For over a year, I have been reading through the Old Testament. As I have read, I have found myself stunned at the greatness of the God who created the earth. I have marveled at the God who uses hard-hearted men and women to bring about His perfect will. I have asked questions, wondered why, and dug deep into challenging concepts. Through all of this--as never fails when studying Scripture--I have fallen deeper in love with my Savior. For the past two weeks I have been studying 2 Samuel, and I came across the events in 2 Samuel 6 that relate to the Ark of the Covenant's transportation from the city of Baalah to Jerusalem, the City of David.

Here's a quick summary of the story for you in case you are not familiar.

King David takes a lot of able young men with him to retrieve the Ark of the Covenant and bring it to Jerusalem. They put the ark on a cart and begin the journey back to Jerusalem with great excitement and celebration. On the way, one of the oxen pulling the cart stumbles. A guy named Uzzah grabs the ark, in an effort to steady the sacred object--the place where the presence of God rested. Uzzah's action makes God very angry, and he strikes him dead right beside the cart.

If you need more detail, you can read passage in its entity here: Peril in Moving the Ark.

After I read this passage, I paused. Uzzah just touched the ark. At first I had a moment where I thought, "Woah, chill out, God." However, I know God's characteristics. I know that He is not a random, temper-tantrum-throwing God. For that reason, I knew I was missing something, so I began to dig deeper.

I found I needed to ask myself the following question: What is the Ark of the Covenant?

In Exodus 30:6, Moses is commanded, "Put the alter in front of the curtain that shields the ark of the covenant law--before the atonement cover that is over the tablets of the covenant law--where I will meet with you." These words reveal that the Ark of the Covenant represents not just a sacred object, but the presence of God himself.

Furthering this point, Numbers 10:35-36 declares, "Whenever the ark set out, Moses said, 'Rise up, LORD! May your enemies be scattered; may your foes flee before you.' Whenever it came to rest, he said, 'Return LORD, to the countless thousands of Israel.'"

Since the ark is where God's holiness rested, no one could begin to approach the ark without following specific guidelines. This is where the method of transporting the ark comes into play.

As I studied, I found that Exodus 25:12-14 commands, "Cast four gold rings for [the ark] and fasten them to its four feet, with two rings on one side and two rings on the other. Then make poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold. Insert the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark to carry it."

Also in Numbers 4:5-6, the author records, "When camp is to move, Aaron and his sons are to go in and take down the shielding curtain and put it over the ark of the covenant law. Then they are to cover the curtain with a durable leather, spread a cloth of solid blue over that and put the poles in place."

Notice that the ark is to be carried by poles. King David and his men were carrying the ark on a cart; already there is a discrepancy between the required method of carrying the ark and the way David's guys were transporting it.

Both passages back one another up, requiring the use of other objects such as poles, curtains, and leather for concealing and transporting the ark when a move needs to be made. Yes, it does not specifically say, "Do not touch the ark." However, specific ways for handling the ark are given, and touching it is not included. Already the proscribed method of carrying the ark was ignored. Then, to make matters worse Uzzah actually touched the sacred object.

Warning bells should be going off already in your head. We just explored how the ark is the resting place of God's presence. Remember God's response when Moses asked to see the face of God's glory--God himself? Exodus 33:20 provides God's answer, as God declares, "You cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live."

After finding these passages, I began to understand that Uzzah's action, although he quite likely perceived it as good and sensible, did not obey God's specific commands. He belittled and ignored the glory of God--the God who spoke life into every man and woman, painted the sunsets, and invented coffee beans is infinitely loving and gracious, but also perfectly just and to be feared. The glory of God was too great for any human to behold, and the specific commands for caring for the Ark of the Covenant were specifically designed by God through his wisdom and his understanding that his presence was too much for mankind.

Uzzah's impulse to reach out and steady the ark--though completely understandable--implied a belief that man's intervention was necessary for protecting God's Ark of the Covenant--God's very presence.

This understanding of 2 Samuel 6 suddenly transformed from a simple comprehension of the passage to a burst of clarity about my own life, and a beautifully revealing, painful, yet healing light flooded my heart.

I am just like Uzzah.

Oh, how often I do this in my own life.

I forget that Holy Spirit dwells within me. I treat my body and my life as something trivial, temporary, forgetting that I am loved, treasured, protected, and made holy by Jesus' death and resurrection.

Just as David's men carried the ark on a cart rather than the poles, I grant small parts of me freedom to chase the world rather than my Father, and as I slowly turn my eyes from Christ to the alluring sights and knowledge around me, I begin to feel a part of my life teetering in a way that makes me just a little uncomfortable. My grade slips from an A to a B. My future career and educational plans are uncertain. My friendships seem challenged, and I wonder what the future holds. I only have one K-cup left, and I don't get paid until next week.

And when that happens, just like Uzzah, I reach out to steady my life because I forget whose I am and who lives inside me.

The parts of my life that seem all-important and the parts that anyone would admit are trivial begin to wobble in the slightest, and I go running to catch things. I build walls before they crumble. I save money before I need it. I apologize before I even know why the person seems distant.

I don't rest. I forget that my life has been covered by Christ's blood and that he has sent Holy Spirit to fill me.

I run. I steady. I support.

And without fail, I fail--every time--because it is not my job to guard my life.

I desperately attempt to catch every piece of my life, keeping a perfect balance that appears smooth and solid to anyone watching. Dear friend, this is not the life we have been called to as followers of Christ. Just as God commanded the Israelites to carry the ark in a specific way--with poles--God has commanded his children to live life in a way that lets go of control and rests in him.

In a way, our lives are much like the ark. We are not supposed to hold our life tightly in our palms.

In Matthew 6, Jesus says, "[D]o not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?"

Psalm 118:6 makes the beautiful declaration that "[t]he LORD is with me: I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?"

In Mark 4 Jesus literally stills a storm with his words, "Quiet! Be still!" causing the wind to halt and the waves to cease.

Followers of Christ are called to rest, to not worry. We are called to let go of the things we think we are holding on to. We have not been called to rest in an ungrounded, unproven power. Rather, we rest in the God of creation, the God of eternity, the God of life. Throughout scripture, over and over again God's commands are proven perfect, holy, good, and God-glorifying. Not a word from his mouth or a move of his hand has even gone wrong or failed. That is how I know my life is safer in God's hands than it could ever possibly be with my weak attempts to buttress the pieces that shatter all around me daily.

The point of all this is not to discourage you from trying hard and doing your best in every endeavor. Followers of Christ are indeed called to work well in all that we do. However, the moment our work shifts from hard work for the glory and praise of God to hard work for the preservation of the life we imagine is best for us, the problems arise.

Understanding the infinite value of God himself and his perfect commands frames Uzzah's good intentions in a new light, revealing them as God-doubting and God-diminishing rather than God-honoring and God-exalting. The commands and the presence of holy, perfect God are infinitely more valuable, more admirable, and important than even the best-intentioned actions and plans of the sinful human heart.

Lord, transform our hearts that pursue our own perceptions of best as we weakly try to steady the wobbles and imperfections in our lives. Give us liberated hearts that recognize your perfection and your wisdom, your divine plan and your rest. You call us to not worry. Let us trust your commands and promises as absolutely true and good. Remind us of the peace that flows from a trusting relationship with you. Thank you for your Holy Spirit. Enable us to stop rushing to steady our lives and allow us to live wildly, trusting you to be the hand that steadies and the rest that revives.