en yan hua fang

《The Myth of Uzzah’s Death — A Curse or a Blessing?》 ~ ✨

During the late period of the Judges, the culture of “everyone did what was right in their own eyes” (Judges 21:25) among the twelve tribes of Israel proved difficult to eradicate even after the nation was established and kings were appointed.  

During Saul’s reign, the tribes generally followed the king’s commands in state affairs (1 Samuel 10:25).  However, Saul disobeyed God’s commands, was rejected by God, and ultimately died in battle (1 Samuel 31:1-4).  The twelve tribes split again; eleven tribes followed Saul’s son Ish-bosheth (2 Samuel 2:8-9), while the tribe of Judah followed David (2 Samuel 2:4).  Only after much difficulty were the twelve tribes unified under King David (2 Samuel 5:1-3).

David was skilled in military affairs, but not all he did in state and family matters was according to God’s heart.  The death of Uzzah was the first lesson God taught David after the unification of Israel on “how to govern the entire nation.”  That lesson was: “To obey God’s statutes and be careful to follow His decrees.” (Ezekiel 36:26-27).

David, accompanied by thirty thousand Israelites, brought the ark of God from the house of Abinadab in Baalah of Judah, with Abinadab’s sons Uzzah and Ahio guiding the new cart (2 Samuel 6:2-3).  They did not act according to the regulations for handling holy things, leading to a grievous sin against heaven!

Numbers Chapter Four details the regulations for carrying and handling the holy items, including the specific rules for transporting the Ark.  Simply put, there were four important rules for carrying the Ark:

1. It was to be handled by Kohathite Levites aged thirty to fifty; v2-3

2. Before transport, the Ark was to be covered exactly as God commanded; v5-6

3. It was to be carried on poles, on the shoulders; v15

4. They must not touch the holy things, lest they die; they were not even to look at the holy things for a moment, lest they die; v15,19-20.

Uzzah, trying to prevent the cart carrying the Ark from tipping over, reached out and took hold of the Ark.  As a result, God struck him down on the spot (2 Samuel 6:6-7).  This was not the first time Israelites were struck down by God for not handling/viewing the Ark of God according to these regulations.  

The first occurred at the end of the Judges period.  The Book of 1 Samuel Chapter 6 records it in detail. God struck down seventy men of Beth Shemesh because they looked into the Ark.  The people of Beth Shemesh then sent messengers to the inhabitants of Kiriath Jearim to come and take the Ark.  This is the “Baalah of Judah” mentioned in 2 Samuel 6:2 (Joshua 15:9 & 60; 1 Chronicles 13:6; 1 Samuel 7:1).  The ark remained at the house of Abinadab in Kiriath Jearim for a long time.  After twenty years, all Israel mourned and sought after the Lord (1 Samuel 7:2).

Sadly, Israel did not hold onto this longstanding lesson — Blessing comes from handling holy things according to the regulations; curse comes from presumptuously altering the methods.   Decades later, history repeated itself.  

David’s first attempt to move the Ark did not fully follow the prescribed rules (i.e., the regulations in the Book of Numbers Chapter Four), indirectly leading to Uzzah’s death (he was struck down for touching the Ark).  David was angry and afraid of the Lord because of His outburst against Uzzah.  He was afraid of bringing the Ark to Jerusalem, but he instead took it to the house of Obed-Edom.  Obed-Edom was a descendant of Levi, from the Korahite clan, of the Kohathites (Numbers 16:1; 1 Chronicles 6:38; 1 Chronicles 26:1 & 4-8).

At this point, my reflection centers on David’s anger and fear.  First, in military matters, David was repeatedly victorious because he relied on the Lord God of hosts.  After unifying the twelve tribes, David’s first right act as king was capturing Jerusalem.  For God had chosen Zion, desiring it for His dwelling place forever (Psalm 132:13-14).

Now, David had found a dwelling place for God.  He wanted to bring the Ark of God and the holy vessels for worship to Jerusalem, and to build a temple for God’s Name, so that all twelve tribes of Israel could come together to God’s dwelling place and worship at His footstool.  I believe this desire of David’s was also according to God’s heart (Deuteronomy 12:5 & 12-14; Psalm 132:2-5 & 7).  However, David was not allowed to build the temple because he had shed much blood and fought many wars — God did not permit him to build it because he had shed much blood on the earth in God’s sight (1 Chronicles 22:6-7).

In the matter of moving the Ark, David failed to handle this sacred task properly.  Why did he fail?  Uzzah’s death was God’s judgement upon an irreverent person.  God is holy!  He had said to Aaron through Moses: “Among those who approach me I will be proved holy; in the sight of all the people I will be honoured.” (Leviticus 10:3).  Therefore, all priests who approach God and Levites who handle holy things must consecrate themselves and do exactly as God commanded.  

The Ark represented God’s power and glory.  The Kohathites were assigned the duty of carrying it.  The Ark had been in the house of Uzzah’s father, Abinadab, for a long time.  In principle, they should have known the relevant regulations and penalties — the command that anyone who touches the holy things will die (Numbers 4:15) — better than any other Israelite.

David was from the tribe of Judah and was also king over all twelve tribes.  Governing the nation and teaching the people to obey God’s statutes and decrees was the king’s duty.  God commanded that the king should write for himself a copy of the Law on a scroll, keep it with him, and read it all the days of his life so that he can learn to revere the Lord his God and follow carefully all the words of this law and these decrees (Deuteronomy 17:19-20).

Did Israel’s first king, Saul, do this (1 Samuel 10:25)?  Did the second king, David, do this?  I find no biblical record indicating they did.  I think if David had done so, or if he had been clear about the legal requirements, he would not have intentionally disregarded the regulations in handling this matter.  Or perhaps, he was aware but failed to ensure the Levites carried it out according to the rules.  David named the place of Uzzah’s death Perez Uzzah, meaning “Uzzah’s breach,” implying that Uzzah’s violation led to his death by God.  

When arranging the second move of the Ark, David said to the Levitical leaders, “Because you did not carry it the first time, the Lord our God broke out in anger against us.  We did not inquire of him about how to do it in the prescribed way.” (1 Chronicles 15:13).  This statement could give the impression that David was shifting blame.  In this grand undertaking, the Levites violated the command.  Could David, as the king of the nation, truly be free from responsibility?

David’s anger led him to fear God.  From David’s origins until now, this is the first time recorded that he feared the Lord.  Previously, in the presence of Achish king of Gath, the Bible describes David fearing for his life, so he feigned madness to escape.  This time, David feared God because he could not escape God’s rebuke.  He had failed to “find out what pleases the Lord” in this matter.  Obed-Edom must have done what pleased the Lord, for God blessed him and his entire household.  Obed-Edom’s testimony gave David a shot of courage to redo this task intended for God’s glory properly.  

In the second move of the Ark, we see David’s meticulous planning and preparation beforehand, and during the procession, he wore a linen ephod, displaying his humility.  All this is recorded in the Book of 1 Chronicles Chapter 15.

Through God’s shaping, David came to understand that “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and that all who follow His precepts have good understanding” (Psalm 111:10).  Through repeated experiences, David saw that “the works of God’s hands are faithful and just; all His precepts are trustworthy.  They are established for ever and ever, enacted in faithfulness and uprightness.” (Psalm 111:7-8, 10).

In the past, God commanded the kings of Israel to copy the Law, keep it, and read it daily to learn to revere God and obey all His words.  Today, Christians have one or even multiple copies of Bibles in their hands.  If we read it daily, learning to revere God and obey all its teachings and instructions, then the fear of God does not make God’s people afraid of Him, but rather equips God’s people thoroughly for every good work (2 Timothy 3:17).

God is a holy and righteous God; He is also a loving God.  His love, however, cannot surpass His holiness and righteousness.  Through Uzzah’s death, God taught His chosen people Israel.  He used severe punishment to express His love.  His will was for Israel to become “a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.”  Therefore, severe punishment was an act of mercy within His love.

Today, through Jesus Christ, we also become “a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession.” We live by grace and proclaim the excellencies of Him who called us out of darkness into His marvelous light (1 Peter 2:9).  Whether for those with pastoral responsibilities or ordinary believers, if we are to do God’s will, maintaining personal holiness is a prerequisite; for without holiness no one will see the Lord (Hebrews 12:14).

Regarding “Uzzah’s death,” among believers and non-believers alike, there are voices saying it was an “honest mistake,” “good intentions gone wrong,” or that “God is cruel.”  I hope this sharing can achieve the effect of “learning from the past to illuminate the present.”  We can better balance an understanding of God’s insistence on His holy nature with the truth of His grace.  

From Uzzah’s death, we learn that serving God requires not only zeal but also strict adherence to God’s prescribed methods.  Fearing God does not mean being afraid of Him, but rather approaching our holy God with holy hearts, minds, and spirits.

✨✨💖 ~