Advent 2020 (day 19 of 26)

December 17, 2020 (Thursday)

 

Advent 2020, day 19 of 26.

 

Some lessons are learned the hard way. Sometimes the cost is high. Let’s look at an example of how to learn a lesson… or maybe that should be how NOT to learn a lesson.

 

First, David failed to follow the directions. David was sincere, his heart was in the right place. God’s ark had not traveled yet to Jerusalem. No doubt part of David’s motivation was to consolidate his power, but there must have been a desire to have the Ark of the Covenant in Jerusalem. Gathering an elite 30,000 honor guard/army. David attempted to retrieve the Ark. “They loaded God’s chest on a new cart.” [2 Samuel 6:3a CEB]

 

There are two ways to not follow the directions. You cannot know they exist. This is ignorance. In some sense this can be forgiven, but it makes us look silly. God’s directions for moving the Ark was it was to be carried. The other way we cannot heed directions is to ignore the directions. Like the dad that assembled his son’s bike without reading the directions. Yes, he had left over pieces. No, the bike did not make it to the end of the drive way. (Note: this was not me… another pastor.)

 

I can see why David might have been tempted to ignore the directions. Consider the Ark was heavy, very heavy. At the least, it was over 200 pounds. Considering the “mercy seat” (lid) was solid gold, I think the weight was closer to 600 pounds. When the ark was finally carried into Jerusalem, they stopped every six steps. David sacrificed after each stop (see 2 Samuel 6:13).

 

Second, David failed to fathom the danger. The consequences were devastating. It starts with a mistake that seems to be well intended help. “Uzzah reached out to God’s chest and grabbed it because the oxen had stumbled.” [2 Samuel 6:5b CEB] Hey, you don’t want the most precious treasure, which just happened to be top-heavy to crash into the ground. The result, “The Lord became angry at Uzzah, and God struck him there because of his mistake, and he died there next to God’s chest.” [2 Samuel 6:7 CEB]

 

Third, David failed to fear the divine. Let’s face it, getting mad at God is not the smartest thing. “Then David got angry because the Lord’s anger lashed out against Uzzah.” [2 Samuel 6:8a CEB] Then again he might have been mad at himself. That day David arrived at a conclusion, “David was frightened by the Lord that day. “How will I ever bring the Lord’s chest to me?” he asked.” [2 Samuel 6:9 CEB] If God would be displeased with an effort that was “right” but done “wrong,” then the divine is not something to take lightly.

 

Finally, David failed to fetch the desired blessing. There is humor at this point in the story. Not wanting to risk what would happen if the Ark was taken to Jerusalem, “he had it put in the house of Obed-edom, who was from Gath.” [2 Samuel 610b CEB] Obed-edom was from Gath. He was a gentile. He was a Philistine (from Gath). He (being from Gath, an enemy state) was an enemy of Israel. What did God think of this arrangement? “The Lord blessed Obed-edom’s household and all that he had.” [2 Samuel 6:11b CEB]

 

There will be people we consider “enemies” that God will bless because they are careful in handling the holy. There are those who should know better who miss the blessing because they don’t follow the directions, fathom the danger of irreverence, and fear the holy God we say we love.

 

The cave, which held the feeding trough that hosted the King of glory, glows with the offer of forgiveness from, freedom from the slavery of sin, and free access to Heaven. Christmas is holy ground where rich (magi) and poor (shepherds) are invited. The only ones left out in the cold are those who knew (religious) but didn’t act.