The Lie

2 Samuel 6: 3-16 "And they set the ark of God upon a new cart, and brought it out of the house of Abinadab that was in Gibeah: and Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, drave the new cart. [4] And they brought it out of the house of Abinadab which was at Gibeah, accompanying the ark of God: and Ahio went before the ark. [5] And David and all the house of Israel played before the LORD on all manner of instruments made of fir wood, even on harps, and on psalteries, and on timbrels, and on cornets, and on cymbals. [6] And when they came to Nachon's threshing floor, Uzzah put forth his hand to the ark of God, and took hold of it; for the oxen shook it. [7] And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Uzzah; and God smote him there for his error; and there he died by the ark of God. [8] And David was displeased, because the LORD had made a breach upon Uzzah: and he called the name of the place Perezuzzah to this day. [9] And David was afraid of the LORD that day, and said, How shall the ark of the LORD come to me? [10] 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 Obededom the Gittite. [11] And the ark of the LORD continued in the house of Obededom the Gittite three months: and the LORD blessed Obededom, and all his household. [12] And it was told king David, saying, The LORD hath blessed the house of Obededom, and all that pertaineth unto him, because of the ark of God. So David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obededom into the city of David with gladness. [13] And it was so, that when they that bare the ark of the LORD had gone six paces, he sacrificed oxen and fatlings. [14] And David danced before the LORD with all his might; and David was girded with a linen ephod. [15] So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the LORD with shouting, and with the sound of the trumpet."

"What in the world does the Lord want me to do with my life? Why did this happen to me? Why can't I see the clear hand of God in operation in my daily walk?"

These are questions that people are asking, more and more frequently, today. People want to experience more of God, so much so that believers are turning away from the Church that our forefathers knew. Some people, though they don't often say it out loud, feel that a believer can live his or her life just fine without the fellowship of other believers, without the Church. Christians, rather than walking as Kings and Priests on this earth, are presenting lives to the world that are less than victorious. Churches are, more often than not, fighting and bickering among themselves. Though I have not seen this among you, beloved of God, let me caution you against such practices.

2 Samuel 6: 3 "And they set the ark of God upon a new cart, and brought it out of the house of Abinadab that was in Gibeah: and Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, drave the new cart."

The Ark of God was a very special symbol to the Nation Israel. The Ark was a rectangular acacia wood box measuring 4 feet x 2.5 feet by 2.5 feet. The Ark contained the tables of the Law that God gave Moses, Aaron's rod that budded, and a golden pot filled with Manna:

Hebrews 9:4  "Which had the golden censer, and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein was the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron's rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant."

The Ark symbolized God Almighty leading His nation Israel into battle. God even spoke to the people from the Ark (Exodus 25.22), above the Mercy Seat and between the Cherubim, the golden representations of God's highest created angels. The Ark was God's "telephone line" to Israel (Exodus 25.8), the way that He chose to talk to His leaders, the way that Infinite God could be seen by mortal man without death befalling him.

God had Israel build a Tabernacle, a hugh tent, that would be the place of worship for all of Israel. Within the Tabernacle God ordered that a "place most holy", the holy of holies, be separated from the holy place with a thick curtain. The Ark of the Covenant would be placed inside the Holy of Holies, behind the veil (Exodus 26.33-34). Israel would stay on one side, on the holy place, but only the High Priest would enter the holy of holies to make atonement for the sins of the people (Leviticus 16.2-3; 15-16).

I didn't come here today to talk about the shadows of the Ark, what each aspect of the Ark and the Tabernacle represented to Israel as a teaching tool, and represents to us today. Yes, the thick veil that separated the Israelites from the Ark represented sin, and how it separates man from God. Yes, when Jesus died, when He cried out "Father, into Thy hands I commend My spirit", this same veil ripped in two (Mark 15.38), symbolizing that the sin barrier between God and man was now breached by this perfect Sacrifice. The old way is passed, the new victorious way to God is now here! I didn't even come here to tell you that the Ark was capped with a Mercy Seat, that God spoke to man while above this Seat, symbolizing that we can only have communion with God when we apply the resources of His Mercy to our lives.

Here's what you need to understand: God gave Israel specific directions on the creation and handling of His Ark. David disobeyed these directions, and a man died because of it. Look at this verse:

Exodus 25:14-15 "And thou shalt put the staves into the rings by the sides of the ark, that the ark may be borne with them. [15]  The staves shall be in the rings of the ark: they shall not be taken from it."

When God had the Ark built He specifically ordered that rings be placed on the sides of the Ark, and "staves" or poles placed in these rings so the Ark could be carried about as Israel moved. The Levites, that Priestly tribe, were responsible for carrying the Ark from place to place, as God directed Israel to move. The Ark was always to proceed the nation (Numbers 10.33) to emphasize that God, not man, led this chosen Nation. The Ark was to be carried by hand, not by cart. As I searched the Scriptures I can only find two places in the Scripture when the Ark was placed on a cart:

1) When captured by the Philistines (1 Samuel 6.7-8), it was placed on a cart before sending it back to Israel, and,

2) When King David made the terrible mistake of loading it on a cart in 2 Samuel 6.

We are called, as God's anointed, to obey His Word implicitly, no matter what. One of the lies that Satan has introduced to the world and the Church (God forgive us) is that, "Surely, there must be a better way than the way God says". When God commissioned the building of the Ark, He commissioned it to a Chosen People. These people were commanded to follow His Word without fail, not to seek a better way. When David ordered the Ark moved by cart I'm sure his heart was in the right place, though his head was not on the Word of God.

2 Samuel 6. 6-9 "And when they came to Nachon's threshing floor, Uzzah put forth his hand to the ark of God, and took hold of it; for the oxen shook it. [7] And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Uzzah; and God smote him there for his error; and there he died by the ark of God. [8] And David was displeased, because the LORD had made a breach upon Uzzah: and he called the name of the place Perezuzzah to this day. [9] And David was afraid of the LORD that day, and said, How shall the ark of the LORD come to me?"

How many times have we departed from God's Word, moved out on our "better way", then been "displeased" with God because things did not work out as we planned. The Ark, the most holy thing that God gave to the nation Israel, was not a thing to be trifled with. When God ordered it be carried by staves, He ordered this not out of spite, not out of pettiness, but because it was best for all concerned. The Glory of God dwelt on this rectangular box - to touch it was to die.

Who was at greatest fault here, Uzzah or David? Uzzah's failure was in grabbing the Ark, touching the Holy with unclean hands. David's sin was that Uzzah was placed in such a predicament. When God's appointed leaders depart from the Word, when they teach, preach, or lead contrary to that which God has decreed and lead the flock astray, they bear the greater guilt.

And notice this: [8] And David was displeased. Dear friends, when we depart from God's ways and suffer the consequences, we are in the wrong for blaming God for our error. David failed to recognize that the error was his, not God's, and because of that had the Ark taken to the house of Obededom. When he did that I want you to notice something:

2 Samuel 6.11 "And the ark of the LORD continued in the house of Obededom the Gittite three months: and the LORD blessed Obededom, and all his household."

For three months the Ark remained with Obededom, and for three months Obededom was blessed, for he honored the Ark. I doubt very seriously David knocked Obededom's door down and demanded that he keep the Ark. David, in fear, had the Ark delivered to Obededom who, knowing the Word of God, treated the Ark with the respect it deserved.

I want you to also notice that for three months David missed out on blessing from God because he left the Ark at Obededom's house. David missed out on blessing, just as we ourselves miss out on blessing when we depart from God's Word to find "a better way". Once David realized the error of his ways, he moved God's Ark, and was so blessed that the Scripture says:

2 Samuel 6. 14-15 "And David danced before the LORD with all his might; and David was girded with a linen ephod. [15] So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the LORD with shouting, and with the sound of the trumpet."

The number one lie that sends people by the hundreds, the thousands, to eternal damnation is "I can make it on my own". If you believe that you have a better way than the Way offered unto salvation, you are deceiving yourself.

You may think that your morality may save you, yet the Bible tells us:

John 14:6 "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."

Or you may think your way is better than God's way. You may think that you need not repent of your sins, you need not confess the Son as Saviour, but God tells us:

Matthew 10:32-33 "Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven."

Refuse the lies that Satan has put into your heads. You cannot work your way to Heaven. You cannot be good enough. Repent (confess) your sins before God today, and accept Jesus Christ as your Saviour. Come to Him who dwelt above the Ark and say, "Father, I know I have no power to be saved on my own. I realize I am lost, a sinner, and accept what Jesus Christ, your Son, did for me on the Cross." This is the way that leads unto righteousness: all other ways are new carts that lead to death.
 

SACRIFICE, JESUS': Were You Colder Than This? (Ruth Seamands) It was Christmas Eve in Korea.  An expectant mother walked through the snow to the home of a missionary friend where she knew she could find help. A short way down the road from the mission house was a deep gully spanned by a bridge. As the young woman stumbled forward, birth pains overcame her. She realized she could go no farther. She crawled under the bridge. There alone between the trestles she gave birth to a baby boy. She had nothing with her except the heavy padded clothes she was wearing. One by one she removed the pieces of her clothing and wrapped them around her tiny son - around and around, like a cumbersome cocoon. Then, finding a discarded piece of burlap, she pulled it over herself, and lay exhausted beside her baby.  The next morning the missionary drove across the bridge in her Jeep to take a Christmas basket to a Korean family. On the way back, as she neared the bridge, the Jeep sputtered and died, out of gas. Getting out of the Jeep she started to walk across the bridge, and heard a faint cry beneath her. She crawled under the bridge to investigate. There she found the tiny baby, warm but hungry, and the young mother frozen to death. The missionary took the baby home and cared for him. As the boy grew, he often asked his adopted mother to tell him the story of how she had found him. On Christmas Day, his 12th birthday, he asked the missionary to take him to his mother's grave.  Once there he asked her to wait a distance away while he went to pray. The boy stood beside the grave with bowed head, weeping. Then he began to disrobe. As the astonished missionary watched, the boy took off his warm clothing, piece by piece, and laid it on his mother's grave. Surely he won't take off all his clothing, the missionary thought. He'll freeze! But the boy stripped himself of everything, putting all his warm clothing on the grave. He knelt naked and shivering in the snow. As the missionary went to him to help him dress again, she heard him cry out to the mother he never knew: "Were you colder than this for me, my mother?" And he wept bitterly.  When Christ came, He stripped himself of every royal garment and entered into our world of hatred and cold indifference. Why did He do it? Because He saw centuries of broken lives needing a Savior. And then He died of a broken heart. What broke it? The sin of human hearts. The long history of men making slaves of other men. Centuries of cannibalism and cruelty. Starvation and suffering. The worship of false gods in temples made with hands. War, bloodshed, crime, and greed - those things broke the heart of Christ. But so did we.  Our coldness broke His heart and now it freezes Him out. We complacent Americans (and people of ALL nations) who are saved, satisfied, and sitting! We who pray, "Give us compassion for a lost world," and then "sacrifice" a dollar for missions. We with our elegant homes and brimming garbage cans. We who have the money, knowledge, and manpower to take the gospel to every creature, and yet we don't. We who say we love the lost, and neglect to tell a lost neighbor about a loving Savior. Jesus love lies frozen between trestled lips that ought to be warm to speak for Him.  Lord, we take off our garments of pride and self-righteousness, glittering but transparently filthy rags that they are, and lay them at Your feet. In our naked need we cry, "Were you colder than this because of us, Lord?"  And we weep bitterly, because we know You were.

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