Psalms 16, 101, 2 Samuel 5:6-12, 17-25, 23:13-17, 6:1-11, I Chronicles 11:4-9, 14:8-17, I Chronicles 11:15-19, 13:1-14

It seemed harmless enough. In fact, it seemed like the right thing to do. Loving, even. The ark of the Lord looked like it was going to fall when the oxcart lurched so Uzzah simply reached out to steady it. What’s so bad about that?

Well, if we look back at God’s instructions concerning the ark we see that he established it as the place he would reside and that no one was to touch it. Ever. There were elaborate instructions using long poles so that those who carried the ark wouldn’t even come close. 

It wasn’t that Uzzah didn’t know that. But why couldn’t God overlook this one little act when it seemed so innocent? 

Uzzah disobeyed. Disobedience is sin. What happened to Uzzah was a direct result of his disobedience.

The lesson here is that God’s standards are black and white. I’m glad for that, actually. He doesn’t make life a guessing game. He spells it all out and we can trust him to stick with it.

Good intentions are meaningless if they result in sin. A loving act can be sinful if there is disobedience involved.

Dear friend, God cannot overlook sin no matter how we dress it up.

Holy God, I thank you that your word to us spells things out so clearly. Thank you that you are consistent, never changing. May we honor you today with obedience according to your word.