We know that God dwells in light (1 Timothy 6:16) where no one dare approach.
How do these meditations come into being? The Lord puts a verse with its related situation into my mind, then the wonderful Holy Spirit guides me through all the details and ties in so clearly other Scriptures in which I had previously seen no connection. As I meditate on those passages He unfolds more and more rich treasures.
I have been asking God for increasing holy fear, reverential awe and wonder-filled gratitude. The following is one of the ways He is answering my prayer. On a recent evening I sat in my prayer chair preparing to go into the Holy of holies in eternity for my conversation and prayer of request and thanksgiving to the Triune God. Suddenly I was halted by one word – “UZZAH”.
Did you think this was unjustly harsh? Did you wonder why Uzzah was killed for trying to keep the ark from falling? These feelings will leave you very uncomfortable. We need to dig deeper and we will begin with what we already know.
The ark had been in the house of Abinadab, Uzzah’s father, (1 Samuel 7:2) for 20 years. Uzzah and his brother Ahio along with their father cared for the ark. Uzzah would certainly have known the commandments and warnings concerning the ark and all holy things. The ark should never have been (2 Samuel 6:3) on a cart. It was to be carried on the shoulders of the priests by poles, which were placed through rings at the four corners (Exodus 25:12-15) and never removed from the rings. Therefore, it would never be touched by human hands. How do I know that Uzzah knew better? Because when the Philistines, who did not know better, (1 Samuel 6: 7-8, 11) put the ark on a cart and prepared to send it back and they were not harmed. The hand of the Lord was heavy (1 Samuel 5:6) against the Philistines when the ark was there but not when they arranged to return it. When the men of Bethshemesh (1 Samuel 6:19) looked inside the ark the Lord slaughtered 50,070 of them. To look inside they would have to remove the mercy seat.
Take time now to observe 2 scenes. Put yourself right there and watch carefully. Uzzah and Ahio were (1 Chronicles 13:7-16) driving the cart. Suddenly the oxen stumbled and Uzzah put out his hand to steady the cart. STOP HERE and listen to the warning (Numbers 4:15) “anyone who touches will die”. Was Uzzah proud because the ark had been in his family home for years? Did he think that put him in a special category so that he could safely disobey? Was he so arrogant that he thought God couldn’t take care of His own ark and that he would have to step in and handle it? We know that God dwells in light (1 Timothy 6:16) where no one dare approach. That light is the blinding, terrifying, killing pure holiness of Almighty God. When sinful Uzzah presumed to touch that holiness, he discovered that the God of all holiness (Hebrews 12:29) is a consuming fire.
Now come to another scene, another place, another time. Keep watching. When Jesus came down from the mountain a leper prostrated himself and pleaded for healing and – (Matthew 8:2) JESUS TOUCHED HIM!
When sinful Uzzah touched holy God it was fatal. When holy God touched a sinful leper it was healing and life. What made the difference? When the Son of God purposed to become Jesus – God in a human body – the power of the O.T. Law was broken. The Law had impossible requirements (Romans 7:9) killing requirements – BUT – Jesus empowers. Uzzah flagrantly disobeyed a clear command and paid with his life. Jesus fulfilled (Romans 8:3-4) all the righteous requirements of the law and paid for us with His life. Take another look at Uzzah, at the leper, then look at Jesus. Do we even begin to grasp what Jesus Christ and His Cross have done for us?
We cannot reach up to God but (Romans 5:8) God reached down to us. We love Him because (1 John 4:19) He first loved us and through the Holy Spirit we have (1 John 1:3) ever-deepening fellowship with our loving heavenly Father and our precious, glorious Saviour, Master and Lord.
How often, if ever, do I brood over the painful truth that the holy wrath which justly punished Uzzah and the men of Bethshemesh - - is the same holy wrath that was unrelenting in pouring out furious outrage and brutal, violent punishment on Jesus? From the example of Uzzah we can see that we urgently need to be on guard so that we will never be careless about God’s holiness. God’s holiness demands accounting from those who reject salvation through Jesus Christ and (Psalms 11:6Amplified) upon the wicked He will rain quick burning coals, fire, brimstone; and a dreadful scorching wind will be the portion of their cup. But for those of us who have a personal relationship with Jesus, we increasingly know the beauty, assurance and security of His holiness. We can worship Him in (1 Chronicles 16:29) the beauty of His holiness. We can yield ourselves willingly to Him (Psalms 110:3) in the beauty of holiness.
It’s very dark right now and - - oh look! Can you see Him? Jesus (John 6:19-20) is walking on the water. Why? That water represents two things to the disciples; one is essential and one is terrifying. The first is their livelihood by fishing and the other is drowning and death in a violent storm.
For us that water represents all the circumstances of our lives and all the conditions in which we live. The things that seem essential and the things that fill us with fear lose their significance when we see Jesus walking on the water. Do we always recognize Him? The water does not control Him – He controls the water. He is above all, over all and Master of all. It’s all under His feet. We have absolute assurance (Hebrews 13:5) of His constant loving, never-failing, immediate Presence.
In this dark, chaotic world gone mad having lost its way, if you need a reminder or reassurance of God’s supreme sovereignty in every detail, you can feast on (Isaiah 46:9-11) and (1 Chronicles 29:11-13) and nourish your soul with the triumph of the self-fulfilling power of God’s eternal Word