Not As They Should Be

The worship leader had assembled one of the largest groups from near and far for one of the grandest worship services ever to be held. Oh, the music was beyond grand and everyone was celebrating and rejoicing in the goodness of God. It seemed that there had never been a worship service like this one.

However, things were not as they should be. Something was where it should not have been and someone did something he should not have done.

The ark was on a cart!

Suddenly, the great celebration - the marvelous worship experience - came crashing to an end. Uzzah reached out, helpfully, with good intentions, and he was struck dead by an angry God.

Now, I wonder, was God pleased by the worship? If the ox hadn't stumbled, would the journey have been completed with no one the wiser and God pleased, or at least OK, with the worship (even though the ark was on a cart)?

I wonder also, if Uzzah had just let it go and the ark had come crashing to the ground, bursting open for all to see the contents, what would have been the consequence.

Scripture clearly indicates that God's anger was directed at Uzzah for reaching out to steady the ark (the event is told in 1 Chronicles 13). In the passage, there is no indication that God's anger was because of the ark being on a cart, although Uzzah would never have been in the position he found himself in, if the ark had been where it should have been in the first place.

How is our worship?

Is God pleased with our worship? We get excited when there is a big crowd ... when there is a lot of excitement ... when the joy and celebration are running high - wow, we think, THAT is worship.

But what if the ark is on a cart? What if something is not where it should be? What if someone does something they should not? Has worship occured? Is God pleased with our worship?

I fear that our arks are frequently on carts. We are concerned with so many things that sometimes we do that which violates the good pleasure of God. I can only be grateful, so very grateful, in my own experience, that God has been gracious, shown mercy, extended His love, and at least been tolerant of my failures, that my place of worship has not been called "Perez-Richard" - that God has not broken out against me in His righteous anger.

OK, let's have a big crowd - or small. Let's celebrate the awesome greatness and goodness of our God. Let's have a grand worship experience. But ...

put the ark in the hands of Levites, not on a cart!!

[By the way, David, the worship leader, got it right the second time around - chapter 15 - and it was an even greater worship experience.]