Zeal without knowledge can result in a devastating consequence. In his first attempt to bring the ark of God to Jerusalem, David was zealous but had little awareness of the prescribed word of the LORD God about how to properly transport the ark of God. As a result, Uzzah died, and the bringing of the ark of God had to be stopped. In a positive aspect, however, having learned from the first mistake, David made appropriate rectification, and eventually successfully brought the ark of God in his second attempt.

Content Summary 

David gathered all the chosen men of Israel, thirty thousand, to bring the ark of God from Baale-judah (a city located approximately 10 miles west of Jerusalem) to Jerusalem. They placed the ark of God on a new cart from the house of Abinadab, and David, and the house of Israel started to celebrate with all kinds of musical instruments.  

On the way, near the threshing floor of Nacon, Uzzah, one of the escorters of the ark of God, was struck death by the LORD as he reached out and touched the ark of God because the oxen nearly upset it. Being puzzled, David became very afraid of the LORD that day, halted the march to Jerusalem and took the ark of God aside to the house of Obed-edom. The ark of God stayed there for three months. 

David made the second attempt to bring the ark of God from the house of Obed-edom by assigning the Levites to carry the ark of God. As the ark of God was being brought to Jerusalem, David was dancing and leaping with all his might. On the other hand, Michal despised David who was leaping and dancing, in her heart. 

Previous Major Breakthroughs

David underwent God’s breakthroughs both internally and externally in 2 Samuel 5. Internally, David risked and showed his audacity to conquer Jerusalem, the formidable natural fortress occupied by the Jebusites, by launching a sneak attack from the water shaft. Externally, David followed the LORD’s guide to defeat the iron weapon-equipped Philistines – not just once, but twice – who came with a strong intention to shake the foundation of David’s throne over the entire Israel Kingdom. 

Because David conquered Jerusalem, a suitable place to be the capital as it is located in the middle of Israel territory, and repelled external threats posed by the Philistines, he was ready to make his next major move – that is, to establish a worship system of God around the ark of God by bringing it to the capital. 

Ignorance is not Bliss: First Attempt to Bring the Ark of God 

The ark of God resided in the house of Abinadad in the city of Kiriath Jearim (same as Baale-judah) for 20 years since it was returned from the Philistines (1 Samuel 6:21-7:1). David was ready to bring the ark of God because it had not been sought after during the days of Saul. 

Doing the right thing the right way does take patience and a correct understanding of the instruction given by the LORD God, especially related to the ark of God where the presence of God resided. Perhaps a pause to directly inquire of the LORD God was needed for this important task. David made two crucial mistakes, however.

The first mistake was that David did not inquire of the LORD directly about how to transport the ark. It was good that David consulted people regarding bringing the ark of the LORD. It was noble for him to seek the consensus of all Israel about this monumental task of bringing back the ark of the LORD (1 Chronicles 13). However, he failed to consult the most important person – God.

The second mistake was that David did not check the prescribed methods laid out in the book of Moses. The ark of the Lord was to be hand carried by the Levites, specifically the sons of Kohath, using the pole (Exodus 25:13-14). However, it was carried by non-Levites (Ahio and Uzzah are likely to be from the Judah tribe) by using a cart. The idea of a new cart may have been a sincere way to treat the ark of God with reverence, but this was how the Philistines returned the ark of God back to the Israelites when they could no longer endure the powerful judgment by the ark of God (1 Samuel 6:10-11). Only the Levites and the sons of Kohaths were to cover the ark of the LORD and carry – no one was supposed to even see the ark of God. 

Overall, this was a manifestation of collective ignorance of 30,000 people, including David. Among the 30,000 people assembled, some of them were probably from the Levite tribe. However, none of them noticed the wrong way of carrying the ark of God. Indeed, although Israel had some great leaders like Samuel and David, the overall understanding of the law of the LORD (law of Moses) even among the Levite was unacceptably low, not much different from that in the days of the Judges. 

Perhaps, David was too eager and impatient to bring the ark of God to Jerusalem. His desire and sincerity were notable, yet, without proper knowledge and awareness of the holiness of God, the breakout of a disaster appeared to be inevitable.

Mercy of God in Uzzah’s Death 

Uzzah died as he reached out and touched the ark of God to stabilize it. His death may appear to be unfair. He was carrying the ark of God. Plus, his household provided a place for the ark of the LORD for 20 years. God’s treatment of Uzzah may have seemed too harsh. It is difficult to grasp the full understanding of God’s punishment.

At the same time, we see the mercy of God. David as the chief of this task could have been punished to death. All the 30,000 people who were nearby the ark could have been struck dead – as the ark of the LORD should not even be seen. The mercy of God curbed this holiness power to only affect Uzzah. Although Uzzah’s death was puzzling and sad, his death also demonstrates untouchable holiness of God and His mercy. 

Preparation According to God’s Word: Second Attempt to Bring the Ark of God

David learned his lesson from the first failure and made a thorough preparation. In his first attempt, he had the zeal to bring the ark of God. He assembled 30,000 men, consisting of those captains of thousand, and hundreds, and people as far as from the Sihor of Egypt, to make this trans-national scale event (1 Chronicles 13:1-5). In the second attempt, David prepared a place for the ark of God in advance, by pitching a tent for it (1 Chronicles 15:1). David gathered the Levite priests, sons of Aaron, and organized the entire Levites and assigned them specific roles in the process of bringing the ark of God. He also gave them specific roles to minister before the ark of God after its arrival. His preparation this time was much more thorough. 

David’s preparation to bring the ark of God was not just for one-time worship of God. Using this as an opportunity, he was establishing a national system of worshiping God around the ark of the LORD. Establishing the positions for each Levite group was likely to have encouraged the Levites to educate themselves in the Law of Moses to correctly worship the holy God. This national system of worshiping God would be a major distinguishable feature from other surrounding nations.

Learn from Your Mistake and Establish Your Worship System

Although David’s first attempt to bring the ark of God became a disaster, he was able to quickly rectify his first wrong and brought the ark of God successfully the second time. By bringing the ark of God, he began to establish a national worship system.

How would this apply to us? What is something that we need to rectify and establish our own worship system?