CafeSharon

I am reading Facing Your Giants by Max Lucado.  I love his writing style and insight into Old Testament stories.  One that intrigues me is the story of Uzzah.  Uzzah was a priest during David’s time.  When David decides to bring the Ark of the Covenant back to Jerusalem, Uzzah and his brother, Ahio, are put in charge of the transport.  The ark is loaded onto a cart drawn by oxen.  As the cart lunges forward, the ark begins to teeter.  Uzzah reaches to steady it.  He is immediately struck down by God, dead!  Why would God kill Uzzah as he was doing a godly thing?  That just doesn’t seem fair!  But the truth of the matter is that Uzzah tried to take a shortcut.  He was aware of God’s requirements that the ark was to be carried by priests using two acacia wooden poles.  God was very specific concerning the Ark of the Covenant.  It was something that was sacred.  And God never allows us to take shortcuts with the sacred.  Uzzah would have known the requirements for transporting the ark.  But he chose to take a shortcut.   

In my own life, there have been so many times when I felt that I deserved a shortcut.  After all, I am doing God’s work.  And I have had some “challenges” with which to deal.  So, as long as I “get the ark to Jerusalem”, does it matter what shortcuts I take?  YES, it does!  In a very insignificant example:  There have been numerous times lately that I have felt that I “deserve” to have an apricot danish, some ice cream, french fries, etc.  You get the idea.  My body has gone through some trauma, so it is okay to eat these things.  But the reality is:  If you eat all that fat, you gain all that fat!   

God has called me and YOU to very specific tasks.  You can’t sidestep them.  You can’t take shortcuts.  You MUST follow His instructions (His Word).  To do otherwise is to nullify His will.