FROM ANGER TO FEAR

• DAY 180
• FEAR FILE: DAVID
• SCRIPTURES: 2 SAMUEL 6:9-16

And David arose and went with all the people who were with him from Baale Judah to bring up from there the ark of God, whose name is called by the Name, the LORD of Hosts, who dwells between the cherubim. So they set the ark of God on a new cart, and brought it out of the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill; and Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, drove the new cart. And when they came to Nachon’s threshing floor, Uzzah put out his hand to the ark of God and took hold of it, for the oxen stumbled. Then the anger of the LORD was aroused against Uzzah, and God struck him there for his error; and he died there by the ark of God. And David became angry because of the LORD’s outbreak against Uzzah; and he called the name of the place Perez Uzzah to this day. David was afraid of the LORD that day; and he said, “How can the ark of the LORD come to me?” So David would not move the ark of the LORD with him into the City of David; but David took it aside into the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite.

2 SAMUEL 6:9-16

Have you ever been angry at God? I have. And every time man is angry at God, it was them that messed up. In our text today, David was angry at the Lord. He set out to do a noble thing. To put God’s ark where it belonged –with God’s people. He got a new cart, praised and danced, and did all that good stuff but because someone tried to prevent the ark from falling, God struck Him dead? That seems pretty rash and unfair.

What kind of a God will kill a man that was just trying to do a noble thing? How shameful would it have been for the ark to have fallen on the road? That would have been disastrous. Sometimes we have good intentions but find out that our well-meaning actions result in harsh consequences. And when we witness such things, we wonder why God couldn’t have just shown mercy. That’s how David felt when Uzzar died.

A Flawed Approach

What David didn’t know is that from the beginning they messed up. He didn’t check the instructions of God concerning how the ark should be carried. In Exodus 25:12-15, rings and poles were made and attached to the ark to prevent people from touching it. No one was to touch the holy things in the Tabernacle or they will die (Exodus 4:15). The ark was not even meant to be on a cart but carried on the shoulders of priests. The only people who got away with carrying it on a cart were the Philistines who didn’t know any better. And besides they suffered enough for even carrying it.

So you see, God was merciful enough to let them survive driving it on a cart for the distance. If they had done it right the ark would have stayed stable and Uzzah would have lived. My point? Every time we get mad or angry at God the fault always lies on this side of eternity. The danger however is that whenever we get angry at God, we become afraid. We start to doubt His love and intentions.

Do It Right

David said, after what just happened, no way I’m letting that ark anywhere near me. I don’t wanna die. In the same way, some people might think God is no longer good because they faced or experienced tragedy, so they don’t wanna go near God. when all we ought to do is repent and do things right the next time.

David understood this. He realized that God wasn’t the problem and neither was the ark. He heard that it blessed the house of the man that kept it and had a change of heart and decided to do things right. We read later on in verses 12-15

Now it was told King David, saying, “The LORD has blessed the house of Obed-Edom and all that belongs to him, because of the ark of God.” So David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-Edom to the City of David with gladness. And so it was, when those bearing the ark of the LORD had gone six paces, that he sacrificed oxen and fatted sheep. Then David danced before the LORD with all his might; and David was wearing a linen ephod. So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the LORD with shouting and with the sound of the trumpet.

Beloved, God is not an angry God. He doesn’t desire to unleash on us. What’s more, He is just. You don’t have to be afraid of His wrath or His anger. When we do things right we don’t have to be afraid. Let us not let our tantrums open up a door to the enemy to puncture our faith in the character of God.

If you have acted out of anger towards God now is a good time to repent. Pray to your Father in Jesus.

Shalom