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because if they did God said they would die. God does not make laws and then go against His own laws. He is a righteous judge. Now, going back to the story - two men were guiding the new cart, Uzzah and Ahio, sons of Abinadab. The ark had been at Abinadab's house for some time. They had gotten used to it being there. Too used to it, as we shall see.
Samuel 6:5
David and the whole house of Israel were celebrating with all their might before the LORD, with songs and with harps, lyres, tambourines, sistrums and cymbals.
David and Israel were very excited to be bringing the ark to the city of David. However, in their excitement, they had forgotten to do what God had already told them to do in Scripture. Excitement and zeal for the Lord can never replace simple obedience.
2 Samuel 6:6
When they came to the threshing-floor of Nacon, Uzzah reached out and took hold of the ark of God, because the oxen stumbled.
It says in one commentary that the translation of the oxen "stumbled" can be taken to mean that they got stuck in the mud and stumbled because of that - or - it can also be translated "the oxen shook". This is because the word "it" is an English supplement word. It could have been that the oxen shook "as if their bones and muscles were coming apart" or in fear because of the holiness of the ark, as if somehow they sensed that it was wrong for
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them to carry the ark when it ought to have been carried on the shoulders with poles by Levites.
The other important thing that happens in this verse is that Uzzah reaches out and takes hold of the ark. Uzzah and
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LORD's wrath had broken out against Uzzah, and to this day that place is called Perez Uzzah. (the breach of Uzzah)
David's first reaction is that he is angry with God. But he had also forgotten God's law. He thought his public worship and praise was enough for God. He thought his excitement and zeal would satisfy God. But God is holy. God does not change. The law does not change.
Samuel 6:9
David was afraid of the LORD that day and said, "How can the ark of the LORD ever come to me?"
Something dawned on David. He didn't have the whole picture yet. But he realizes that God is sovereign in all things and he had better find out what he/David had done wrong ... not God!
2 Samuel 6:10-11
He was not willing to take the ark of the LORD to be with him in the City of David. Instead, he took it aside to the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite.The ark of the LORD remained in the house of ObedEdom the Gittite for three months, and the LORD blessed him and his entire household.
The ark is now left in the care of Obed-Edom. God blesses his household. David goes back to his city. He fasts and prays and re-reads the Scripture. He realizes that he and the Levites were wrong. They were disobedient to the Lord.
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1 Chronicles 15:11-15
11 Then David summoned Zadok and Abiatbar the priests, and Uriel, Asaiah, Joel, Shemaiah, Eliel and Amminadab the Levites.He said to them, "You are the heads of the Levitical families; you and your fellow Levites are to consecrate
yourselves and bring up the ark of the LORD, the God of Israel, to the place I have prepared for it. It was because you, the Levites, did not bring it up the first time that the LORD our God broke out in anger against us. We did not enquire of him about how to do it in the prescribed way." So the priests and Levites consecrated themselves in order to bring up the ark of the LORD, the God of Israel. And the Levites carried the ark of God with the poles on their shoulders, as Moses had commanded in accordance with the word of the LORD.
The Scriptures and law are the word of the Lord! So David, in this passage, finally worships God by obedience. Samuel had said to Saul earlier in David's life:
1 Samuel 15:22
"Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.
Now, because David and the Levites obeyed the Lord, their sacrifices and worship were acceptable.
2 Samuel 6:12-15
Now King David was told, "The LORD has blessed the household of Obed-Edom and everything he has, because of the ark of God." So
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