If you are like me, you LONG to be in the Presence of God!
Of course, as Christians, we recognize that we are ALWAYS in God's Presence.
But...we all know that there are special times...special moments...whether alone or in a church service...that the Presence of God is almost surreal!
Those times can almost be overwhelming!
God is with us! The term used for Jesus/God...EMMANUEL...means just that: GOD WITH US.
God longs to spend time with us. God longs to commune with us. I am not referring to the fact that God is OMNIPRESENT...the fact that He exists...that God is everywhere. I am speaking about specific times where we MEET with God to COMMUNE with Him.
In other words, I am not dealing with the issue that God OVERSEES all that we do...but, I am instead referring to INTENTIONAL times He visits with us...whether by OUR initiation or by HIS initiation.
If you do not understand that VISITATION time...then I hope one day you will.
Suffice it to say: God visits us, whether alone or as a body, in very intimate, powerful ways at times.
We can learn from Scripture about the true essence of His Presence with us.
And...it is there that we learn some truths that often are overlooked and, at times, exploited for human purposes.
Look with me at this subject:
GOD'S PRESENCE: "HANDLE" WITH CARE.
In 2 Samuel 5, we see David reigning as King over all of Israel. Saul is now dead.
But...as David now reigns over a united Israel...there is also a recognition that all is NOT in order:
The Ark of the Covenant had been lost.
Due to disobedience, the Ark of the Covenant...something so precious and powerful to Israel...had been lost to the enemy!
King Saul had become disobedient to God...and, in 1 Samuel 28, we find Saul and the Prophet Samuel both recognizing that the Presence of God has departed from Saul.
Saul had once been God's servant...as God himself gives that account of him in Scripture.
But...in his disobedience...Saul allowed the Ark of the Covenant to be captured by the enemy and taken away. At that point, the Presence of God had departed from Saul AND the Presence of God had departed from Israel.
The Ark of the Covenant was the physical representation of God's Presence...and it had been lost!
The Ark of the Covenant was designed by God Himself. In it was placed (Hebrews 9:1-5):
1. The Tablets of Stone, on which was inscribed the TEN COMMANDMENTS
2. A Jar of Manna
3. Aaron's Rod that budded
Here, we have a picture of the Ark of the Covenant and its contents...a powerful representation of what Israel had lost!
Look at the representations with me:
---The Ark of the Covenant - GOD'S PRESENCE
---The Tablets of Stone - GOD'S POWER
---The Pot of Manna - GOD'S PROVISION
---Aaron's Rod that budded - GOD'S PROMISE
Today, I want to simply focus on the issue of the Ark of the Covenant itself...GOD'S PRESENCE.
Exodus 25 gives us a description of the Ark of the Covenant...the way God directed it to be constructed. It was constructed in such a way that would allow it to be borne on the shoulders of those who were chosen to carry it.
And...we learn later that it was not to be TOUCHED by ANYONE.
That was the reason for its EXACT construction...as it could be carried...but not TOUCHED...by Israel...nor anyone else.
All of this background information brings me to my focus for this writing.
As stated before...the Ark of the Covenant was lost in battle due to the disobedience and recklessness of Saul and his followers. (Read through all that transpires from the time of its capture...how the Ark of the Covenant brought turmoil and consequences to those unbelievers who housed it.)
David would...in time...instruct men to go retrieve the Ark of the Covenant and bring it back to its rightful place in Jerusalem. David gathered "the choice men of Israel" and they went to Baale Judah to retrieve the Ark of the Covenant.
Here...2 Samuel 6:3 says, "So they set the ark of God on a new cart, and brought it out of the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill."
David and "all the house of Israel" played music before the Lord, celebrating the retrieval of the Ark of the Covenant.
Then...suddenly: "And when they came to Nachon's threshing floor, Uzzah put out his hand to the ark of God and took hold of it, for the oxen stumbled."
In fear that the Ark of the Covenant would fall from the cart as the oxen stumbled, Uzzah reached out to steady it...hoping to prevent it from tumbling from the cart.
Then: "...the anger of the Lord was aroused against Uzzah, and God struck him there for his error; and he died there by the ark of God."
Uzzah was dead!
What is the lesson here? Why did this happen? Could this have been prevented?
First, notice in 2 Samuel 6:3 these words:
"So they set the ark of God on a NEW CART."
God's Word had been specific:
The Ark of the Covenant was to be constructed PRECISELY as He had prescribed...AND...it was to be CARRIED precisely as He had instructed.
First...David instructed the men to put the Ark of the Covenant on a NEW CART. David made a decision...as leader...to have the Ark of the Covenant carried in a manner in which God HAD NOT instructed that it was to be carried!
THE PRESENCE OF GOD WAS BEING CARRIED IMPROPERLY!
Second...we see as the Ark of the Covenant is being transported toward its destination...the oxen stumble. Uzzah, one of the drivers of the cart, sees the possibility that the Ark of the Covenant could fall to the ground.
So...with the best of intentions...he reaches out to stabilize it.
Which of us if there that day would not have done the same?!
It seems so logical! It seems necessary!
But...it would prove FATAL!
God had instructed that the Ark of the Covenant was NOT TO BE TOUCHED! It was not to be handled by man!
And...even with good intentions...Uzzah would lose his life for this seemingly simple act.
How could God do such a thing? WHY would He do such a thing?
God's Presence....here represented by the Ark of the Covenant....is a powerful thing.
God had instructed that it was to be handled a certain way...HIS WAY.
David chose to have the very Presence of God handled in a manner CONTRARY to God's divine instructions!
David did it HIS way...not GOD'S way!
And...as a result of the MISHANDLING of God's Presence...a man DIED!
God is tired of men trying to handle His Presence THEIR way!
Today...men and women and ministries are HANDLING God...doing it their way.
God wants His Presence in the midst of His people...but too many leaders are too busy HANDLING His presence...trying to use it to build prestige...to build ministries...to build kingdoms of their own making.
David handled God's Presence HIS WAY...and one of his own men died because of it!
I believe this is a message from God for the Church today:
Stop HANDLING God‘s Presence!
How many times have I seen this...as I, myself, have led worship in services countless times throughout the years:
God's Presence manifests in a powerful way in a church service...and...suddenly...the Worship Leader or Pastor steps forward to take over.
I am not saying that God does not...at times...want to give instruction to the body at this point.
But, how many times is it really THIS that is happening...as the Worship Leader or Pastor thinks:
"Yes! God is moving! I had better take charge!"...or..."Wow! God is moving! Let me use this for some other purpose!"...or..."Yes! God is moving! But…He needs my help!"
God did not arbitrarily issue the command that the Ark of the Covenant was NOT to be touched!
It had a purpose!
Just as everything in the Old Testament was a foreshadowing...a picture...of something to come, so this story is also a lesson to us today.
God wants His Presence in our midst. God wants to do great things in the Church. God longs to allow us to experience the POWER, PROVISION and PROMISE (remember the contents of the Ark of the Covenant!) of His Presence...but He demands that it be done HIS WAY!
I once posted this statement just on FB:
"I think God wants His Church back!"
I believe that is what God is wanting to say to the Church...HIS Church.
Man has tried to handle His Presence...and the results have been devastating!
Individual churches have grown...but most due to a compromised gospel. Do not dismiss that thought as nonsense! God's Word tells us that this truth is real...and it will become even more prevalent as we near the return of Jesus.
Man has devised every possible way to "GROW A CHURCH"...but, the truth is...ALL statistics show that church attendance continues to wane.
Worse...ALL statistics show that those who ARE attending church are no longer believing in ESSENTIAL DOCTRINES of the Bible!
Somehow...and I include myself in this...we have FAILED!
We have done things that GOD NEVER SAID DO (Saul carried the Ark of the Covenant into battle when God DID NOT instruct him to do it at that time!) in ways GOD NEVER SAID DO THEM (David putting the Ark of the Covenant on a "new cart")!
You see...David respected God's Presence. Thus, he instructed the use of a "NEW CART".
An old cart...at least to David...was not good enough for the task.
But...God did not want His Presence carried on a NEW CART nor an OLD CART!
God wanted it to be carried by men who obeyed His Word!
And...obeying His Word meant carrying it by the poles that were properly placed in the rings that would allow the Ark of the Covenant to be carried by the men designated to do so!
Modern ideas of ministry and "new revelations" may be the trend today....but I believe...again...that GOD WANTS HIS CHURCH BACK!
God wants men to take their hands off of His Presence!
God wants to do things His way!
God wants to do what He wants to do the way He wants to do it!
We are to take a HANDS OFF approach!
This may all sound odd to some....and it may sound enlightening to others...but...God's Presence is not for us to handle...it is not ours to touch.
This story shows us today that God's ways are not our ways.
Man...leadership...the Church...must allow God to do things HIS way.
Today...we have every famous "Church Leader" writing books and giving the Church his or her "how to" method on every possible subject...usually, on CHURCH GROWTH or PROSPERITY and a myriad of present-day themes.
Leaders are consulting other leaders on every possible subject...many copying the other in hopes of similar outcomes...usually the hope being GREATER ATTENDANCE ON SUNDAY or LARGE OFFERINGS.
I cannot believe that we have come to the time and place where this needs to be said...especially to the Church...but it must be said:
God wants to be in charge again!
And...it is high time we let Him have that control!
How many people have had to die (Uzzah) due to our insistence on using a "NEW CART!?"
I often use this phrase:
"It isn't rocket science!"
In other words...there is a simple answer...and simple solution:
Simply FOLLOW GOD'S INSTRUCTIONS!
Let Him lead. Do what He says do...the way He says do it.
Let's keep our hands off of HIS PRESENCE!
The possibilities are beyond belief if we do!
And...the consequences are beyond belief if we don't!
God's Presence: "Handle" With Care.
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