SCRIPTURE: 2 Samuel 6
OBSERVATION/APPLICATION:
David was afraid of the LORD that day and said, “How can the ark of the LORD ever come to me?” [2 Samuel 6:9] The line from C.S. Lewis Narnia books, that Aslan (who represents God) is not a tame or safe lion but he is good, goes through my mind as I read this. Especially the “not safe” part. As I read this story, the deepest impression I have is that God is dangerous, not to be taken lightly. Part of me thinks, ‘poor Uzzah, he was just trying to help’. He was not a Levite, and only the Levites were to handle to ark. Both David, Uzzah, the priests and the people should have known better. But maybe in their exciting worship, they were forgetting about God.
Jesus presents the living heart of God, but that does not reduce or reject His awe-inspiring character, deserving of deep and sincere reverence. But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after the killing of the body, has power to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him. [Luke 12:5] In the midst of our loud, celebrative, contemporary worship, do we forget about the God that we worship? What place does reverence have in our worship? In the words of Frederick W. Faber’s hymn:
My God, how wonderful Thou art, Thy majesty how bright!
How beautiful Thy mercy-seat, In depths of burning light!
O how I fear Thee, living God With deepest, tenderest fears
And worship Thee with trembling hope And penitential tears!
Some people use today’s passage to justify dancing or undignified worship. I add this one qualifier, that it be worship of God, and not just worship. Too often it is the experience of worshipping, rather than the response to God Himself, that we are into. I know this is true for me; sometimes I am not even thinking about God as I worship; I enjoy the music, I feel the rhythm, I resonate with the sound. But it is not always before the Lord!
Today’s reading causes me to pause and think about how I respond to God anywhere and everywhere. Is it with deepest, tenderest fears, with trembling hope, with penitential tears? This need not be negative, we may indeed love Him, delight in Him, even be undignified before Him, so long as it is before Him, in response to Him, out of love for Him.
Yet I may love Thee too, O Lord, Almighty as Thou art
For Thou hast stooped to ask of me, The love of my poor heart
PRAYER:
Lord, I want to sense You, to fear You, to love You, to worship You!
A stepping stone or a stumbling block – what am I? The moving of the ark did not follow the word of the Lord. Were not the priests to carry it? As for me and my household, we will serve the living God. How does my worship of Him get in the way of my daily living? We need to be all for Jesus since He is our all in all. We need to honour Him in all we do and say. As David danced before the Lord in worship so I too need to say TodayGodIsFirst. I need to worship Him in all I do and say. He needs to be my driving force this day and every day. LightStrong. GodStrong. FaithStrong. PraiseStrong. Help me to be a stepping stone this day – a LightForce – in all I do and say so I can LightShine the light within me. GodShine. SonShine.
Lord Jesus, I long to be perfectly whole
I want Thee forever to live in my soul
Break down every idol, cast out every foe
Now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow
Whiter than snow, yes, whiter than snow
Now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow
Lord Jesus, look down from Thy throne in the skies
And help me to make a complete sacrifice
I give up myself, and whatever I know
Now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow
Lord Jesus, Thou seest I patiently wait
Come now, and within me a new heart create
To those who have sought Thee, Thou never saidst “No,”
Now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow