“Death and the Dance: David, Uzzah, and the Ark”, II Samuel 6
This chapter qualifies as one of the difficult passages of Scripture. We are taken aback at the harsh action of God, in what we might regard as a merciless act of justice. On the surface, we see Uzzah doing what appears as a good deed, and God responding with swift vengeance. We also see David in what appears as inappropriate behavior before God, suffering no ill consequences.
The Ark of the Covenant had been captured by the Philistines nearly 20 years prior to this incident (I Sam 4-7), before David became king. The Ark was Israel’s national treasure and most sacred object; it was the presence of God among His people. It was kept in the Tabernacle, in the Most Holy Place, a curtained-off location where only the High Priest would enter on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. The Philistines captured the Ark, but soon gladly sent it back after God destroyed the idol of their god Dagon and the people were stricken with tumors. Abinadab was housing the Ark in Kiriath-Jearim (approx. 20 miles west of Jerusalem) after its return from the Philistines. When David established his throne in Jerusalem, he determined to bring the holy Ark to his new capital, to provide the focus for worship and a rallying point for the nation. He wanted the glory back. David’s mission is an important, holy task. The day David brought the Ark to Jerusalem was perhaps the greatest day of his life.
The Ark was placed on an ox cart. The oxen pulling the cart stumbled, and the Ark slid and was about to fall to the ground. Uzzah, one of the priests charged with transfering the Ark, put out his hand to prevent the Ark from striking the ground. Then came the blunt, hard sentence (vs 7): “The Lord’s anger burned against Uzzah because of his irreverent act; therefore God struck him down and he died there beside the Ark of God”. We might have expected God to thank Uzzah; instead He executed him on the spot.
David called off the mission immediately. Who would dare continue after that? Three months later David completed the task, and this time with extravagant celebration. We read that “David danced before the Lord with all his might,” accompanied by “shouts and the sound of trumpets” (vs 14, likely the shofar, a trumpet made from a ram’s horn). The Ark of the Covenant was the occasion for death and the dance…Uzzah’s death and David’s dance.
What was Uzzah’s sin? It’s tempting to say he was in the wrong place at the wrong time! Uzzah was slain for “irreverence”, vs. 6. The Hebrew people largely regarded the Ark as a good luck object. I’ve been treated that way—climbing onto an Army helicopter or into a C-130, soldiers invariably say “O good—the chaplain’s with us; we’ll be safe.” I usually reply, “How do you know this isn’t the day God’s going to take me home?”
Uzzah saw himself as one whose job it was to “take care” of God. He had God in a box, and assumed responsibility for keeping Him safe from the mud and dust of the world. Uzzah ignored, perhaps defied Moses’ clear directions on the proper handling the Ark. It was not to be touched with human hands, but carried by Levites using poles inserted through rings attached to the Ark. Only the poles could be touched. In his book The Holiness of God, R.C. Sproul points out: “Uzzah assumed that his hand was less polluted than the earth. But it wasn’t the ground that would desecrate the Ark; it was the touch of man.” Uzzah was a Kohathite, a clan from within the tribe of Levi, which had been consecrated by God to handle the logistics of moving the Tabernacle—the tent and its furnishings. The book of Numbers clearly warns that they may not touch the holy objects “or they will die”. Only the Levitical priests were allowed to carry the most holy objects; the Kohathites were not to even look at the Ark (Num 4).
In Bosnia there are areas of uncleared land mines. Most are clearly marked with warning signs. While in Tuzla I walked past several such areas. I was told that everyone in the area one night awoke to a huge explosion—an animal apparently stepped on one of the mines. In the Mosaic Law there were clear warnings about the Ark, but they went foolishly unheeded.
Uzzah substituted what he might have regarded as a more efficient innovation. He had greater technology, but his method was impersonal. He replaced consecrated persons with a machine…the cart was new, and the priests may have figured it was an appropriate method. I am not opposed to technology—I prepared my sermon on a computer! I am, however, opposed to treating God as an impersonal force. Uzzah fatally discovered that he was not in charge of God. His method was contrary to God’s Law and offensive to God.
This harsh incident raises a significant doctrine and a key attribute of God—His holiness. God is holy, and not to be trifled with. We wisely enter His presence with the awareness that He is a consuming fire. We do not utter His Name loosely or lightly, or in a profane manner. When the captured Ark arrived back in Israeli territory (I Sam 6), the town of Beth Shemesh gawked at it; the text implies they opened it to view its sacred contents (the tablets, a pot of manna, & Aaron’s rod). 70 people were slain by God at Beth Shemesh, which ought to have been a warning to Uzzah.
This incident was no accident--the falling of the Ark was a sign, God’s way of halting the procession. God was not objecting to the intended relocation, Jerusalem; He was opposed to the inappropriate means of transport. The Philistines earlier also used an oxcart to return the captured Ark, but their ignorance was overlooked. Without human assistance the Ark was divinely guided straight back to Israel. The Jews, on the other hand, ought to have known how to properly treat the sacred. The lesson here is that we have access to God, but not casual familiarity. We may boldly approach God, but with reverence and respect.
Perhaps we’re like Uzzah in the way we casually regard the sacred. We come to church expecting to be entertained. The complaint that church is boring is never made by people in awe of God. Uzzah thought he was protecting the Ark--Perhaps we’re also like Uzzah in our need to defend God before unbelievers. You don’t defend a lion—you simply get out of his way.
David became upset at Uzzah’s death; the word “angry” (vs 8/NIV) might be better translated “distressed” (maybe even “befuddled”). This better fits vs 9, which reveals David’s confusion and despair. “How can the Ark come to me?” he cries out. David clearly realized that God was offended and he was not willing to further risk divine displeasure. David did not know how to progress and so he immediately halted the operation and placed the Ark in the nearby home of Obed-edom, a Levite. Then David did his homework. At his 2nd attempt to bring the Ark to Jerusalem, he followed the Mosaic Law and obeyed its strict and clear instructions regarding proper handling of this sacred treasure.
It is hard not to notice that while God does not tolerate Uzzah’s action, He tolerates David’s anger. David’s anger did not get him killed because he was treating God as God, and not as a box to be manipulated.
When the ark finally arrived in Jerusalem the correct way, Michal saw David’s dance and despised her husband. Michal was David’s first wife and the daughter of King Saul. Perhaps her contempt came from her father. She is 3 times in this chapter called “the daughter of Saul” (16, 20, 23), implying that she was not behaving as David’s loyal wife, but his opponent, like a true daughter of Saul. She apparently felt that her husband was getting carried away in his enthusiasm, acting undignified. Those who have no reason to dance before God despise those who do. David removed his royal robes and wore an ephod, a priestly garment, to mark the religious significance of the occasion. He was willing to look humble, common and undignified in the eyes of some, in order to fully express his delight in the Lord. His dance was not inappropriate. His heartfelt worship, however, repelled Michal. Her displeasure destroyed their marriage. David does not divorce her, but they ceased to live as husband and wife and she remained childless.
As part of David’s celebration, he proclaimed a psalm of thanks, recorded in I Chron 16, a parallel passage. In his praise David says of God that “He is to be feared”, and advises “all the earth” to “tremble before Him”. Wise counsel, considering Uzzah.
Conclusion:
Uzzah and David encounter the Ark—one in death, one in the dance. Uzzah was dead to the aliveness of God, while David was alive to God. David had learned to live openly, trustingly, passionately and exultantly before God. Rather than seek to control God, David sought to submit to God’s will.
It is comforting reassurance to know that, while God is holy, because of Jesus we are now welcome to come before Him. Jesus was the only innocent man ever to be punished by God. Because of His sacrifice God can show mercy and offer forgiveness to us. We may not like to think of ourselves as “defiled”, yet that is what we are. On the cross, Jesus paid the supreme sacrifice for damaged merchandise. When He died, the curtain in the temple hiding the ark was torn in two, symbolically showing that we all have access to the holy of holies because of Jesus, our High Priest. It is only when we begin to comprehend God’s holiness that we begin to see the enormity of our sin and the price paid for our forgiveness. Let’s make it our aim to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.
Prayer:
“Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God Almighty—we approach You with reverential fear, yet Your love impells us to come. We rest in Your love, and are secure in Your grace. Keep us from de-personalizing You. Let us sense Your warm reality and presence among us.
