1 David consulted with the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, with every leader. 2 And David said to all the assembly of Israel, “If it seems good to you and from the Lord our God, let us send abroad to our brothers who remain in all the lands of Israel, as well as to the priests and Levites in the cities that have pasturelands, that they may be gathered to us. 3 Then let us bring again the ark of our God to us, for we did not seek it in the days of Saul.” 4 All the assembly agreed to do so, for the thing was right in the eyes of all the people.
5 So David assembled all Israel from the Nile of Egypt to Lebo-hamath, to bring the ark of God from Kiriath-jearim. 6 And David and all Israel went up to Baalah, that is, to Kiriath-jearim that belongs to Judah, to bring up from there the ark of God, which is called by the name of the Lord who sits enthroned above the cherubim. 7 And they carried the ark of God on a new cart, from the house of Abinadab, and Uzzah and Ahio were driving the cart. 8 And David and all Israel were celebrating before God with all their might, with song and lyres and harps and tambourines and cymbals and trumpets.
9 And when they came to the threshing floor of Chidon, Uzzah put out his hand to take hold of the ark, for the oxen stumbled. 10 And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzzah, and he struck him down because he put out his hand to the ark, and he died there before God. 11 And David was angry because the Lord had broken out against Uzzah. And that place is called Perez-uzza to this day. 12 And David was afraid of God that day, and he said, “How can I bring the ark of God home to me?” 13 So David did not take the ark home into the city of David, but took it aside to the house of Obed-edom the Gittite. 14 And the ark of God remained with the household of Obed-edom in his house three months. And the Lord blessed the household of Obed-edom and all that he had. – 1 Chronicles 13:1-14 ESV
In chapter 11, the chronicler covered the momentous day when the 11 other tribes accepted David as their king. This took place in Hebron, where David had taken up residence with his “mighty men of valor.” Chapter 11 also contains the story of David’s capture of the city Jebus from the Jebusites, which he renamed Jerusalem and made the capital city of Israel. Now, in chapter 13, the chronicler picks up the story of David’s attempt to move the Ark of the Covenant from Kiriath-jearim to his new capital. The retelling of this seminal event in David’s life mirrors 2 Samuel 6 and is intended to remind his audience of the importance of the ark and to teach them a valuable lesson on the holiness of God.
David had a heart for God and was anxious to serve God well and rule according to His will. As he began to plan and prepare for his future kingdom, including the creation of his new capital in Jerusalem, he was motivated by a strong desire to honor God in all that he did. One of the first decisions he made as king was to relocate the Ark of the Covenant to the city of Jerusalem. For David, the ark represented the abiding presence of God and he was anxious to keep Yahweh as close as possible. This symbol of God’s presence had been transported by Moses and the people of Israel from Mount Sinai all the way to the promised land and was a permanent fixture in the Holy of Holies of the Tabernacle. The Book of Hebrews provides some important details regarding this holy and revered object.
…the ark of the covenant covered on all sides with gold, in which was a golden urn holding the manna, and Aaron’s staff that budded, and the tablets of the covenant. – Hebrews 9:4 ESV
The cover of the ark was called the Mercy Seat and it was there that God’s presence dwelt. Exodus records God’s commands concerning the Mercy Seat.
“You shall make a mercy seat of pure gold. Two cubits and a half shall be its length, and a cubit and a half its breadth. And you shall make two cherubim of gold; of hammered work shall you make them, on the two ends of the mercy seat. Make one cherub on the one end, and one cherub on the other end. Of one piece with the mercy seat shall you make the cherubim on its two ends. The cherubim shall spread out their wings above, overshadowing the mercy seat with their wings, their faces one to another; toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubim be. And you shall put the mercy seat on the top of the ark, and in the ark you shall put the testimony that I shall give you. There I will meet with you, and from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim that are on the ark of the testimony…” – Exodus 25:17-22 ESV
The Mercy Seat was especially significant to the Jewish people because it was there, once a year on the Day of Atonement, that the High Priest would sprinkle the blood of a bull and a goat as an offering to God for the sins of the people. This national treasure was more than an icon or symbol of their religion, it was a key to their atonement and the means of their justification before God. This explains why David was anxious to have the ark relocated into his newly chosen capital. But in his zeal to do the right thing, David ended up making the wrong decision. He got in a hurry and failed to do his homework, and his actions resulted in the unnecessary death of Uzzah.
In his letter to the Romans, Paul discusses the problem of zeal without knowledge.
Brothers, my heart's desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved. For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. For, being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God's righteousness. – Romans 10:1-3 ESV
Paul was talking about his fellow Jews who had refused to accept Jesus as their Messiah. In their zeal for God, they had failed to recognize the very one sent to them by God. Instead, they continued to seek a right standing with God through adherence to the Mosaic Law. They were zealous for God but refused to do things God’s way. That was David’s problem. God had given the Israelites very clear instructions regarding the ark, including the means for transporting it from one place to another.
“Have the people make an Ark of acacia wood—a sacred chest 45 inches long, 27 inches wide, and 27 inches high. Overlay it inside and outside with pure gold, and run a molding of gold all around it. Cast four gold rings and attach them to its four feet, two rings on each side. Make poles from acacia wood, and overlay them with gold. Insert the poles into the rings at the sides of the Ark to carry it. These carrying poles must stay inside the rings; never remove them.” – Exodus 25:10-15 NLT
The camp will be ready to move when Aaron and his sons have finished covering the sanctuary and all the sacred articles. The Kohathites will come and carry these things to the next destination. But they must not touch the sacred objects, or they will die. So these are the things from the Tabernacle that the Kohathites must carry. – Numbers 4:15 NLT
God’s design for the ark included two long poles with which it was to be carried and only by the sons of Kohath. Because of the holiness of the ark, it was forbidden for anyone to touch it; to do so would result in death. According to 1 Samuel 6:19, if anyone dared to look inside the Ark, they too would suffer the penalty of death. These divine prohibitions were not suggestions that could be arbitrarily obeyed or altered. They were not up for debate or human interpretation. Yet, when David got ready to move the Ark to his new capital, he made a major mistake.
Rather than adhere to God’s commands, David decided to employ a more expeditious and time-saving means for accomplishing his objective. Whether he realized it or not, David took a page out of the Philistine playbook and that decision would come back to haunt him.
Years earlier, before Samuel had become a prophet of God and Israel had a king, the Israelites found themselves in battle with the Philistines. After suffering a devastating loss to their mortal enemies, the Israelites were confused and concerned. In desperation, the elders of Israel ordered that the ark be brought to the battle site. Their reasoning was simple: “Let’s bring the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord from Shiloh. If we carry it into battle with us, it will save us from our enemies” (1 Samuel 4:3 NLT).
The Israelites were desperate. They had just lost 4,000 men in battle and the war was far from over. So, they determined to bring the ark to the battle site, treating it as a good luck charm or magic talisman. The elders made no mention of God in their instructions to retrieve the ark; they believed this gold-encrusted box would provide them with victory over their enemies. But their plan backfired. Rather than bringing the Israelites victory, the ark was captured by the Philistines.
The pagan and idolatrous Philistines viewed the ark as an Israelite idol and put it on display in the temple of their god, Dagon. But their capture of the ark proved to be deadly and they decided to return it to the Israelites. Unaware of God’s instructions for the proper transporting of the ark, they came up with their own plan.
“Now build a new cart, and find two cows that have just given birth to calves. Make sure the cows have never been yoked to a cart. Hitch the cows to the cart, but shut their calves away from them in a pen. Put the Ark of the Lord on the cart, and beside it place a chest containing the gold rats and gold tumors you are sending as a guilt offering. Then let the cows go wherever they want.” – 1 Samuel 6:7-8 NLT
Sadly, when it came time for David to transport the ark to Jerusalem, he chose to follow the example of the Philistines. Rather than adhering to God’s detailed instructions, David took a more worldly and expeditious approach.
They placed the Ark of God on a new cart and brought it from Abinadab’s house. Uzzah and Ahio were guiding the cart. – 1 Chronicles 13:7 NLT
David was in a hurry to have the Ark moved into his new capital. In a sense, he was treating the ark like a talisman or lucky charm, hoping that its close proximity would assure him of God’s constant presence. But things did not turn out as expected. As the ox-drawn cart made its way to Jerusalem, David and the people celebrated the happy occasion but their cries of joy soon turned to gasps of shock and surprise.
Somewhere along the way, the oxen stumbled, causing the cart to careen precariously and unsettle its precious cargo. In an attempt to protect the ark, one of the sons of the high priest instinctively reached out and tried to steady it with his hand. It all happened in a split second. One minute the people were singing and dancing and, the next, they were gazing on in horror as the young priest dropped lifeless to the ground. The text leaves nothing to the imagination when it states the cause of death.
Then the Lord’s anger was aroused against Uzzah, and he struck him dead because he had laid his hand on the Ark. So Uzzah died there in the presence of God. – 1 Chronicles 13:10 NLT
It might be tempting to view this as a gross overreaction on God’s part. How could He kill a man for attempting to protect this holy relic? What Uzzah did was not malicious or intended as a show of disrespect for God. He had tried to do the right thing and died for his efforts.
But it’s important to remember that God’s anger is always righteous and just; it is never capricious or undeserved. Uzzah had broken the law of God and, as a result, the righteous anger of God was poured out. But Uzzah never should have been put in that position. The ark was never intended to be transported by an ox-drawn cart. David had employed worldly means to accomplish God’s will and Uzzah ended up paying the price.
Had God not punished Uzzah for his sin, He would have acted unjustly. Had He not responded as He did, He would have been in violation of His own just and righteous law. That is why God gave clear conditions and commands regarding his people and their interactions with Him. Had David done things according to God’s plan, Uzzah would not have died. While David’s sin was not motivated by a heart of rebellion, it was rebellion nonetheless, and the outcome was death.
It’s interesting to note that David was not the one who died that day. The decision to transport the ark with a cart had been his, so he was responsible. Yet, he was not the one who paid the ultimate price. But instead of repenting for his sin, David expressed his anger with God.
David was angry because the Lord’s anger had burst out against Uzzah. He named that place Perez-uzzah (which means “to burst out against Uzzah”), as it is still called today. – 1 Chronicles 13:11 NLT
David knew that Uzzah’s death had been God’s doing and it made him livid. Then his anger turned to fear that paralyzed him into inaction. Rather than taking the time to determine what he had done wrong and how he might be responsible, David had the ark moved to the house of Obed-edom of Gath. He gave up his quest to relocate the ark and returned to Jerusalem empty-handed and despondent.
His intentions had been proper and right. Bringing the ark into Jerusalem had never been the problem; it was how he attempted to do it. When he suffered for doing God’s will in the wrong way, David just gave up. So the ark sat in the house of Obed-edom for three months. David returned to Jerusalem angry at God and without the presence of the ark in his new capital. But while David pouted, God was busy blessing Obed-edom, and, eventually, news of this would reach David, motivating him into action.
The problem was not David’s zeal; it was his methodology. It was also his lack of knowledge regarding the will of God. He had attempted to do the right thing in the wrong way. He acted with sincerity but in ignorance. He had been enthusiastic and excited about having the ark in his new capital but he had left out one important part: Obedience.
This man after God’s own heart was learning just how difficult it can be to live in keeping with God’s will. David’s desire to do the right thing was commendable but his failure to do it according to God’s will had proved costly. Yet, he would learn. His faith would grow and his desire to live in obedience to God would increase over time. David was learning the truth of the Proverb: “Enthusiasm without knowledge is no good; haste makes mistakes.” (Proverbs 19:2 NLT).
The chronicler intended this fateful story to serve as a wake-up call to the returned exiles. He wanted them to understand the importance of obedience to God’s will. But, more importantly, he wanted them to revere and respect the holiness of God. Hundreds of years earlier, God had delivered a message to the disobedient Saul, who had also attempted to do the right thing in the wrong way.
“What is more pleasing to the Lord:
your burnt offerings and sacrifices
or your obedience to his voice?
Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice,
and submission is better than offering the fat of rams.
Rebellion is as sinful as witchcraft,
and stubbornness as bad as worshiping idols.” – 1 Samuel 15:22-23 NLT
Even David, the man after God’s own heart, had displeased God because he failed to obey God. For the chronicler, obedience was to be a byproduct of reverence for the holiness of God, and this sad moment from David’s life served as a living lesson for the people of Israel.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
New Living Translation (NLT)
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.