Returning the Ark of God’s Covenant

1 Chronicles 13:1-14 

    1 Then David consulted with the captains of thousands and hundreds, and with every leader. 2 And David said to all the assembly of Israel, "If it seems good to you, and if it is of the LORD our God, let us send out to our brethren everywhere who are left in all the land of Israel, and with them to the priests and Levites who are in their cities and their common-lands, that they may gather together to us; 3 and let us bring the ark of our God back to us, for we have not inquired at it since the days of Saul." 4 Then all the assembly said that they would do so, for the thing was right in the eyes of all the people.
    5 So David gathered all Israel together, from Shihor in Egypt to as far as the entrance of Hamath, to bring the ark of God from Kirjath Jearim. 6 And David and all Israel went up to Baalah, to Kirjath Jearim, which belonged to Judah, to bring up from there the ark of God the LORD, who dwells between the cherubim, where His name is proclaimed. 7 So they carried the ark of God on a new cart from the house of Abinadab, and Uzza and Ahio drove the cart. 8 Then David and all Israel played music before God with all their might, with singing, on harps, on stringed instruments, on tambourines, on cymbals, and with trumpets.
    9 And when they came to Chidon's threshing floor, Uzza put out his hand to hold the ark, for the oxen stumbled. 10 Then the anger of the LORD was aroused against Uzza, and He struck him because he put his hand to the ark; and he died there before God. 11 And David became angry because of the LORD's outbreak against Uzza; therefore that place is called Perez Uzza to this day. 12 David was afraid of God that day, saying, "How can I bring the ark of God to me?"
    13 So David would not move the ark with him into the City of David, but took it aside into the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite. 14 The ark of God remained with the family of Obed-Edom in his house three months. And the LORD blessed the house of Obed-Edom and all that he had.

David set about returning the Ark of God’s Covenant to Jerusalem which had been at Kirjath Jearim since its recovery from the Philistines (1 Samuel 7:1-2).  He gathered a great multitude from God’s people with the priests to bring it home and be able to inquire direction from the LORD once more.  The consent to do so was unanimous, but there was trouble on the journey back with it.  The ark on a cart was surrounded by singing but not by obedience and faith in God’s hand to steady it on the rough path; when the oxen stumbled on the way and the cart seemed in peril of tipping over, Uzza reached out to steady it.  They were expressly forbidden to touch the holy container of God’s covenant and meeting place (Numbers 4:15), but Uzza failed to trust the LORD to hold it up Himself.  That sin caused his instantaneous death in judgment.  King David was angry instead of having only a holy fear, and decided to put the ark somewhere else because of the fear and anger of further disasters if brought home into Jerusalem.  It therefore stayed for three months at Obed-Edom‘s house, bringing blessings to all there.  We learn that trusting God means that we follow His word even when we reason that we have to do things our way in order to fix things or protect Him.  He is sovereign and omnipotent, able to keep what is His safe; we must learn not to right the toppling cart in our own strength by our own wisdom at odds with God’s, instead trusting His work in His time for His honor and glory.  Our Father knows best.  He gave us His word to follow, not set aside by our reason and reaction at odds with that word.  Remember Uzza and the resulting lost blessings given to others as a result of our own reasoning and faithless reactions.