Anger At God I - Part 2 of 2

Oh, for a thousand tongues to sing, my great Redeemer's praise, The praise of my God and King, the triumphs of his grace.

This is Lecair Bradley, Jr., welcoming you to another broadcast of the Baptist Bible Hour. Behold the Mount of Zion, the city of our God, the beauty of creation and place of his afford. Christ is the great foundation on which the building stands. He reigns for his own glory, this temple without hands. Through everlasting ages, this house shall stand secure. The Lord, for it engages his wisdom, love, and love. Nor shall the host of spades come against in every bale. Though kingdoms be demolished and heaven and earth shall fail, the rock on which is founded will last without decay.

With walls it is surrounded, which guard in every way. Each stone is wisely polished and fit into its place, and all are well cemented with God's redeeming grace. Nor storms of persecution shall ever beat it down. Nor floods of tribulation shall move a single stone. With Christ they all shall triumph, for sin and death and hell. And with him in his glory they shall forever flail. We continue our study on the subject, anger at God. There are those today who say that's perfectly all right, that if you have a lot of frustration you're entitled to be angry at God. We're going to look at this from a biblical perspective and hope that the study will be a blessing to you.

We would appreciate it if you would write and let us know that you've listened to the broadcast, mentioned the call letters of the station on which the program comes to you. Our address is Baptist Bible Hour, Box 17037, Cincinnati, Ohio 45217. Well, in the process of being excited about this project of bringing back the Ark, they forgot what God said. Verse 7 says, And they carried the ark of God in a new cart out of the house of Abinadab. They carried the ark of God in a new cart.

Well, you say that sounds reasonable to me. The ark of God's an important piece of furniture. Glad they didn't pick some old jalopy over here and put it in a cart that was apt to fall apart or dirty and inappropriate. They got a new one.

That sounds good, except there is a big problem. God told them how to move his ark and that wasn't by cart. It didn't make any difference whether the cart was new or old. It was not to be transported on a cart. Now they might have remembered that at one point when the Philistines had it, they moved it on a cart and no ill befell anybody. But God may have been extremely merciful under those circumstances because the Philistines were not knowledgeable of this situation and in that case he didn't hold them accountable.

And so the lesson comes across that the more light we have the greater our accountability. So they're moving the ark. Verse 8, And David and all Israel played before God with all their might and with singing and with harps and with sauceries and with timbrels and with cymbals and with trumpets. I mean they're having a festive occasion. This is a parade. They're out in the street.

They're moving the ark. They're playing their instruments. They're singing.

They're dancing. They're shouting. Glory. Hallelujah. This is a great day. Oh everybody look at that saying this is a wonderful time. God sure is blessing us as a people and oh how wonderful how I feel good. You know some people make that the criteria for everything. If I feel good everything must be good. They make it a lot of racket. There's a lot of singing.

A lot of outward signs of everything being right. Verse 9, And when they came unto the threshing floor of Kidon, Uzzah put forth his hand to hold the ark for the oxen stumbled. Oxen are pulling the cart. Nobody has given any thought to the fact that God had a designated way for moving the ark. The oxen stumble, the ark starts to fall off of the cart.

Had you been there it might have been your natural impulse to put your hand up and steady it. But see we don't have to help God out. If God says don't touch the ark you don't touch the ark. Even if it looks like to you it's going to fall you do what God said.

Oh there are so many people today trying to help God out. Lord I know I probably shouldn't be doing this but Lord if I don't put my hand up here and steady the situation it's going to crumble. Now I know what the Bible says but it's not working right now Lord so I got both my hands on this situation and I'm standing here and I'm holding it up. I'm doing it for you. You're treading on dangerous ground. When you say whatever your motive is no matter how good it is Lord I'm doing it for the right reason.

I want to help you. When you're ignoring what God says about how to do it, you're in danger. The anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzzah and he smote him because he put his hand to the ark and there he died before God.

Think this wasn't serious business? God struck him dead. Now you talk about something that put a crimp in the style of King David leading this parade. When you got the ark up here in the front and the reason everybody's excited is you're bringing the ark back and one of the fellows that's in charge of moving it gets struck dead on the spot.

It kind of cools the enthusiasm. The singing slowed down and came to a stop. The instruments were no longer played. Kind of a somber time and like Ananias and Sapphira you know that came in and lied to the apostles and said we sold our land here's all the money they didn't have to do that they made that decision that they were going to sell their land and then decided between themselves they'd lie about it.

Say here's all the money when it wasn't. I'll talk about an immediate action as far as the discipline of the church was concerned the Lord handled that one by himself. He struck one dead and then the other and they were buried.

That'll get people's attention wouldn't it? You learn from that. God says don't lie at all but it's certainly not a good idea to lie to the Holy Spirit of God. All right here's a man no matter what his intentions were no matter how he felt about trying to steady the ark and help God out he disobeyed God. God said don't move the ark with a cart and do not touch it and he touched it and God killed him. And you know what happened to David?

Did he immediately bow and say Lord we've sinned we've been negligent careless we haven't searched the law to remind ourselves what you said in this thing this has brought it all back to me didn't say any of that. What's it say verse 11 and David was displeased because the Lord had made a breach upon us. Wherefore the place is called here is unto this day and David was afraid of God that day saying how shall I bring the ark of God home to me? David was displeased. David was angry at God.

He no doubt felt like that the penalty was much too severe. He no doubt might have reasoned as you and I may be prone to reason at times Lord couldn't you have handled this some other way? Even if we had done the wrong thing Lord couldn't you have spoken to me when the parade was over taken me aside and said you forgot something. Lord couldn't you have just been merciful this one time in spite of the fact that there was a violation here just kind of overlooked it because Lord you know I was doing all this for you. That's why we were having this parade I wasn't having it in my own name. I'd called all the people out for a good positive event I wanted them to be upbeat I wanted them to rejoice we were all rejoicing we're singing we're playing our instruments we're dancing in the streets we're all happy and then Lord you killed one of the bearers of the ark kind of taking all the enthusiasm away.

I just say what's the use? How am I going to bring the ark home? How am I going to accomplish this work this mission that I thought was worthwhile and to your glory Lord how am I going to do it?

I just throw up my hands. Have you ever been there? Ever had a time where you made a renewed commitment to the Lord? Lord I've been convicted about my past failures. I've neglected reading the Bible. I haven't prayed like I ought. Haven't visited sick people.

Haven't ministered to those who were straying. Been a little too worldly in my thinking. Lord I confess it all. Oh Lord this is a new day in my life. You came to church the next time and you were just getting twice as much out of the message as usual and you were oh Lord this is what I've been waiting for.

I've always wanted to have this place in my life where I could feel like I was alive spiritually. I was sensing thy presence. I'm really ready to move on and right when everything seems to be upbeat and going right the sky falls in.

Trouble comes from every direction. Ever had one of those times where it just looks like everything's falling apart and you're saying why me Lord? I was in the midst of a revival.

Didn't you notice? Lord I was doing so well. I was reading the Bible. I was praying. I was just getting so much out of church and boom what happens? Lord didn't you notice me? You know I know I haven't done well way back there but I thought I was doing pretty good now. Oh Lord why did all this have to happen to me?

Just get downright upset about it. Well I tell you I can relate to what David went through here from the standpoint of trying to preach the gospel. In times you know and I'd feel like well we're getting somewhere at last. I can see people responding. I can see people hungry. I can see people taking notes. They're listening to the sermon.

They're writing things down. They're growing in grace and visitors are coming and interest is being shown and we're moving along and just rejoicing it so and right in the midst of all that something falls apart. Somebody gets all bent out of shape over some trivial little petty thing and you think how on earth can all this come up right now?

Or you see inside of yourself anew and see your own faults and failings and say I can't expect any great blessings of God when I see my own failures. See there's so many ways in which we can begin to blame the Lord. Lord why did you suffer this thing to fall out like it did and why did it have to happen now? Right on the day we were doing big things in your name. David was angry. See God had told the people very explicitly that when the ark is moved it's to be moved by the Levites.

You're to put in it a rod through the rings and put it on the shoulders of men and they are to carry it on their shoulders. See if the ark was being transported like God said there wouldn't have been a problem with the oxen stumbling and the ark starting to fall. If the right people had been involved to start with the whole matter would not have developed into the tragedy which it became.

Why did it reach that place? Because the people were ignoring the explicit plain instruction that God had given them. They decided details are not important as long as we get the ark back that's all that counts. Friends it's time for God's people to wake up and not allow themselves to be influenced by that thinking. It'll cause you to compromise the truth it'll cause you to deny the fundamental doctrine it'll cause you to turn away from the principles of the word of God depending upon the philosophies of this world depending upon the schemes plans and ingenuity of men rather than to depend upon God his power his truth. We've got to understand that God means what he says.

We can't be influenced by the pragmatic approach I'm going to take whatever works whatever I'm comfortable with whatever pleases the most people we must do it God's way to God's glory. Failure to do it here brought death. Now we come over to the 15th chapter. By the way we ought to add before we leave that 13th chapter it says in the 13th verse so David brought not the ark home to himself to the city of David but carried it aside to the house of Obed-dum the Gittite. What happened?

David threw up his hands. Well I quit. I had a good thing in mind. I had a sincere motive and desire to honor God and God rained on my parade and so the parade's over and I'll just take the ark over here to Obed-dum and leave it there.

Well it turned out to be a great blessing in that household because it was there for three months and God blessed the whole house because of the ark being there. But it wasn't the right attitude on the part of David. David says I quit. Have you ever done that?

Sure you have. That's part of the weakness of our old human nature where you've been trying to do the right thing and things weren't working out as you wanted them to and you said I've had it. That's the end for me. You know you heard a sermon about how if a brother be overtaken into faults he that a spirit shall go to such a one and restore him in the spirit of meekness so you go to a brother you've prayed about it you go humbly you go with all good intentions and you get over there and that brother instead of receiving you and say thank you for coming he cleans your plow. On the way back home you say well that's the last time for that. I quit. Lord if you if you if you just notice what a good job I was doing it looks like to me you'd have prepared his heart and made him receive what I had to say. I dare say there's been a few times preachers after preaching a message when people just kind of looked at them like you can stand up there and preach that but you're not going to convince me and most of the preachers I've talked to have quit several dozen times.

That is on Sunday night but by Wednesday they were back in the stands. I've had it. Things aren't going any better than this. People aren't going to respond to this message. People aren't going to believe God's truth. I quit but there's no place to quit. We have to keep serving God.

We have to keep pressing on. We have to do the right thing because we're serving him not to try to please men. Now coming over to this 15th chapter the time came that David decided all right we've let things stand still long enough it's time to move ahead and he starts gathering in the right people now. Well then the first verse of the 15th chapter David made him houses in the city of David and prepared a place for the ark of God and pitched it for a tent. Then David said none ought to carry the ark of God but the Levites. For them hath the Lord chosen to carry the ark of God and to minister unto him forever. Now here's a whole different approach.

All right I'm ready to move on now. I want to bring the ark into the city but in the meantime I've been made to realize and remember that God said none ought to carry the ark of God but the Levites. So let's gather the Levites together so we can do this thing right. Verse 12 and said unto them ye are the chief of the fathers of the Levites sanctify yourselves both ye and your brethren that ye may bring up the ark of the Lord God of Israel unto the place that I have prepared for it. For because ye did it not at the first the Lord our God made a breach upon us for that we sought him not after the due order. Now David knows the full story.

He's convicted and he acknowledges it. What's he say the problem was? I mean the day that God struck us a dead David was angry. What was the source of his anger? He hadn't done things right and therefore he suffered the consequences and he was angry. He was angry at God. Why didn't God handle this thing differently? But now he's acknowledged their error for we sought not him after the due order. Oh what a lesson that we're not only to do the right thing but to do it after the due order appropriately in a God-honoring way in a biblical way so that that which needs to be done is done but it's done in a manner that God has designated.

When you begin to search your own heart do you see some places along the way where you have at times been angry? You never admitted to anybody that you were angry at God but God knows it and so do you. Said Lord how could this happen to me at this time? Lord after all I've done I'm not like these next-door neighbors of mine that never go to church.

Use your name in vain. Lord I've come from a family of church goers from way back. I've sacrificed. I've given.

I've gone when I didn't feel like it and then Lord you let all this blow up my face. I'm just I'm upset that's all. In fact I just well I prayed. I didn't get an answer to my prayer.

I didn't didn't get what I wanted so I don't think I'm going to be coming to you for a while. I've just given up on prayer. No use to pray. I haven't been getting anything out of the Bible.

I've ever since all this troubles come to me I read the Bible. I don't get anything out of it and so you're blaming that on God when the reason is you're mad at the man who wrote the book. You're mad at what God says because God's not doing things your way.

That's the problem. I didn't get my way. God rained on my parade so I quit.

What was the real problem? It needed to be repentance and when David repented came back and said we're going to do it God's way. We're going to have the Levites move the ark. Oh they had a glorious time. Verse 16, David spake to the chief of the Levites to appoint their brethren to be singers with instruments of music saltaries and harps and cymbals sounding by lifting up the voice with joy. Verse 28 says thus all Israel brought up the ark of the covenant of the Lord with shouting into the sound of the cornet and with trumpets and with cymbals making a noise with saltaries and harps. Oh now they have that festive day. They have that day of joy and blessing as the ark is brought back.

But they do it God's way and that's where the blessing is found. What a lesson. Thought I was going to finish this this afternoon but I just can't get it all said. So we've still got a little more to go. We'll come back to it. Lord willing at a future time. Maybe on some of these things you feel like I get maybe a little long-winded and I do try to give consideration in each service to know there's only so much that can be absorbed at a given time and not extend things but you know one of the things that stirs my heart so much as I begin to study some of these subjects whether we're doing an expository study and going through a book verse by verse or dealing with a subject like this and you begin to see all the different places in the scripture that the subjects dealt with and I think those things are there for a purpose. And if I just got up here in one message and said a few things about anger you might or might not remember that. Hopefully with some of the pictures that are painted here in the scripture there'll be things you won't forget. The next time you find yourself beginning to pout against the Lord you're going to remember David's experience. You're going to remember some of these things we've looked at in the scripture. I hope they'll prove to be a benefit to all of us because as several of you have said since I started this series this gets right down to where we live every day.

I don't think there's any of us that can say well haven't touched me at all. I think we all find there's some some place along the way that some of this touches our own life our own thinking. Let us be in prayer that the Lord will bless us as we study his word and apply it forcibly to our lives that it may make a difference in how we live how we serve God from day to day. Thank you for listening today. I want to remind you that these broadcasts are listener supported.

If you can help us we would certainly appreciate it. You can make a donation by going to our website at baptistbiblehour.org. Now until we greet you next time this is LaSara Bradley Jr. bidding you goodbye and may God bless you. It is my story, this is my song. Praising my Savior all the day long.

It is my story, this is my song. Praising my Savior. Praising my Savior. Praising my Savior. All the day long.