1 Chronicles 13:2
And David said unto all the congregation of Israel, If it seem good unto you, and that it be of the LORD our God, let us send abroad unto our brethren every where, that are left in all the land of Israel, and with them also to the priests and Levites which are in their cities and suburbs, that they may gather themselves unto us:
David spoke to all the congregation of Israel, laying his proposal before them on the condition that it seemed good to them and was of the Lord God, and seeking their united agreement to act together in it. He consulted the congregation and its leaders about bringing the ark home, proposing that the people gather for the undertaking.
He proposed to send abroad to the brethren left everywhere in all the land of Israel, and with them also to the priests and Levites in their cities and suburbs, that they might gather themselves together to him to bring the ark of God home to Jerusalem. The gathering was to include Israel's people with the priests and Levites, assembled together for this common work. The verse introduces David's plan to gather Israel for bringing the ark of God to Jerusalem.
The verse is part of the account of David's preparations concerning the house of God. It is identified as a parallel account of David's effort to bring the ark of God to Jerusalem. It belongs to the account of the effort to bring the ark from the house of Obed-edom to Jerusalem.
David's purpose in proposing the gathering was right. The people's and the leaders' united approval of the plan was sincere, and the gathering and celebration that followed were sincere. That unanimous agreement and good intentions did not make their method right. The later execution violated God's instructions given through Moses for transporting the ark, by moving it on a cart instead of carrying it in the proper way.
Uzzah, also spelled Uzza, was struck down and died. Afterward David repented and recognized that they had not sought the Lord according to the proper or due order. The ark was then to be carried by the priests on their shoulders. The episode shows that human judgment and unanimous approval are unsafe when they disregard instruction given through a prophet. A prophet's death does not lessen the force of testimony already given.