Is God fair? The death of Uzzah

1 Chronicles 13:9-11, "And they came to the thresing floor of Chidon, Uzzah put out his hand to take hold of the ark, for the oxen stumbled. And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzzah, and he struck him down because he put out his hand to the ark, and he died there before God. And David was angry because the Lord had broken out against Uzzah. And that place is called Perez-uzza to this day."

It is hard, impossible, and unhelpful for us to study God's word in a disconnected nothing-to-gain and nothing-to-lose mentality. We come to Scripture with dreams, hurts, desires, baggage, preconceived notions, and a host of other mental, physical, and spiritual ideals. What I try to instill in the flock God has given is a humility toward God's Word. Our first reaction should be to bow the knee to God's Word instead of kicking against God's Word. There are difficult passages no doubt. The historical account of Uzzah's death is a clear example. Before we discount Scripture the Christian approach is to seek the mind of Christ. Ask, Father what are You doing and what are You teaching? Ask this before we run rough shod over the Word of God.

What we must realize is that God's holiness is real and not contingent on the condition or intentions of man. The infinitely loving God is also the infinitely holy God. Though we may desire to receive His love with no thought of His holiness this is not possible. And this is not the work of just the "God of the Old Testament". The deaths of Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5:1-11 as well as the deaths of those who took the Lord's Supper wrongly in 1 Corinthians 11:30 prove that God is still holy. God is still holy and commands holiness in our relationship with and service for Him.

There is no black and white rule such that all deaths are deaths of judgment. But there is a call in all of this to turn to God. This is later what David does when he realizes and confesses his wrongs in connection with the Ark. "Because [the Levites] did not caryy it the first time, the Lord our God broke out against us, because we did not seek him according to the rule" (1 Chronicles 15:13). Well intentioned presumption is still presumption.

Father, You are indeed holy and loving. Give me understanding. Your ways are higher than mine. Your mind and will are greater than my understanding. Through difficulty I will trust You to strengthen me through Christ's work, the Spirit's power, and the Scripture so that I will even through tears be able to say, "I will yet praise You." Give me a spirit of humility toward Scripture. Let it guide and shape me instead of me struggling to guide and shape the Scripture. I want You to be honored and I want to honor You according to Your holiness. I want to know Your great love and I do not want to presume upon Your grace. I need eyes that truly see and ears that truly hear. You are so much bigger than I have ever thought. You are so much holier than I ever thought. I would never ask for You to change. I humbly ask, "Lord change me."

For Christ
Amen