One of the key messages of the scriptures that the religious world seems to forget is that our first priority is worship. In 1 Chronicles, the first thing we see King David desiring to do after taking the throne and settling his kingdom is to worship the Lord. Our morning and evening lessons today are going to be about worship. David shows us that the way into the presence of God is in worship. Open your copies of God’s word to 1 Chronicles 13.
Neglected God (1 Chronicles 13:1-4)
Chapter 13 opens with King David wanting to worship the Lord. Up to this point, the Lord has been pretty much ignored. You will notice in verse 3 that David observes that we need to bring the ark of our God to us because he did not inquire of the Lord during the days of King Saul. David realizes that this is a problem and a major flaw for the nation. After the Philistines captured the ark, God afflicted the Philistines with plagues and God himself brought his ark back to Israel (cf. 1 Samuel 5-6). The ark returns to the town of Kiriath-jearim, but nothing happens with the ark after this. We are told in 1 Samuel 7:2 that the ark is going to stay hidden and neglected in this town for 20 years. I want us to think about how sad and shocking this is that God’s people would simply forget about God. No one has the desire or the will to bring the ark of God back to the center of his people. For 20 years the ark just sits in the corner, neglected and forgotten by his people. Isn’t it amazing that God will allow this to happen? God will let you forget him. While you are busy with all the things you think are so important in life, God will quietly sit in the corner waiting to see if you will understand how he needs to be the center of your life. So Israel is a mess without God, symbolized by the fact that they have neglected the ark of God. David says that this has to change. Call for all the assembly of Israel to gather and let us bring the ark of God to us.
This is a wonderful plan and exactly what needs to happen. It is time to bring God back into our lives and make him the center of our worship and the center of our very lives. But want you to carefully consider verse 4. We are told that the whole assembly agreed to do “for the thing was right in the eyes of all the people.” If you know the scriptures, then you know that those are ominous words. It is the theme that is found in the book of Judges (cf. Judges 17:6; 21:25). Those are the final words of the book of Judges. The book of Judges records all kinds of wickedness, oppression, sexual abuse, murder, and more. These things were happening because everyone was doing what was right in their own eyes. So when we read that the assembly agreed to bring the ark to themselves because it was right in their own eyes, we know that there is a problem. David and the people are going to do what they think is right before God because they appear to think that this is all the authority they need.
Dangerous God (1 Chronicles 13:5-14)
So David and all the people go to Kiriath-jearim to get the ark of God because that is where it has been left and neglected for decades. The text wants to remind us about the meaning of what is happening. Look at verse 6. We are reminded that the ark of God symbolized God’s presence. God was pictured as enthroned above the cherubim which was on the lid of the ark. So we are reminded that this is not just some gold box. This is representative of coming into God’s presence.
So Israel gets the ark of God, place it on a new cart, and begin driving the cart to Jerusalem. You can imagine the excitement and celebration. You can imagine the grand worship that is happening. God is coming back to his people after being neglected. In verse 8 we read that David and all of Israel were celebrating with all their might before the Lord. Worship is fully underway. But as the cart is moving along, the oxen stumbled. A man named Uzzah was nearby. Look at verse 9. Uzzah reached out his hand and took hold of the ark. You can imagine the cart giving a lean which led to the precious ark of God beginning to tip over. Uzzah puts out his hand to keep the ark from overturning. Who would not have had the same reaction? Who would not have responded in the same way? But look at verse 10. The anger of the Lord was kindled and he struck Uzzah down because he put his hand on the ark. Numbers 4 said that no one was to touch the ark. So Uzzah dies right there in the presence of God, before the ark and before all the people who are worship with their music. God literally just shut down the worship. You can imagine all the music stopping. You can imagine all the people screaming as they look and see that God has just killed this man.
I want you to notice the two wrong responses that David and the people have toward God. In verse 11 we read that David was angry because of the Lord had broken out against Uzzah. This is just what we do as humans. We do something wrong and we get mad at God. We do not do what God says, experience the consequences of not doing what God says, and then get angry at God because of those consequences. How many times people question God, challenge God, get angry with God, or reject God because of God’s response to what they have done wrong! We defy God and his ways and then wonder why life has turned upside down. We like to blame God rather than blame ourselves. We like to get angry with God rather than looking at ourselves and what we have done to make this mess.
Second, David is afraid of God. You see this point in verse 12. Now David is not going to bring the ark of God to Jerusalem because he is afraid of God. In fact, David believes that worship is not going to be possible. David asks, “How can I bring the ark of God to me?” David seems to think that God being with his people is impossible. So the ark goes to the household of Obed-edom. But here is how we know this fear was the wrong response. Look at the end of verse 14. God blesses the household where the ark was residing. God did not afflict them with plagues like he did on the Philistines to make them afraid of him. Instead of instilling fear, God is trying to teach his people. It is not that God wants you to be so afraid of him that you neglect him or reject him. God does not want you to be so afraid of him that you think you cannot approach him or have a relationship with him. But God does want you to understand that you cannot have this relationship with him or approach him with worship in any way you think is right or best. God is not going to just be happy that you thought about him or want to worship him. God did not overlook Uzzah because the people wanted to worship. We have this curious problem of either wanting to make God so terrifying that no one can approach him, which is what some religious groups teach, or wanting to make God so much like us that there is no concern for his holiness. We just lower him down to our level and remove all awe, reverence, and fear. But God was showing something in verse 14 through Obed-edom’s household. God is wanting to bless, not harm.
Overflowing God (1 Chronicles 14)
Chapter 14 continues to show that David drew the wrong conclusions. Chapter 14 reveals God blessing David and the people of Israel, not cursing them. In verse 2 we read that David understood that the Lord had established as king over Israel for the sake of the people of Israel. David’s reign was to be for the people’s good. The Philistines start being a problem for God’s people in verse 8. Now I want us to see what David does in verse 10. David inquired of God. David asked God if he should go up and fight against the Philistines. Notice that the Lord responded that he would deliver the Philistines into David’s hands. In verse 11 we see God do what he said he would do. Notice he broke out against the enemies like a flood. In chapter 13 God broke out against Uzzah for touching the ark. In chapter 14 God broke out against the Philistines after David inquired of the Lord.
But notice what happens in verse 13. The Philistines attack again. Do you think David needs to ask God again or should he assume that he can go against the Philistines again? Look at verse 14. David inquired of the Lord and notice that God gave a different answer this time. God says to attack with a different plan. In verse 16 we see that David did as God commanded him and they struck down the Philistine army. Now imagine if David had just assumed that he was right to go ahead and attack the Philistines in the same way he did last time. It is clear that it would have been a failure rather than a success. But David asked God and listened to the way God said to do this. By doing so, God blessed Israel and gave David success. This appears to be what is needed for David to understand what needs to happen as we come to chapter 15.
Gracious God (1 Chronicles 15)
In verse 2 David understands that the ark of God was supposed to be carried by the Levites and not put on a cart. So he assembles all of Israel again in verses 3-11. David tells the Levites to consecrate themselves so that they can bring up the ark of the Lord. Now look at verse 13 because David understands what went wrong. “Because you did not carry it the first time, the Lord our God broke out against us, because we did not seek him according to the rule.” Why did God break out against them the first time? David says because we did not ask him how to do this in the way he prescribed. We did not look to God for the right directions. We just did this rather than asking how does God want us to do this. So the priests and the Levites consecrate themselves. Then look at verse 15.
And the Levites carried the ark of God on their shoulders with the poles, as Moses had commanded according to the word of the LORD. (1 Chronicles 15:15 ESV)
They did things as Moses had commanded. They did things according to the word of the Lord. Now no one dies. Now there is no reason for anyone to be angry or afraid. The worship happens because everything was done as God had prescribed. Listen to the words of verse 26. God was helping the Levites who were carrying the ark. God was with Israel and with the priests and the Levites because they did things the way God said. God was with them because they inquired of the Lord first, rather than doing what was right in their own eyes. So all Israel brought up the ark of the covenant of the Lord (15:28).
Ask God First
The primary message that God was communicating to his people is that things go wrong when we do not ask God first. Things will go wrong if we do what is right in our own eyes. Things will go wrong when we do not inquire of the Lord and listen to what he has told us to do. There are teachers who use this text to show that the problem was not that Israel did not worship the way God prescribed. The problem was the arrogance of David who was trying to bring the ark to himself. Both the 2 Samuel 6 account and the 1 Chronicles 13 account record David wondering how he could bring God to himself. But this is not a statement of arrogance as if he can control God. This was him trying to understand how have God no longer ignored in Kiriath-jearim and brought to the capital of Israel, the city of David, Jerusalem. David’s heart is worship. David’s desire is to honor God. The problem was not with David’s intention. The problem was that David did not look to see how God wanted this to be done. David did not look for how to transport the ark. He just assumed that moving the ark was a good idea.
This is so often our failure. We look at something, believing it is a good idea, but not considering how God wants us to do this. The whole point is that we do not act simply because it is right in our own eyes. Rather, we stop and consult God. What did he say to do? What does his word teach us? Did God give us directions about how to do what we are thinking about? So we must seek God’s will in his word in all that we do. Friends, we will be wrong as a church and condemned if we are not asking what has God prescribed for us to do. We will be wrong as individuals if we are not asking what has God prescribed for us to do. We do not tell God how he will come to us. God tells us how he will come to us and how we can come to him. Any failure in this is not God’s fault but our own.
But I want to emphasize the other important point from this text. There is no reason to fear a relationship with God and worshiping God if we are coming to him the way he asks us to. There are these amazing teachings in the scriptures that tell us we can boldly come to the throne of God to find grace and help (cf. Hebrews 4:16). How can we come into God’s presence with confidence? We can because we are looking at how God wants us to come to him. God is wanting to have a relationship with you. God is wanting to bless your life. God is wanting to be with you for all eternity. But you cannot presume on God’s heart to come to him in any way you want or continuing to live how you want. Listen to how Paul made this point:
Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed. (Romans 2:4-5 ESV)
Do not presume on God’s kindness by thinking you can live how you want and do what you want. We are only storing up wrath for ourselves if this is how we look at him. His kindness is to lead us to repentance. Judgment has not come yet so that we would change before it is too late. As the apostle Paul would say later in Romans 11:22, “Consider the kindness and the severity of God.” God shows great kindness toward us if we will seek him and his ways. But God shows his severity if we think we can do what is right in our own eyes as we live before him. God has a particular way so that you will seek him and trust him. Finally, if you have not be living right before God and have experienced God’s severity, this does not mean God cannot or will not turn and bless you. Just like we saw with David and the people, if you will turn and seek his ways, he will turn and bless you with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places (cf. Ephesians 1:3-11). Turn to him now and enjoy the relationship God wants to have with you. Just ask God.