Do we read the holy Scriptures rightly or do we skip ahead to the "good parts?" Just as a for instance, when we come to a familiar portion, such as 2 Samuel 6, do we skim quickly until we reach verse 2 Samuel 6:7, where we can speculate about the apparent, cruel injustice of God? Although we know from verse 3, that God would have been justified in executing many of them for the way in which the ark was transported, (contrary to the clear commands of Exodus 25:14), many of us seem to think of Uzzah as a sincere man with a mistaken yet good motive to help.
After all, haven't we been taught that God judges us by our motives? So we dwell on verse 7, feel disappointed and upset with God, and miss the Lord's whole purpose in giving us this account. Can we forget I Samual 7:2 so quickly and also verse 3 of II Sam.6? The ark had been in the house of the Levite, Abinadab, for several years and Uzzah was Abinadab's son! For much of Uzzah's life, he had lived in the same house with the ark of God. He had seen and experienced the rich blessing which flowed where the ark was present; he has been taught about the holy commandments concerning it. So his action was not sincerely ignorant but dangerously presumptuous and he meddled where he had no business.
When we can't understand the acts of God, instead of foolishly judging them, we should try to look into the hearts of the persons involved and we may get a picture of our own hearts. For the first time, I sensed deep pride in Uzzah. (Perhaps that's because I'm asking the Lord to deal mercilessly with all the pride and selfishness in me.) Was he thinking in his heart, concerning the people, "Many of you may never have seen the ark but I have lived with it for years; I know much more about it and so, being a privileged person, I have a special claim on it?"
Had familiarity indeed bred contempt in Uzzah's heart and made him think that he was in a higher position concerning it which did not apply to "ordinary people?"
The Scriptures are a mirror so that we can see ourselves and then we will have a greater understanding for the acts of God and a much greater understanding of how real and urgent is our need for ongoing repentance. We say we are thankful for many things and yet pride is so subtle it can masquerade even as thankfulness.
Are we thankful for our possessions or proud that they are better than others have? Are we thankful for our church or proud that its attendance, offerings and reputation are greater than others enjoy? Are we so thankful for our Bible that we are consumers of its truth or are we proud to be connoisseurs of its terms?
I see such need in myself. I don't ever want to skip over any Bible verses again. I want to dig into the treasure of every phrase until the mirror reflects the truth about God and the truth about me.
