Everett Henes: The how matters
A great lesson I learned as a young man is that the "how" matters as much as the "what." There wasn’t a single moment where I learned this. Instead, it was taught to me over and over as my dad talked to me about my integrity. As a young man, I was always far more interested in results. Thankfully, my dad would often slow me down to ask me about how things should be done, and why. I was thinking of this, recently, as I was reflecting on Christian worship. For some people, all that matters is that Christians gather to worship their God. But what if the "how" matters as much as the "what"?
One of the most striking stories in the Old Testament comes in 2 Samuel 6. There we find a story about David bringing the Ark of the Covenant back into the city of Jerusalem. This Ark is described in Exodus 25:10-22. It was a box that contained the Ten Commandments from Sinai. It was overlaid with gold and placed into the holiest place in the tabernacle where God’s glory would dwell. This Ark was really the centerpiece of their faith, the centerpiece of their worship.
Why did it need to be brought back? The former king, Saul, had tried to use it as a kind of lucky rabbit’s foot. He brought it into the battle, thinking that it would ensure a military victory. God’s people learned that, unfortunately, God isn’t at our beck and call (not a genie). So, the Ark was captured by the enemies and held for some time.
David is the good king, remember, and so he wants to bring it back. They find it and begin the process of returning it to the Tabernacle, where it was to be kept. There was much joy as they returned the Ark. In 2 Samuel 6:5 we read that David, and all the people were making merry before the Lord. There was singing, playing musical instruments, and probably even some dancing going on. Then something happened. It happened so quickly that people just reacted.
They were moving over a threshing floor. This would have been a rough area where wheat could be beaten out during the harvest. The Ark started to shake the way anything would that is balanced on a cart going over rough ground. A man named Uzzah saw the problem and was concerned that the Ark might fall. He reached out his hand to steady the Ark. It was a reasonable move and surely born out of his concern that this holy item might touch the ground.
Uzzah immediately died. That’s right. He touched the Ark and God struck him dead. So much for God being like a nice uncle or the fairy godmother. The text tells us that this happened because the anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzzah, and that God struck him down there because of his error. What did Uzzah do wrong? I think that his first error was in thinking that he was cleaner than the ground. Man is made from dust and will return to the dust. If there was concern for the Ark touching the ground, then it would be an equal concern for it to be touched by man.
Moreover, God had given specific instructions as to who could handle the Ark and how it was to be handled. None of those instructions were followed in this move. God’s people treated his presence as ordinary and that is a terrible mistake. David would come to move the Ark again. But this time he would do it properly, including the offerings that God commanded.
But what do we make of this story? Are we in danger of dying when we walk into church improperly? And, if not, why not? Is it simply that the God of the Old Testament is different than the God of the New? Is it because God himself has somehow changed? The answer to both of these questions is no. God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He is unchangeable. The difference is that Jesus has come. You see, what Uzzah’s death reminds us of is that God’s presence is not safe. God is always good. God is always true. But God is never safe. How does this apply to worship? The moving of the Ark was, fundamentally, an act of worship. How we approach God in worship matters as much as the fact that we approach him.
— Pastor Everett Henes, the pastor of the Hillsdale Orthodox Presbyterian Church, can be reached at pastorhenes@gmail.com.
This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Everett Henes: The how matters
