God has been misunderstood by many over the years, and no doubt the passage from today's reading doesn't help the confusion. Even David, in the moment, did not fully understand God because the experience with the Ark of the Covenant and Uzzah left him with a new level of fear. To us, it seems unreasonable that God might strike Uzzah dead for what appears to be a noble effort in keeping the Ark of the Covenant from crashing to the ground. When you properly understand what the Ark represented (God's presence), it's not hard to believe that God did what He did. After all, He's holy, and we're not. That doesn't make the situation any easier to understand, but God was teaching an important lesson to His people that He shouldn't be dealt with carelessly. God isn't a god to be manipulated or managed. When we try to manipulate or manage Him, we are guilty of ignoring His holiness. Unfortunately, Uzzah had to learn that lesson the hard way. Notice that God didn't spite David even though David didn't understand the situation and was angry with God. Instead, God patiently waited for David to bring the Ark to Jerusalem, and He continued blessing those who respected His holiness (i.e. the house of Obed-edom).
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