Bending the Rules

448 - Today's Prime Time Devo comes from: 2Sa 6:4-7, “And they brought it out of the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill, accompanying the ark of God; and Ahio went before the ark. 5 Then David and all the house of Israel played music before the LORD on all kinds of instruments of fir wood, on harps, on stringed instruments, on tambourines, on sistrums, and on cymbals. 6 And when they came to Nachon's threshing floor, Uzzah put out his hand to the ark of God and took hold of it, for the oxen stumbled. 7 Then the anger of the LORD was aroused against Uzzah, and God struck him there for his error; and he died there by the ark of God. ( 2 Sam 6:4-7) Uzzah and Ahio were sons of Abinadab and they were the keepers of the ark in the house of Abinadab where it had been for the last 20 years. Apparently Uzzah and Ahio were not properly instructed in God-given handling instructions for the ark. Evidently no one had told them of the seventy men who died just because they “looked upon the ark,” ( 1 Sam 6:19) Their first mistake was placing the ark on a cart. The instructions were clear, Levites were to carry the ark with poles on their shoulders, and no one was to touch the ark. God in His forbearance allowed the transportation by cart, but the moment Uzzah touched the ark, he paid the penalty that God had clearly set forth in Nu 4:15, “they shall not touch any holy thing, lest they die.” God is holy. He has given us rules to live by, and He's not kidding. The problem started for Uzzah when he and the others were okay with bending the rules of handling the ark. Some things never change! Most of the moral mess that we find ourselves in today stems from “bending God's rules.” This “bending sets us up for more disobedience and the serious consequences that always come from unchecked sin. Someone forgot to instruct Uzzah about the holiness of God and he paid the price. There is always a generation of Uzzah's who need to be instructed about the holiness of God. To not teach them the Laws of God is to set them up for a bending of the rules in their own lives, and opening them up for the possibility of severe spiritual damage down the road. God is holy. He's not kidding about His rules. Know them. Respect them. Respect Him. Love Him. And bring all your violations to the cross where you can confess them and receive His forgiveness. Father, guard us from our tendency to bend Your rules. Keep us ever mindful of Your holiness.