A Disaster Through Disobedience
By Allen Moon
God’s Word as Opposed to Heathen Customs—Obedience Should Be Definite and Painstaking In the days of Eli and Samuel, the ark of God had fallen into the hands of the Philistines in battle; but God allowed so much trouble to come upon the Philistines in consequence, that they decided to send the ark back to the land of Israel. For this purpose they secured a new cart drawn by milch cows. The men of Israel took the ark and put it in the house of Abinadab, where it remained during the reign of Saul, Israel’s first king, and until David came to the throne. After David was established in the kingdom, he proposed to bring the ark to Jerusalem. He consulted with the officers of his army and other leaders in his kingdom, and then called together a great company of people, and together they went to the house of Abinadab to bring the ark to a place that David had prepared for it in Jerusalem. The ark was placed upon an oxcart, and they started on the way. As the road was rough, the cart was jolted, and Uzzah put out his hand to steady the ark to keep it from falling, and he was slain by the Lord for touching the ark. “And David was afraid of the Lord that day. . . . So David would not remove the ark of the Lord unto him into the city of David; but David carried it aside into the house of Obed-edom.” 2 Sam. 6: 9, 10. The ark remained for a considerable length of time in the house of Obed-edom, and the blessing of God rested upon all he had. David began to inquire why God would not permit him to bring the ark to its place, and he learned that the reason why Uzzah was slain, and he had been made afraid of the Lord, was because he had not followed the plan that God Himself had given. So David searched the word of God, and there he learned that none but the Levites could touch the ark, and only the sons of Kohath might carry it. It was acceptable to God for the heathen Philistines to send the ark home on a cart, for that was the best they knew. But David, the king of Israel, had the word of God at hand, from which he might have learned God’s plan. He also had the priests and the Levites all about him, from whom he might have inquired. He failed, and was punished because he followed the course of the heathen. David finally called the priests and the Levites, and they went in order to the house of Obed-edom, and brought up the ark with great joy to Jerusalem, and put it in its place. Is it any less displeasing to God now for people to try to serve Him after the manner of the heathen? The word of God, and only the Word, can be a guide to acceptable service.