Tuesday, August 22, 2017
Daily reading assignment – 1 Chronicles 10-14
I stated in an earlier commentary that the first nine chapters of 1 Chronicles was largely devoted to the genealogical record of Israel and Judah. 1 Chronicles 9 concluded with a brief summary of the lineage of king Saul and his sons (9:35-44).
We noted the reign and death of Saul, Israel’s first king in an earlier commentary in 1 Samuel 31:1-10. 1 Chronicles 10 gives us another perspective of Israel’s defeat at the hands of the Philistines and the tragic deaths of Saul and his sons on the battlefield (10:1-6) and their humiliation that followed (10:7-10).
1 Chronicles 11 gives us a record of the coronation and reign of Israel’s beloved king, David. Although a brilliant strategist in war and surrounded by mighty men (11:10-47) and loyal servants (12:1-40), the secret to David’s success was found in neither. David was a great king for only one reason… “the LORD of hosts was with him” (11:9).
Unlike leaders of our day who strive to unite a people around the strength of their personality and ideas, David sought the unity of Israel, not around himself, but around the LORD. Heralding a call for revival, David commanded the “Ark of God” [also known as the Ark of the Covenant] be brought to Jerusalem, noting the nation had “enquired not at it in the days of Saul” (13:2-3). The celebration of the Ark’s journey to Jerusalem was cut short when a man named Uzza “put forth his hand to hold (or steady) the ark” that was being carried on a cart pulled by oxen (13:7-10).
“WHY?” becomes a question we should address. Why would God punish Uzza whose actions were not only instinctive, but arguably innocent? After all, was it not a good thing that the desire of David and the elders of Israel was to have the Ark, the symbol of God’s presence in Jerusalem the capital city?
An insightful quote of the late evangelist Dr. Bob Jones Sr. comes to mind when addressing the tragic death of Uzza: “It is never right to do wrong to get a chance to do right.” Uzza was not struck down because he was insincere or impassionate in his desire to see the Ark moved to Jerusalem. Uzza died because the manner in which the Ark was transported was a violation of God’s instructions to the Levites (Numbers 4) and touching the sacred Ark to steady it defiled that which God had declared holy and sanctified for Himself (Numbers 1:51; 4:15, 20).
I close this devotional with a personal observation:
I am observing a steady, progressive departure from institutional convictions and principles that were the foundation of vibrant churches, schools, Bible colleges and Christian universities in the 20th century.
Well-meaning, zealous men are stepping into the pulpits of fundamental churches and Bible colleges who, driven by a passion to see their institutions successful, adopt a pragmatic approach to ministry that is a departure from their institution’s guiding principles and core convictions. Suggesting “times have changed” and believing their sincerity is enough, good men are leading our churches and schools down a path that inevitably sacrifices Christian disciplines and Bible convictions that are at the core of spiritual distinctives.
Like Uzza, our dying churches and Bible colleges are a sad testimony that, “The end never justifies the means.”
Copyright 2017 – Travis D. Smith