Untouchable

FEAR AND ANGER are both common human responses when we are suddenly exposed to danger. There is a pointed object lesson from scriptures regarding this in the life of David. Finally, after years on the run as an outlaw, Saul is dead, and he is now king, and it is a time for rejoicing for all of Israel. “David conferred with each of his officers. He then said to the whole assembly of Israel, ‘Let us bring the ark of our God back to us, for we did not inquire of it during the reign of Saul.’ The whole assembly agreed to do this, because it seemed right to all the people. They moved the ark of God from Abinadab’s house on a new cart, with Uzzah and Ahio guiding it. David and all the Israelites were celebrating with all their might before God, with songs and with harps, lyres, tambourines, cymbals and trumpets.” (1 Chron. 13:1-8)

For David, and for us, what greater danger could there be than getting on the wrong side of God, as Saul had done? David is at a high point of life in this story. For years, he has been battling enemies, inside and outside of Israel. A true son of Israel, he has remained loyal to the call of God on his life, and even as he fell out of favor with King Saul, he never responded in kind to the many attacks that Saul launched against him—he respected the anointing of God on Saul’s life, even though Saul had become “a vessel of dishonor.” (cf. 2 Tim. 2:20) David was fully aware of the anointing on his own life. “Then the Lord said, ‘Rise and anoint him; he is the one.’ So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the Lord came upon David in power.” (1 Sam. 16:12-13)

With Saul now dead in battle against the Philistines—Israel’s constant nemesis—and his sons dead with him, this is the time when destiny is to be fulfilled; David knows it, and so does all Israel; “Then the Spirit came upon Amasai, chief of the Thirty, and he said: ^‘ We are yours, O David! We are with you, O son of Jesse! Success, success to you, and success to those who help you, for your God will help you.” (1 Chron 12:18) And all the tribes of Israel agree, and unite under David. So, David then “conferred with each of his officers to bring the ark.” (1 Chron. 13:1, 6) But neither he nor they conferred with God, and when the oxen stumbled, and the ark of the covenant suddenly shifted, “The Lord’s anger burned against Uzzah, and he struck him down because he had put his hand on the ark.” (1 Chron. 13:10) And just as suddenly, the vibrant celebration ceases, with David angry, confused, and afraid. “How can I ever bring the ark of God to me?” (1 Chron. 13:11-12) This God that he thought he knew so well, the God who had shown favor after favor in his behalf, suddenly shows a side that David had not seen before, not in this way. God had shown great disfavor in the past to those who opposed David, but now he has shown disfavor towards David.

This is one of those ‘hard’ spots in the bible. There’s not enough information given in this story to allay our sudden concerns at what may strike us as a disturbing display of capricious pique on the part of God. This is so out of character for him that we are violently repulsed aback from the flow of our relationship with him, as was David. The only way to come to an understanding of this is to take the time to reflect more deeply on this turn of events, and that is what David does. “He did not take the ark to be with him. Instead, he took it aside to the house of Obed-Edom. The ark of God remained in his house for three months.” (1 Chron. 13:13-14)

There is no single hermeneutical approach that suits all of academia in interpreting scripture, but there is an overarching principle that is acceptable, and that is to read the bible stories in the context of what has happened immediately before, and what happens after, a particular event. In this case, there is little to go on, until we widen our search past this incident for evidence of God’s views on the ark of the covenant. The ark was a very powerful symbol; in it were three objects that testified to God’s miraculous powers: the stone tablets of the Ten Commandments which Moses received during a forty-day supernatural fast on Mt. Sinai; Aaron’s budded staff that signified God’s favor for the tribe of Levi as the priestly tribe ministering before God on behalf of all Israel; and a jar of manna, recalling God’s preternatural provision to sustain the Israelites’ physical needs in support of Moses and against the grumbling that had become more and more prevalent and was a challenge to his leadership.

The lid of the ark had the figures of two angelic beings in a bowed position, arms outstretched perhaps in worship, with the empty space between them thought to be the invisible presence of God. These symbols were so powerful that the ark was kept in the holy of holies in the Tabernacle, and attended to only by the High Priest, and that only once a year. Such were the practices surrounding the ark. In addition to these descriptions of the symbols and what they represented, scriptures from the Torah clearly state that the ark was not to be transported on a cart, but by the priests, using poles that were slid through rings on each side of the ark (cf. Ex 25:10-15; Num 4:15; 7:7-9; Deut. 10:8)

This is consistent with other historical references about potentates of those times who would be carried by their servants in similar fashion, avoiding the jarring and shaking that would naturally occur during cart travel over rocky paths; carts were used for transporting common mercantile goods, not kings. Various other texts in scripture clearly depict the ark as carried by priests, and in particular the instance in Joshua where the Levites carry the ark into the Jordan river, which dries up at that time as the twelve tribes enter the Promised Land for the first time, and God exhibits once again his miraculous powers in favor of the Israelites. This leads immediately to the battle at Jericho, where the walls came down at the blast of the priest’s trumpets (Deut. 31:9, 25; Josh 3:3, 15, 17; 4:9, 10, 18; 6:6; 8:33; 1 Sam 4:4). This strikes fear into the Philistines, as recorded by Rahab’s statement: “Know that the Lord has given this land to you and that a great fear of you has fallen on us, so that all who live in this country are melting in fear because of you.” (Josh. 2:8-9)

By David’s time, in this Chronicles story, the rich history of God’s provision and miraculous powers used in favor of Israel have faded into remote memory. The Israelites have no powerful present memory of God, and in fact have, in living memory of this generation, asked the prophet Samuel, the last judge of Israel, “We want a king over us. Then we will be like all the other nations, with a king to lead us and to go out before us and fight our battles.” (1 Sam. 8:19-20) They have gotten what they asked for.

During the three months while he thought of such things, David solidified his grasp on power, quickly vanquishing the enemy Philistines in several battles, and in so doing validating the tribes’ support for him as king. More importantly, after this time of deep thought, he once again addresses bringing the ark to Jerusalem. “David summoned the priests and the Levites. ‘You and your fellow Levites are to consecrate yourselves and bring up the ark of the Lord. 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 inquire of him about how to do it in the prescribed way.’” (1 Chron. 15:11-13) And God, having administered a primary object lesson, once again bestows favor on Israel, and during David’s time they become the mightiest nation in the ancient near east.

If we have paid proper attention to this story, we also learn a lesson. God is a mighty king and he is due the honor that glorifies his name. From a similar perspective, we can completely endorse David’s later thoughts in the Psalms, perhaps thinking back on this same incident. “Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness.” (Psa. 29:2) It is best for us, all of us, to remember this: It’s not a good thing to be on the wrong side of God.

Q. What happens if I touch him?