1 Chronicles 15:13, commentary and pictures

David's first attempt to bring the ark to Jerusalem ended in a breach upon Israel because they did not seek the Lord after the due order. That order required the ark to be borne on the shoulders of the appointed Kohathite Levites and priests, not set on a cart drawn by oxen. Disregard of it led to Uzzah's death when he steadied the ark, left David afraid to bring it onward, and turned it aside to the house of Obed-edom for three months before David carried it aright to the tabernacle he had prepared. Good motives, united counsel, and wholehearted worship did not make the chosen method right, and do not excuse changing what God has commanded. His exact instructions remain binding and must be fulfilled in the way He appointed, so the same failure to follow His proper order brings a breach still, whether in carrying out baptism as commanded or in keeping the Sabbath as written.

The Ark's First Attempt

The breach upon Israel came because the first attempt to bring the ark to Jerusalem failed to seek the Lord after the due order. The prescribed order had not been followed when the ark was first moved, and that neglect brought judgment upon the undertaking. After repenting, the requirement was understood to be carriage on the priests' shoulders as commanded, rather than on a cart.

That due order required the ark to be borne on the shoulders of the appointed Kohathite Levites and priests, not set on a cart drawn by oxen. Putting it on a cart instead of having the Levites carry it was contrary to God's command, and seeking to fulfill the general purpose in a different way was not obedience after the due order. The exact instruction mattered, and neither sincere intention nor a supposedly better method could take the place of carrying it as required.

Disregard of that order led to Uzzah's death when he touched the ark to steady it. His death made David afraid to bring the ark into Jerusalem, so it was taken instead to the house of Obed-edom. There it remained three months, after which David moved it to his city and placed it in a tabernacle he had prepared.

David acknowledged the cause and charged the priests and heads of the Levites to sanctify themselves and carry the ark as commanded. Seeking God required both following His directions and preparing for the sacred task. When the Levites carried it as commanded, God helped them and the ark reached its destination safely. That later transfer was marked by greater reverence and joy, with clearer views of the ark's holiness, and by solemnity and rejoicing, because God's requirements had been obeyed.

The neglect had included failing to prepare and sanctify themselves, using a cart instead of assigning the Kohathites to bear the ark on their shoulders, and touching the holy things despite the warning that touching them brought death. Uzzah's touching was a further violation that followed from the first violation of cart-carriage. The earlier cattle-drawn cart that brought the ark from Philistia was an exceptional case, when no priests or Levites were available to carry it, and it did not authorize ignoring the law when circumstances had changed.

Obeying God's Prescribed Order

The breach came because the first moving of the ark was not after the due order, for the ark was to be borne on the shoulders of the Levites and priests and David had instead set it on a cart though he knew the direction, and when the Levites afterward carried it as commanded God helped them and it came safely to Jerusalem. Good motives and intentions did not excuse altering the instruction, and agreement of leaders and people with wholehearted worship did not make the chosen method right. Sincere intentions and a supposedly better method did not replace obedience to the command.

The exact instructions given matter, so that to fulfill the general purpose in a different way is not obedience after the due order. The ark was to be carried on the priests' shoulders, not moved on a new cart, and the letter of what was commanded must not be set aside for what seems the spirit or a better method.

The instructions given through Moses about carrying the ark remained binding after his death, and to disregard a prophet's instruction leaves human reason an unsafe guide. Failure to seek the directions in Scripture and follow them brought judgment, while carrying the ark by the appointed Levites, specifically the Kohathites, rather than on a cart, was afterward acceptable service. The neglect that brought Uzzah's death was not a moment of thoughtlessness but failure to bring the ark according to the appointed order, and his touching of the holy things violated the warning that touching them brought death. The judgment was made an example to keep others from changing the order and becoming sinners, and it was merciful in the long run because it taught Israel that God means what He says, so that when sanctified priests next carried the ark on their shoulders as commanded it reached its destination with solemnity and rejoicing. The account shows that people may not replace God's instructions or institutions with human substitutes, and apparent acceptance of a substitute may reflect mercy toward ignorance rather than approval of the transgression.

Applying Due Order Today

Neglect of God's proper order in an ordinance brings a breach upon His people, so baptism must be practiced as God commanded rather than in a different manner. Neglect of God's appointed order brings a breach upon His people, so the Sabbath must be observed as written rather than contrary to God's command, for to disregard what is written is disobedience.

The breach came because the Lord was not sought after the due order, and the order required for the present time includes welcoming the Holy Spirit, Christ's representative, with loving reverence. It includes listening to what the Spirit says to each person and gratefully receiving the Spirit's reminders that comfort the soul and assure it of salvation. The Spirit's abiding presence then equips believers to comfort others with the comfort they themselves have received from God.