrong thing and he knows that even when we're at our best intentions it's not good enough and he understands the temptations that you face he understands Uzzah for he like David had wept for all the Uzzahs of the world and Jesus Christ came is that great high priest to be the one who goes in front of us in front of us in the great processional of worship and what Jesus does is not only understand and mediate for us but what Jesus has done is Jesus himself has done everything just right he is the one who fulfilled all of the law all of the promises of God all of the commandments of God for Jesus never send he is the one who leads the ark with absolute precision and not only that but the book of Hebrews says that he himself this great high priest who fulfilled all righteousness and our behalf has gone into the holy of holies he's gone in once and for all behind the curtain and he has sprinkled the innocent blood but it is not the blood of a heifer it is not the blood of a ram it is his own blood it is the blood of calvary it is the blood of Jesus Jesus is our priest and Jesus is our righteousness and Jesus is our blood and the blood that is sprinkled upon the mercy seat is the very throne of God the throne of God beloved is still the mercy seat but it is not a box overlaid with gold it is invisible and it is in the heavenlies and it is here and it is now this is why the bible says come to the throne of grace boldly in your time of need the mercy seat of God is his throne of grace you can come boldly every other you can come behind the veil you can come into the lap of God you can come without fear you can come without concern you can come without fear you can come without concern you can come without dread you do not have to fear that you will die for doing the wrong thing you can be utterly free and dance with your whole heart David was delighted that day and he whirled about in that linen ephod why because he'd seen the gospel he'd seen that God is good and God never has wanted to slay the wicked God's wanted to save the wicked it must come through the shedding of blood David saw it and he stopped every six feet and offered some blood just to see ahead of time into the gospel but no longer is a sacrifice needed because Jesus has died once and for all he is our righteousness he is our priest he is our blood he is our mercy seat he is on a throne and it's a throne of grace so fear no evil and fear not death instead dance with David that's the gospel Alan Wright in today's teaching on the death of Uzzah and the dance of David got some giants to slay need some encouragement in the midst of a trial wondering if God really cares meet David who can compare to him he was the ruddy handsome youth-tending sheep writing psalms and worshiping God in the humble Bethlehem fields he was the lone Israelite brave enough to decapitate Goliath and the sole warrior adept enough to cut off the scourge of the Philistines he was the stately king who established peace expanded the borders and reigned in prosperity for 40 years who else could be a gentle shepherd a glorious hero and a noble king would there ever be another leader like David yes the son of David his name is Jesus and he is a better David than David could ever be he came to be your shepherd your hero and your king in a 12 message audio series Alan Wright takes you on a thrilling adventure with David in order to point you to the answer for your every need the son of David discover how Christ enables you to face your biggest obstacles deal with your fiercest persecution and live as an heir of grace it's an audio series from Alan Wright as our thanks for your donation we'll be delighted to send you pastor Alan's audio messages in either a digital download or a cd album format son of David shepherd hero king we are happy to send this to you as our thanks from Alan Wright Ministries call us at 877-544-4860 that's 877-544-4860 or come to our website pastor alan.org well there's victory in Christ isn't there i mean you really look at it maybe something you don't understand maybe a part of your life and you you really wonder why but when you put it in perspective the holiness of God and the victory that Christ did it it really makes sense and i come back to the imputation of Christ's righteousness because to me that spells freedom well everything's changed in Christ for anyone who's accepted Christ what has happened is that we have been given freedom freedom freedom to be in the presence of God so the contrast of Uzzah who couldn't touch the ark and our position in Christ where we can come to the throne of grace boldly boldly it is a it is a story in the end that makes us understand why David danced and if David danced how much more so should we um having been set free by the blood of Christ and imputed with his righteousness today's good news message is a listener supported production of Alan Wright Ministries