But when they arrived at the threshing floor of Nacon, the oxen stumbled, and Uzzah reached out his hand and steadied the Ark of God. Then the Lord’s anger was aroused against Uzzah, and God struck him dead because of this. So Uzzah died right there beside the Ark of God.
Uzzah died for doing what most of us would do.
That’s the harsh reality of this passage.
I mean think about it: some cherished possession of your family has been lost for decades and your family was finally able to reclaim it. While you’re taking it home, you travel over a road full of potholes that makes things extremely bumpy.
What do you do?
Wouldn’t you secure this cherished possession and ensure that it doesn’t fall and break?
Uzzah did exactly that. And the Lord struck him dead for it. #MyLord
But here’s the thing: the Ark of the Covenant is Holy. And our good intentions don’t matter…there’s still a proper way to approach Holy Things, and the Holy One.
Despite his good intentions…despite the fact that Uzzah just wanted to take care of the Ark and ensure it wasn’t damaged: he violated what is Holy. And the Lord struck him dead for it!
And this is what we prepare to do in Advent: approach the Holy One.
Your good intentions are not all you need. It’s not simply about desiring to be good. There is a proper way to approach. And so the faith is about training yourself to walk worthy.
Consider the woman with the issue of blood: this woman had approached to touch Jesus with fear and trembling. She had fought past the ridicule of those who had ostracized her and boldly pushed through the crowd, then humbly crawled forward to touch the hem of His garment.
How do you rate your approach? How do you understand holiness? What are your reflections on seeing and touching what is Holy?
I invite you to take a take a moment and share in the comments section…
May the Spirit fill you with awe and wonder at the coming of the Holy One!
