What is the one thing the self-existent Creator and Sustainer of the universe wants that He cannot give Himself? Worship. He wants people who will freely and passionately love Him.
And God found that in David. The one constant thread in the tapestry of his life was David’s hunger to worship God.
Once David ascended to the throne as King of Israel, he wanted the worship of God to be central to the life of the nation. So, he decided to bring the Ark of the Covenant – the place where God’s glory and presence dwelled - to his capital in Jerusalem.
David knew that ruling these people was a truly daunting task. He would need the powerful presence of the Lord with him. And he understood that that presence would only be realized if and as God was worshipped.
Now for the last several decades, the Ark had been stored in the house of a guy named Abinadab, located in the hills of Judah several miles from Jerusalem. When David and his fighting men arrive, they load the Ark on a new cart pulled by a team of oxen and set off for Jerusalem. Two men, Uzzah and Ahio, are guiding the cart – one in front, the other in back. At one point the oxen stumble and Uzzah reaches out to steady the Ark.
Then a shocking thing happens: God strikes Uzzah dead. Everyone is stunned, including David. It seems so unfair.
But Uzzah’s action was not simply a mistake of the moment. It reflected a growing carelessness and nonchalance regarding who and how we worship.
David forgot that while worship is a wonderful privilege, it’s serious business.
Not sure what to do, they left the Ark in a local guy’s house and went back home and did their homework. They discovered that God’s Word actually gives really clear instructions on how to carry the Ark.
So, David went back to try again. This time the Levites carried the Ark on poles on their shoulders. And as the musicians played and sang, David, dressed in a simple linen tunic, danced before the Lord with all of his might.
David understood that worship is an active response of unashamed adoration.
Spectator worship is an oxymoron. You can’t be an observer and call yourself a worshiper. Worship is the total, adoring response of man to the Eternal God.
Sadly, there was one person who considered David’s worship inappropriate and undignified. His wife, Michal, mocked him to his face. Her response led to God’s judgment. She was barren the rest of her life.
David saw that there is a severe penalty for spiritual arrogance.
Friends, we’re not going to get worship completely right until heaven. But between now and then, we can practice. And become men and women of great passion, people after God’s heart.
Text: 2 Samuel 6; 1 Chronicles 15
Originally recorded on June 11, 2006, at Fellowship Missionary Church, Fort Wayne, IN.
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