God's Not Kidding

447 - 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) Try to be a part of this crowd of 30,000 people transporting the ark of the covenant back to Jerusalem. The kingdom has been reunited, the Philistines defeated, and now the ark of the covenant, the very presence of God being transported to Jerusalem. Oh what a joyous occasion. But suddenly the joy is interrupted by an act of an angry God! Uzzah, who had been walking alongside the ark when the oxen stumbled reaches over to steady the ark to keep it from pitching off the cart and falling to the ground, and immediately he is struck dead by God! We don't know how he died, but it was sudden and there was no doubt that it was an act of God. Why Uzzah? He did the same thing you and I might've done in his place. How many times have you reached over to put a restraining hand on a child sitting on the seat next to you in the car, or perhaps an aging parent. It is a knee jerk reaction of protection for someone you care about! Well, the explanation is very simple, Uzzah disobeyed God and paid the penalty. Nu4:15b gives specific instructions for the handling of the ark, “the sons of Kohath (Levites) shall come to carry them; (the furnishings of the sanctuary) but they shall not touch any holy thing, lest they die.” Uzzah died because God's not kidding. Adam and Eve were kicked out of the Garden and death came into the world because God's not kidding. Look at the cross on Calvary and know that in the matter of sin....God's not kidding. It is only by His grace that you and I have not suffered the same fate as Uzzah. Father, restore a sense of Your holiness to Your people.