A Heart for God, Part 10 (JMY)

Welcome to Leading the Way, passionately proclaiming uncompromising truth across six continents and in 28 of the world's most spoken and most understood languages.

Coming up next, a very special episode. Dr. Yusef has asked his son Jonathan to teach a message from what's become a life-impacting series of messages. It's called A Heart for God. in Jerusalem, and a very interesting accident occurs that reveals a lesson about the holiness of God. Do keep in mind that Leading the Way is made possible by the generosity of those blessed by the teaching of Dr. Yusef or align with the passion of the ministry to passionately proclaim uncompromising truth around the world, touching lives who may not normally hear the gospel of Jesus.

You can find out ways to stand with Dr. Yusef and the team when you call us at 866-626-4356, or you can visit the website ltw.org. Right now, let's listen as Dr. Jonathan Yusef brings a powerful message called Seated on the Throne. And so we pick up with continuing this series on the life of David, and what's happened so far?

We've skipped a bit. Well, we see that David at this point has been anointed as the king of Israel. We know that as a shepherd boy, he was anointed by Samuel the prophet, but that was sort of a looking forward. But now, Saul has died, Jonathan has died, and the people come and end up with the king of Israel. And David takes the city of Jerusalem. He conquers it and kicks out the Jebusites who were occupying that city.

And then he defeats the Philistines in a big battle. And then we turn to chapter 6 and the events that take place here, where David gathers all the men and all the people. And then we turn to chapter 6 and the events that take place here, where David gathers all the men to bring up the Ark of the Covenant, to bring it into the new capital, Jerusalem. And so we ask the question, what is the Ark? What is the Ark of God? What is the Ark of the Covenant? What is the symbolism of this Ark?

Why is it important? The Ark served as a representation of the presence of God with his people. It reminded the people of who God was and what he had done. And it was to go with the people of Israel everywhere they went, even into battle. And we see that the Ark had been captured by the Philistines at some point before the reign of King Saul, because of these two sons of Eli the priest. If you remember, Eli is the one who takes Samuel into his house and then judgment comes on Eli because of these two sons, who the Israelites are losing a battle and they think, let's take the Ark of the Covenant into battle so that we can win.

They're looking at the Ark of the Covenant as if it were a lucky charm. You can't treat or force God into an equation. You can't take something of God and force it in there and make it do what you want it to do.

That's not how he works. And so, contrary to what they thought would happen, the Ark actually gets captured at this point, captured by the Philistines. But when the Ark of the Covenant, when the Ark of God goes into the cave where they keep the gods of the Philistines, their God keeps toppling over.

And so Dagon falls and he breaks his arms off and he falls again the next day and his head comes off. And everywhere they take the Ark, whatever city it goes to, the Philistines that live in that city, all of a sudden are covered in tumors. Don't bring into my city, because you see, God is not a God who can be captured by an enemy. Finally, the Philistines are tired of this thing and so they load it onto a cart and they ship it back to the Israelites. And even when the Israelites receive the Ark back, they're so fascinated with this sort of lucky charm that some of the men look into the Ark and those men's lives are taken. And so, frightened, the Israelites take the Ark to Kiriath-jearim and that is where they leave it. And so Saul is anointed king of Israel and does Saul bring the Ark out to remind the people of the presence of God? Does Saul bring the Ark out to show that he is not the total authority but that he is beholden to another authority?

No, Saul leaves the Ark in Kiriath-jearim and in turn he thinks he leaves God there. But David is anointed king and what does he do? He wants the Ark of the Covenant brought to the new capital to show that God is the God of the Israelites. What a great message to send to the people. What a perfect way to start your reign.

What a great way to inaugurate your new capital city. And so all the preparations are made and the Ark comes out of Kiriath-jearim and we read in verse 1 of 2 Samuel chapter 6. David again brought together all the able young men of Israel, 30,000. He and all his men went to Bala in Judah to bring up from there the Ark of God which is called by the name, the name of the Lord Almighty who is enthroned between the cherubim on the Ark. They set the Ark of God on a new cart and brought it from the house of Abinadab which was on the hill.

Uzzah and Ahio, sons of Abinadab were guiding the new cart with the Ark of God on it and Ahio was walking in front of it. David and all Israel were celebrating with all their might before the Lord with castanets, harps, lyres, timbrels, systrums and cymbals. This is a day of celebration. We're celebrating God and the victory that he has given us over the Philistines. We're celebrating the way that he has protected us through the years. We are celebrating the fact that he has provided for us this new city, this new capital. We're celebrating that he has provided for us a king and the king that was misleading us is now gone and this new king is here. And the Ark with the cart makes its way up to Jerusalem.

Then we read verses 6 and 7. When they came to the threshing floor of Naken, Uzzah reached out and took hold of the Ark of God because the oxen stumbled. The Lord's anger burned against Uzzah because of his irreverent act. Therefore God struck him down and he died there beside the Ark of God.

What the heck is happening here? Why? Why would when everything seems to be good and for God's glory would God do this? Why when David has made a good decision to bring the Ark to Jerusalem does God do this? The Bible says God's anger burned against Uzzah because he touched the Ark and I think there's a misunderstanding of the Ark here and even more so there's a misunderstanding of who God is. Because he is not just another god like Dagon of the Philistines.

He is not like Baal. He is not like any of the other gods that have come and gone. Ones that only take the form of wood and stone and can do nothing. Ones that can be captured by enemy armies with no consequences.

Ones that do not point to any real fulfillment, future fulfillment. This is Yahweh, the creator of the universe. The author of all life. The sustainer of the universe. The one who chose a weak people group and made them mighty for his glory.

The one who is right and just in all that he does. He does no wrong. He is blameless and faultless and righteous. He is holy. He's not just holy. He is holy, holy, holy. Meaning he is other.

He is separate. He is different from his creation in that he is transcendent and superior and therefore he is worthy of honor and of reverence and of adoration and of worship. You see the Israelites were rejoicing this day because they were happy to see the ark coming to the city of Jerusalem. But they had allowed compromise and sin to settle into their lives.

They were happy to have the big powerful God who helps them defeat the Philistines and the Jebusites. But when it comes to the day to day affairs of life they put him on the back shelf and they bring him out on Sunday or in their case they bring him out on Saturday. They are forgetting who he was and what he has called them to and from. Called to serve and follow him and called from sin and looking like all the other communities around them.

How do we know that they had forgotten? Well you can look one chapter back in 2 Samuel chapter 5 verse 13. It says after he left Hebron David took more concubines and wives in Jerusalem and more sons and daughters were born to him. According to Deuteronomy a king is not to accumulate wives. And as the saying is that as the king goes so I would assume the kingdom. It's a reflection that they were looking and wanting to look like all the kingdoms that surrounded them.

And it started with their king. And then look at how the ark is being transported on a cart. Well what's wrong with that?

Anyone know? That's not how it's supposed to be transported. It's supposed to look like this. Brackets on all the sides so that these poles can go in so the ark isn't touched it's carried. It's supposed to be carried by the Levites the priests the ones who represent man to God who performed the sacrifice of sin atonement. They're the ones who carry the holy things. They were to carry the ark which represented to the people the presence of God.

It also reminded them of who he was and who he had been and who he would be in the future. But when the ark was captured and the Philistines wanted to get rid of the ark they didn't know what those brackets were for. They didn't know that the poles went in there and so they loaded on a cart.

I'd hate to be the guy that was volunteered to load it on the cart. So the Philistines give it back to the Israelites and David has chosen that method on the cart of transportation over the prescribed method given in Numbers chapter 4. So when the oxen stumbles and the ark is falling and Uzzah reaches out to stop the ark from falling and his sinful hands touch the ark which represented the holy God he struck dead. Why would God take the life of this seemingly innocent man? It's because he's not innocent.

Uzzah's heart and his hands are sinful and in his effort to steady something he broke a law of God which was created which said do not touch the ark. What I want you to leave here today with is not this sense of I need to try harder. I need to wake up tomorrow morning and I need to try to be a better person. I need to work a little harder. I need to try harder. I need to push myself. I need to get up and do better. I don't want you to leave here thinking I need to not get caught doing something stupid. I need to not get caught doing something stupid.

Don't do something stupid. I don't want you to leave here thinking God is really arbitrary in the way that he takes life. I want you to leave this place amazed and awed at the holiness of God. You can know that when God says he is loving that he is far more loving than you will ever comprehend. That when God says he is merciful he is far more merciful than you could ever imagine. That when God says he is just he is far more just than you would ever think. Because I don't want to worship the God who says he is those things and then he compromises or he is unsteady or he is unpredictable or he is unknowable. He doesn't deceive.

He is true to who he says he is. That is the God we worship and that is the God whose character never changes. Verse 8. David was angry because the Lord's wrath had broken out against Uzzah and to this day that place is called Peraz-Uzzah.

Outbreak against Uzzah. David was afraid of the Lord that day and said how can the Ark of the Lord ever come to me? He was not willing to take the Ark of the Lord to be with him in the city of David. Instead he took it aside to the house of Obed-Edom the Gittites. This event was in mind when David wrote Psalm 24.

Let me read part of it to you. The earth is the Lord's and everything in it. The world and all who live in it for he founded it on the seas and established it on the waters. Who may ascend the hill of the Lord? Who may stand in his holy place?

Answer? He who has clean hands and a pure heart. Who does not lift up his soul to an idol or swear by what is false.

He will receive blessing from the Lord and vindication from God his Savior. Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek your face O God of Jacob. Who can ascend the hill of the Lord? Who has clean hands? Who has a pure heart?

Who has not lifted their soul to an idol or sworn by what is false? Who can get this Ark into Jerusalem? It's not David. It's not any of the Israelites. It's certainly not Uzzah.

It's not any of us. And why are these the requirements? Because these describe God himself. He is holy.

He is separate. He is totally committed to purity. And if you want to stand before God and not be burned up by his purity and not be struck down by his righteousness. If you want to know this God and live beyond judgment day with him forever in glory, then you need to be like him. You have to be completely holy. You have to be completely pure.

You have to be totally honest. And here's the bad news. That's none of us. Who will ever be able to get up that holy hill? You'd be safer swimming in the ocean with sharks with fish blood all around you than to come before the holy God the way that we are. But you see the death of Uzzah predicts the death of another man who died willingly because God is holy. On the cross the absolute holiness and the transforming grace of Jesus Christ meet. Holiness required sin be dealt with. Grace demanded a sacrifice be made and God did both. Christ is the only one who can ascend the mountain of Psalm 24. He's the only one with clean hands.

He's the only one with a pure heart. He's the only one who's never sworn falsely and it is through him that we have access to the holy God. And so how does David respond? Verses 12 to 15. Now King David was told the Lord has blessed the household of Obed-Edom and everything he has because of the Ark of God. So David went to bring up the Ark of God from the house of Obed-Edom to the city of David with rejoicing. When those who were carrying the Ark of the Lord.

It's not on a card anymore. When those who were carrying the Ark of the Lord had taken six steps he sacrificed a bull and a fattened calf. Wearing a linen ephod David was dancing before the Lord with all his might while he and all Israel were bringing up the Ark of the Lord with shouts and the sounds of trumpets. He understands the holiness of God and he responds rightly. In fact David seems so moved by the event and this new appreciation of God that he doesn't wear his kingly robes that would have drawn attention to him.

But instead he wears a priest's garment and not an elaborate one but a humble one. And he dances before the Lord with joy but verse 16 as the Ark of the Lord was entering the city of David Michal daughter of Saul watched from a window. And when she saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord she despised him in her heart. David's wife Michal sees him dancing before the Lord and she despised him in her heart.

Why would she do that? Michal does not understand the joy of humility. She thinks this humility aspect that David has taken is unbecoming of a king. A king should act in a certain way. A king should dress in a certain way and anything less is undignified. You see this is the way her father thought. That's why she's described as Michal the daughter of Saul not Michal the wife of David. King Saul thought if I look the part if I act dignified in public then all will be right and I think we think the way King Saul does. If I act in a certain way in public if I wear my mask just right if I wear the clothes that makes everything look like it's fine then everything will be fine and I think we teach that to our children as well. But here's the thing unless God is seated on the throne of your heart all of that is for show.

It's all a lie. Blessed are the poor in spirit those who recognize their spiritual poverty they don't put up pretensions they are open and honest about their need for a savior they do not have clean hands they do not have pure hearts. David tells Michal it was before the Lord who chose me rather than your father or anyone from his house when he appointed me ruler over the Lord's people Israel. I will celebrate before the Lord.

I will become even more undignified than this and I will be humiliated in my own eyes. Your father didn't understand humility and so I was chosen over him and because God is holy and mighty and other and worthy and he still chose me and I am none of those things. Then I will humiliate myself before him and before my people that we would be reminded and remember who it is exactly that deserves the honor and the praise and the glory because Michal I don't have clean hands to carry the ark I don't have a pure heart to touch the ark.

But he still makes a way available to him. And there will come one who will humiliate himself even more than I who will leave heaven and the majesty of heaven and come to earth as a man and he will be the only one with clean hands and he will be the only one with a pure heart. And he will make an eternal way possible to the father through his sacrifice through his offering of himself and that is the good news. The bad news none of us are holy or righteous to come before God. But because of Jesus and through his sacrifice we can be called children of God. And with that we are separate and we are other and we are holy and we are different.

Not of our own doing not because we were able to keep the ark from slipping. But because of what Christ did for you and for me. So the next time you expect God to do something because of what you did for him you can humbly rejoice because he is holy and he knows what is best. He's proved it through Christ.

Who else would you trust? A lesson about the holiness of God from Dr. Jonathan Yusef. Thank you for listening to this episode of Leading the Way. Dr. Michael Yusef returns next time to continue this challenging series looking at moments in the life of King David and how his life experiences offer insight into living for Jesus in 2024. In fact Dr. Yusef is so passionate about the content of this series and how the life of David is a cornerstone of powerful truth teachings in the Bible that he was led to write a book. This book digs deeper into what you're hearing through this series. And the book too is called A Heart for God. Call us now to speak with a helpful ministry representative about A Heart for God at 866-626-4356 and ltw.org. Well it's time for me to say goodbye now but not before I challenge you to join Dr. Michael Yusef for more Leading the Way audio. This program is furnished by Leading the Way with Dr. Michael Yusef. Passionately proclaiming uncompromising truth around the world.