Sometimes it is hard to understand God’s ways.  God’s wrath broke out against Uzzah when he took hold of the ark to steady it.  On the surface, it seemed innocent enough, but this was forbidden and called an irreverent act.  I can understand David feeling angry and afraid of the Lord, since it is hard for me to get my mind around the Lord’s sternness in this instance.  God cannot be placed in a box.  His ways, including His justice and wrath, can be beyond our understanding.  When C.S. Lewis refers to Aslan, a lion who represents Christ in The Chronicles of Narnia, he comments that Aslan is good, but not a tame lion.  If it were not for God’s mercy and forgiveness in Christ, we would all be subject to God’s wrath for our irreverence and other sins.  This is reason for praise, not that he punished Uzzah, but that amazingly he does not punish us who trust in the Son of David, Jesus our Lord, for forgiveness, even though we are more deserving of His wrath.

 

Worship and reverence can be extravagant.  The ark of God was called by the name of the Lord Almighty.  The Lord’s name represents His essence, and there is unconceivable power in the name of the Lord. Blessed be your name.  David was in the habit of praising God wholeheartedly.  In this instance, he was leaping and dancing before the Lord, and for this he was sharply criticized by his wife, Michal. He told her he was celebrating before the Lord and that he would be even more undignified.  He was worshiping for an audience of one, not disrobing before slave girls as he was accused.  David had confidence that his worship of God was holy and right, and he would not let it be belittled.  We may be put down for worshiping God or for being Christ’s followers, but it is better by far to be considered a fool for Christ than respected by others who might not understand the centrality of our devotion. Our worship does not have to be visibly extreme to be wholehearted; it could also be silent and still or expressed in hymns or spiritual songs.  I pray that you will find opportunities to worship wholeheartedly today, because the Lord Almighty is worthy of our devotion.

 

A fellow traveler,

 

Bill