Does It Matter How I Worship God?
Submitted by Ted Mock
April 16, 2025
1Ch 13:10 And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Uzza, and he smote him, because he put his hand to the ark: and there he died before God.
In the story of David attempting to do a good thing by bringing the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem, at first glance, it seems to be a harsh punishment for a small technicality. His motivation was right when in the 3rd verse David says, “And let us bring again the ark of our God to us: for we enquired not at it in the days of Saul.”
The Bible tells us that they put the ark on a new cart, just like the Philistines did way back in I Samuel Chapter six. After all, that was how the lost people, the Philistines, were told to transport the ark.
The distance between where the ark was in Kirjath-jearim to Jerusalem was about 18 miles. And it would have been much easier to put it on an ox cart for the trip to Jerusalem, but God had His way, not man’s way, of doing things.
Somewhere, outside of the city, the oxen pulling the new cart stumbled making the ark about to tip over and fall off the cart, and Uzza put his hands on the ark to steady it. Most people would say he was doing a good thing, but God killed Uzza on the spot for touching it
Some may ask if David’s motive was right, and if Uzza was trying to do a good thing, why such a harsh punishment? Talk about raining on someone’s parade. The death of Uzza stopped all the celebration and the ark never made it to town.
The answer can be found in chapter 15, verse 13, when David said, “the Lord our God made a breach upon us, for that we sought Him not after the due order.”
When on the second attempt to bring the ark into the city they did things according to the Word of the Lord, there was shouting and great joy in Jerusalem.
I am afraid today, many churches are trying to worship God man’s way, not God’s way. Our worship should not be what the world worships, our worship is about Who we worship. Worship is not about how we choose to worship, but how God commands us to worship.
Remember, Jesus said, “they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.” If you use new carts, don’t be surprised when you have dead Uzzas.
Consider—Delayed obedience is disobedience.
