Read The Directions

1 Chronicles 13: 1 - 14

Read the Directions

13 Then David consulted with the captains of thousands and hundreds, and with every leader. 2 And David said to all the assembly of Israel, “If it seems good to you, and if it is of the LORD our God, let us send out to our brethren everywhere who are left in all the land of Israel, and with them to the priests and Levites who are in their cities and their common-lands, that they may gather together to us; 3 and let us bring the ark of our God back to us, for we have not inquired at it since the days of Saul.” 4 Then all the assembly said that they would do so, for the thing was right in the eyes of all the people. 5 So David gathered all Israel together, from Shihor in Egypt to as far as the entrance of Hamath, to bring the ark of God from Kirjath Jearim. 6 And David and all Israel went up to Baalah, to Kirjath Jearim, which belonged to Judah, to bring up from there the ark of God the LORD, who dwells between the cherubim, where His name is proclaimed. 7 So they carried the ark of God on a new cart from the house of Abinadab, and Uzza and Ahio drove the cart. 8 Then David and all Israel played music before God with all their might, with singing, on harps, on stringed instruments, on tambourines, on cymbals, and with trumpets. 9 And when they came to Chidon’s threshing floor, Uzza put out his hand to hold the ark, for the oxen stumbled. 10 Then the anger of the LORD was aroused against Uzza, and He struck him because he put his hand to the ark; and he died there before God. 11 And David became angry because of the LORD’s outbreak against Uzza; therefore, that place is called Perez Uzza to this day. 12 David was afraid of God that day, saying, “How can I bring the ark of God to me?” 13 So David would not move the ark with him into the City of David, but took it aside into the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite. 14 The ark of God remained with the family of Obed-Edom in his house three months. And the LORD blessed the house of Obed-Edom and all that he had.

A famous quote made by Lewis Carroll is ‘Read the directions and directly you will be directed in the right direction.’

The picture on the box makes putting together your new bike look so easy-why mess with long, complicated instructions when you can simply eyeball the picture design and get it done in half the time? If this sounds like you, you may be one of the many people who would rather “wing it” than sit down and go through a complicated instruction manual. Perhaps you get lucky sometimes and figure out how something works or can put the toy or equipment together, but for the most part you end up with five extra pieces and your daughter falls on her face because her bike disintegrates as she rides it. Like childbirth, people sometimes tend to forget some of the harshness associated with not reading the instructions first. However, for your safety and the safety of your family, here is how to force yourself to read the instructions.

Confront the reasons why you avoid instructions or instruction manuals. Some people consistently read the directions, cover to cover, but not you. Why?

You feel as though instructions are a waste of time. You just want the meat and potatoes of the new item and don’t need to know every detail about it.

You think that you already know what you are doing. Some people feel as though “they got this” and barrel through because assembling the item or administering the medication is easy.

You are too busy or in too big of a hurry to stop and read all the instructions. Many people work at the speed of light, trying to accomplish more in their day than there is time. One glance of the instruction booklet and you know reading the directions will be way too time consuming.

Make yourself at least glance at the instructions whenever you receive a new item. Whether it’s a new entertainment system that must be put together or an upgraded iPod, tell yourself to pull out the instructions and at least give them a chance.

Recall the last time you tried to assemble/use something new and it blew up in your face. Hopefully the item didn’t blow up in your face, however, there has to be a series of mishaps and misuses in your past if you’ve refused to read the directions. Think about what went wrong and why (most likely because you didn't consult with the instructions).