1 Chronicles 13:6-14: a reflection

6David went up with all Israel to Baalah, that is, to Kiriath Jearim, which belonged to Judah, to bring up from there God the LORD’s ark that sits above the cherubim, that is called by the Name. 7They carried God’s ark on a new cart, and brought it out of Abinadab’s house; and Uzza and Ahio drove the cart. 8David and all Israel played before God with all their might, even with songs, with harps, with stringed instruments, with tambourines, with cymbals, and with trumpets. 9When they came to Chidon’s threshing floor, Uzza put out his hand to hold the ark, for the oxen stumbled. 10The LORD’s anger burned against Uzza, and he struck him because he put his hand on the ark; and he died there before God. 11David was displeased, because the LORD had broken out against Uzza. He called that place Perez Uzza, to this day. 12David was afraid of God that day, saying, “How can I bring God’s ark home to me?” 13So David didn’t move the ark with him into David’s city, but carried it aside into Obed-Edom the Gittite’s house. 14God’s ark remained with the family of Obed-Edom in his house three months; and the LORD blessed Obed-Edom’s house and all that he had.

David sets out to bring the ark of God, the sign of God's presence, back to Jerusalem, and he does it with great joy and celebration. But something goes tragically wrong. The ark is carried on a new cart rather than borne on poles by the Levites as God had instructed, and when the oxen stumble, Uzza reaches out to steady it and is struck dead. The joyful procession halts in shock, and David, at first angry and then afraid, asks, how can I bring the ark home to me?

This is a hard passage, and it teaches something we can find uncomfortable: God is holy, and how we approach him matters. David's zeal was sincere, but the ark was being carried in a way God had not commanded, treating the holy with a casualness that ignored his clear instruction. The tragedy was not that God was arbitrary but that his holiness had been handled carelessly. Yet the story does not end in fear. When the ark rests in the house of Obed-Edom, that household is blessed for three months. The same presence that must be approached rightly is a blessing to those who receive it well.

There is a balance here worth holding. God is not to be approached casually, as though his holiness did not matter; reverence and obedience to how he has told us to come are not optional. And yet his presence is not a threat to those who receive it rightly; it is a blessing, as it was to Obed-Edom's household. Come to God with joy, but also with reverence, taking seriously both his holiness and his welcome. Through Christ, you may draw near boldly, but never carelessly, to the God whose presence blesses those who honor him.

Lord, you are holy, and Uzza's death is a sobering reminder that how we approach you matters. Guard me from treating your holiness casually. Yet your presence blessed the house of Obed-Edom, and through Christ I may draw near to you. Teach me to come with both joy and reverence, taking seriously both your holiness and your welcome, and let your presence be a blessing in my house. Amen.