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There are two parts to the story in 2 Samuel. The first is a failed attempt to bring the Ark of God into the city by David and his men.
They were trying to cart instead of carry, and when the oxen stumbled, God stuck down a man called Uzzah for taking hold of the Ark while trying to stop it from falling to the ground.
The second part of the story takes place three months later when David follows the instructions of transportation and carries the Ark into the city with rejoicing and thanksgiving and…thankfully no one dies.
He wasn’t being disobedient by trying to quickly transport the Ark using a cart. He was simply excited and wanted to speed up the process, but because of his disregard for the instructions, there were consequences.
2 Samuel tells us that because of God's anger, David was afraid, but what we see through the scripture is that he did not fear the Holy but demonstrated Holy fear in obedience the second time around.
He chose not to take any step for granted, and every six steps rested the ark to give sacrifices and thanksgiving to the Lord.
He took the time to transport the presence of God reverently and with honour.
He stayed alert and focused on the task at hand, and this is what living in Holy fear should look like in our lives.
It should keep us alert for what might cause us to stumble.
It should stop us from ever considering cutting corners when God has given instructions.
It should ground us in gratitude for every step we take and every breath we breathe.
Not because we should be afraid of the consequences, but because we get to rejoice in His presence.
If David stayed afraid of God, the Ark would still be in Obed’s house, and Israel would have missed out on the blessings.
When we have reverence for God correctly, we don’t stay afraid, we instead stay alert and focused.
Are you afraid of God? Have you misplaced your reverence and missed out on blessings?
As you read the full story of David and the Ark today, take note of his actions, and how his behaviour and posture change from the first attempt to the next.
What can you learn from him?
