A NEW CART FOR GOD
Turn to 1 Sam 4 -
We are all familiar with the Ark of the Covenant, or the Ark of God, also known as the Ark of Testimony.
In the O.T. it is what housed God’s spirit. Once a year the High Priests would enter the Holy of Holies where the Ark resided.
This box housed, the presence of God. The Israelites would take the Ark into battle because they wanted the presence of God with them.
We can read about the fall of the walls of Jericho and for 7 days the Israelites marched around the city with the Ark of the Covenant.
The Ark of the Covenant played a very important role in the lives and history of the Israelites because that is where the presence of God was.
In fact we can read in: 1 Sam 4:6-7
6 And when the Philistines heard the noise of the shout, they said, What meaneth the noise of this great shout in the camp of the Hebrews? And they understood that the ark of the LORD was come into the camp.
7 And the Philistines were afraid, for they said, God is come into the camp. And they said, Woe unto us! for there hath not been such a thing heretofore.(KJV)
When the Ark came into the camp, God had come into the camp also.
If this were a bible study and we were to examine some things about the Ark we would find that God had given some explicit instructions which pertained to the ark.
ð Only certain people were in charge of it.
ð Certain items were to cover it while in transportation
ð Only certain individuals were to go into the Holies of Holy or in the presence of it.
God was very specific about how He wanted the Ark to be treated and used.
In Exodus, turn there, we find the instructions of how the transportation of the Ark was to be handled.
Exod 37:3-5
3 And he cast for it four rings of gold, to be set by the four corners of it; even two rings upon the one side of it, and two rings upon the other side of it.
4 And he made staves of shittim wood, and overlaid them with gold.
5 And he put the staves into the rings by the sides of the ark, to bear the ark.(KJV)
ARK OF THE COVENANT
The ark was made of acacia wood (shittim wood, KJV) overlaid with gold. It had four rings of gold through which carrying poles were inserted
(from Nelson’s Illustrated Bible Dictionary)
(Copyright (C) 1986, Thomas Nelson Publishers)
I don’t think anyone would disagree that the Ark provided benefits for the children of Israel.
However, within those benefits God had set up a system and a method to use the Ark. Any deviation from this method resulted in the benefits not being present or even worse as with the case of a Priest entering into it’s presence unworthily he would fall dead.
Specific rules or guidelines for handling the things of God.
God has a method of doing things. His method does not always make sense to us and we find that confirmed in:
Isa 55:9
9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.(KJV)
Prov 3:5, tells us to:
5 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.(KJV)
Why are we instructed to not lean on our understanding, but to trust in the Lord?
The answer was in Isaiah which told us God’s ways are higher than our ways or another way to say that is God does not do things the way we would do them. EXPOUND
God has a specific way of doing things. We have been talking about the Kingdom of God.
As we’ve stated before, the Kingdom of God translates into, God’s way of doing things.
Where so many Christians, myself included mess up is we try to do things the way we think they should be. Instead of following God’s way of doing things, which have been recorded in His Word.
And instead of finding out God’s method we do as described in Prov 14:12 - There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.(KJV)
We do what we think God’s way of doing things are many times because the Pastor said so, or my Uncle Henry who was a great Christian said it was that way.
We see a great example of this in:
Acts 19:1-5
1 And it came to pass, that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper coasts came to Ephesus: and finding certain disciples,
2 He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost.
3 And he said unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized? And they said, Unto John’s baptism.
4 Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.
5 When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.(KJV)
Question: How many think that John the Baptist knew a couple things about God and the things of God?
In Luke 7:28 you can read that John the Baptist was the greatest prophet born of a women.
I submit to you that he knew a few things about the things of God.
But John the Baptist operated under the Old Covenant and when Paul met these disciples he told them that’s not God’s way of doing things now.
These disciples had to make a decision.
They made the right decision they were immediately re-baptized into the new covenant. They decided not to lean to their own understanding but would do it God’s way!
Today many Christians if they were in this same situation would say, no John the Baptist told me to do it this way and I know he was a good Christian.
We must not lean to our own understanding, but find God’s way of doing things.
Many times we do things wrong thinking we are doing them right and we can justify our position by saying that God knew my heart and if I was doing it wrong he would have told me.
There are two issues to that:
1. It is very likely He tried to, but you were too focused on what someone else told you or your own perception of what should be that you didn’t listen or hear his voice.
2. He did tell you because everything to operate in God’s way of doing things has been recorded in this Bible.
Turn over to 1 Chronicles 13
David, a man after God’s own heart.
Have you ever read the Psalms that he wrote -
Ps 38:9
9 Lord, all my desire is before thee; ...(KJV)
Ps 42:1
1 As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God.(KJV)
Ps 70:4
4 Let all those that seek thee rejoice and be glad in thee: and let such as love thy salvation say continually, Let God be magnified.(KJV)
I don’t know if you could love God and the things of God as much as David.
His ultimate desire was for the things of God - let’s read of his desire for God
1 Chr 13:1-3
1 And David consulted with the captains of thousands and hundreds, and with every leader.
2 And David said unto all the congregation of Israel, If it seem good unto you, and that it be of the LORD our God, let us send abroad unto our brethren every where, that are left in all the land of Israel, and with them also to the priests and Levites which are in their cities and suburbs, that they may gather themselves unto us:
3 And let us bring again the ark of our God to us: for we inquired not at it in the days of Saul.(KJV)
David, the newly established king of Israel. Let’s bring the presence of God back into our midst.
Under Saul’s reign we didn’t inquire of God, but let us now have God in the midst of us.
Remember the Ark is where the presence of God dwelt. Let’s bring the presence of God back into our midst.
1 Chr 13:4
4 And all the congregation said that they would do so: for the thing was right in the eyes of all the people.
The people agreed - this is the right thing to do, let’s get God back in the midst of us so we can inquire of Him for the things that we will do.
Question: I don’t know who would disagree that the intention and the motives of the heart were right.
How can you go wrong desiring God’s presence?
1 Chr 13:5-7
5 So David gathered all Israel together, from Shihor of Egypt even unto the entering of Hamath, to bring the ark of God from Kirjath-je’arim.
6 And David went up, and all Israel, to Baalah, that is, to Kirjath-je’arim, which belonged to Judah, to bring up thence the ark of God the LORD, that dwelleth between the cherubims, whose name is called on it.
7 And they carried the ark of God in a new cart out of the house of Abinadab: and Uzza and Ahio drave the cart.(KJV)
8 And David and all Israel played before God with all their might, and with singing, and with harps, and with psalteries, and with timbrels, and with cymbals, and with trumpets.(KJV)
1. We have a people under the direction of David who desires God presence in the midst of them.
2. They are willing to do what it takes, they gathered in all the people, to bring the presence of God into the midst of them
3. They have all Israel playing before God with all their might with singing and music rejoicing for the presence of the Lord.
4. They even made a new cart for the Ark, the things of God deserve the very best. I am sure it was the most modern and efficient cart of those days.
1 Chr 13:9-13
9 And when they came unto the threshingfloor of Chidon, Uzza put forth his hand to hold the ark; for the oxen stumbled.
10 And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Uzza, and he smote him, because he put his hand to the ark: and there he died before God.
11 And David was displeased, because the LORD had made a breach upon Uzza: wherefore that place is called Perezuzza to this day.
12 And David was afraid of God that day, saying, How shall I bring the ark of God home to me?
13 So David brought not the ark home to himself to the city of David, but carried it aside into the house of Obededom the Gittite.(KJV)
Why in the midst of all this good intentions, right motives, praise and worship:
ð did a man die
ð David became displease with the God he loved so much
ð David became fearful of the God who he trusted for his safety
ð They had to leave this Ark at another man’s house.
ANSWER: The ark was not made to be hauled around in a cart!
God had specific instructions that it was to be carried by staves. If it had been moved according to God’s way of doing things it couldn’t have fallen and Uzza would have still been alive.
One could ask because of the intention of David, why didn’t God tell him he was doing it wrong.
The answer would be, He did! The instructions were written down. If David had not leaned to his own understanding to do what seemeth right but sought God’s way of doing things everything would have turned out right!
We as Christians so many times do the same thing as David did.
We want God’s presence near so that when we need Him He is right there, but we stick Him in a cart nearby that we have made instead of finding out how God set up our covenant.
There are many Christians in America today that are not in the presence of God right now. Many would even tell you they feel they are called to some type of ministry yet they have chosen something else over God this morning and much of the other times in their lives.
They go through life wondering why they can’t accomplish what they feel they are suppose to accomplish - and it’s because they never sought out God’s way of doing things.
Do you have God in a cart this morning?
Are you trying to get Him into your presence, but think you can accomplish it with the way that you think is right?
Your intentions may be good
Your desire for the things of God may be good
But are you seeking God for His way of doing things or are you relying on what you know and what your understanding is?
Or, maybe the importance of the things of God has slipped in your life.
Which is more important to you at this time? -
Your vertical relationship
or
Your horizontal relationships.
Most in the Body of Christ have these relationships backwards.
We’ve concentrated on our horizontal relationships while we’ve let our vertical relationship sit in a cart until we have the time for it.
God’s way of doing things is to focus on the vertical relationship once you do that everything in your horizontal relationships will be blessed.
If you can see where you’ve put God in a cart - or if you don’t know God or the ways of God - or you as a long time Christian have been focusing more on your horizontal relationships rather than your vertical relationship I would encourage you at this time to take that first step towards God’s way of doing things and in your own way ask Him to forgive you because He tells us in 1 Jn 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.(KJV)
Even though we may have failed in our efforts of seeking God’s way of doing things it’s not too late if you ask God He will lead you into His ways.
