17. The Ark at Nachon's Threshing Floor; or, God's Presence Mistrusted

Chapter 17 - The Ark at Nachon’s Threshing Floor; or, God’s Presence Mistrusted THE first act of David, when fully established on the throne, was to stir up the people to a lively in­terest in the long-neglected ark of God. Willing to give them a share in the work of its public restoration, he sought their counsel and assistance. He "consulted with the captains of thousands and hundreds, and with every leader. And David said unto all the congregation of Israel, If it seem good unto you, and that it be of the Lord our God, let us send abroad unto our brethren everywhere, that are left in all the land of Israel, and with them also to the priests and Levites which are in their cities and suburbs, that they may gather themselves unto us: and let us bring again the ark of our God." 1 Chronicles 13:1-11, and2 Samuel 6:1-8. The proposal was cordially approved. A grand national assembly was convened. From the remotest parts of the land, flocked willing spectators to join in the procession; and with 30,000 men, David started for Kirjath-baal, "to bring up thence the ark of God, before which the name, even the name of the Lord of hosts that dwelleth between the cherubims, was called upon." The zeal of that day, however, was "not ac­cording to knowledge:" In bringing the ark "out of the house of Abinadab that was in the hill," they transgressed the law of its convey­ance.

Instead of having it borne by staves on the shoulders of ministering Levites, they "set it upon a cart,"---a "new" cart, indeed, for they wished to do it honor, while yet they forgot that such was not the mode prescribed for its removal. The Philistines had known no better; the men of Israel knew, or ought to have known. The ignorance of the latter, if ignorance at all, was inexcusable, and there­fore culpable. We are next informed, that Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, and successors probably of Eleazar in the guar­dianship of the ark beneath their father’s roof, accompanied it on the way, and undertook the duty of guiding the cart, Ahio advancing first to clear the road, and Uzzah walking by the side to urge or to restrain the oxen. Whether these brothers were Levites, is somewhat un­certain. They are usually considered to have been such. The notion rests on the statement of Josephus; but is also in accordance with the fact that no stranger might approach the ark, and live. Whether they were Kohathites, is another and still more doubtful matter. If otherwise, there was here another irregularity in the proceedings of the day.

There was no longer the plea of necessity for the sons of Abinadab to wait on the holy things, since priests and Levites were in attendance; and we can only surmise that Uzzah and Ahio were desirous thus to testify the willingness with which they resigned the private custody of a charge that rightfully belonged to the nation at large. So far, the motives of all appear to have been sincere and becoming. So far, like­wise, the God who is merciful and gracious, long-suffering and abundant in goodness, ac­cepted the worshippers, and forbore to visit them for these minor deviations from the path of ceremonial duty. Joy reigned in every heart, and amid the blending of vocal and instru­mental music, the gladsome march progressed. "The singers went before, the players on instruments followed after; among them were the damsels playing with timbrels." The words of Moses may again have been pronounced, "Let God arise, and let his enemies be scat­tered; let them also that hate him flee before him:" and the sublime ode may have been sung which David had prefaced with the same appropriate utterance. Psalms 68:1;Psalms 68:25. But a sudden and a grievous interruption was at hand. On reaching the threshing-floor of Nachon (otherwise called Chidon), situated probably in or near Jerusalem, the stumbling of the oxen shook the cart; whereon Uzzah put forth his hand, and laid hold of the ark to steady it. Then "the anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzzah; and God smote him there for his error; and there he died by the ark of God." As to the mode of this sudden death, there have been various idle conjectures, on which it is needless to enter. The moral causes of it require a little investigation. It may be premised, that the representations found of ancient carts, used for sacred purposes, lead to the supposition, that the one employed on this occasion was a kind of mere platform on wheels; in which case, it is easy to understand that it was impossible for Uzzah to effect his object by laying hold on the staves. The question, therefore, resolves itself into this: Wherein lay the sin of putting forth a helping hand? was it mistaken zeal that it was so fear­fully punished? or was heedlessness the crime that lay at the offender’s door? Was this judg­ment inflicted merely for Israel’s sake? or were there secret heart-evils, which stamped Uzzah’s outward act with moral turpitude, and called down upon him this severe punition? Two considerations present themselves in reply, It is observable, in the first place, that this act of disobedience was more direct and glaring than those which had preceded it. The touching of the ark, and the looking upon it, were the two things expressly prohibited under pain of death. The mode of carrying was more of a precau­tionary rule laid down to guard against the danger of violating the former precepts. The disregard of the one would often, as in this case, lead on to the breach of the other. Uzzah knew the fearful penalty; how durst he incur it? This leads us to notice, secondly, the pro­bability that there was some lurking sin in his heart, of which this external act was but the casual development. It must be remembered by us, that even a good intention cannot justify a bad action; for if men do evil that good may come, "their damnation is just." On analyzing Uzzah’s crime, however, we may detect some­thing amiss in his feelings as well as in his doings. If pride had risen up, if he had in­dulged in self-complacency at being thus pub­licly recognized as official keeper of the ark, it is easy to see how the way was paved for his presumption. But whatever may have led to his rashness, we trace in it the repetition of evils which have already come under our no­tice; we perceive the same irreverence and familiarity that had brought down a great slaughter on the Bethshemites; and we wonder not that Jehovah saw it needful to vindicate anew the honor of His sacred footstool. In Uzzah’s conduct, however, we may discern yet another sin. While it was irreverence that em­boldened him to touch the ark, it was unbelief that occasioned the wish to do so. If he con­temned God’s presence, he was equally guilty of mistrusting it. Had he remembered for whom that precious coffer had been set apart, and who it was that had deigned to make it the ensign of His presence, he would have felt that no help of man, certainly no unlawful help of man, was needed to ensure its safety. This view of the prominent feature in Uzzah’s sin affords an important lesson. There are many occasions, on which we are tempted to repeat his error. We oft-times mistrust God’s presence with His word. We hear of infidel objections to the inspired volume, or of scien­tific discoveries which threaten to contravene its statements; and we are in danger of put­ting forth an unhallowed finger, and making use of unwarrantable efforts to defend it, by a hasty, and therefore, oft-times erroneous inter­pretation of its words. Let patience have her perfect work, and let God be trusted with the care of His own truth. We are to stand fast for the faith as "once delivered to the saints," and not to concern ourselves overmuch for the harmonizing of it with man’s reasonings or man’s researches. If the latter be truthful, we shall ere long find that they in no wise run counter to God’s written Revelation.

If they are false, they will fall to the ground, while the fortress of Scripture remains impregnable. It has been well said, in reference to the appa­rent conflicts of science and theology, "To dread anything, to wish that anything which has been patiently sought or honestly won, should be ignored or kept back, betrays an extreme weakness: Christ has not laid His hand on us with power, or we should not be so easily persuaded to believe His cause tottering, or His truth endangered." He who has com­manded us to "go and teach all nations" the gospel of His grace, has also given us the as­surance, "Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world;" and to imagine or to fear that anything can ever arise in the course of time’s fleeting cycles to demolish or to su­persede that message of salvation, is to doubt the fulfillment of a promise which was purposely made to be coeval with the world’s duration. As long as He is with His people---and that is as long as earth shall stand,---so long must His word remain proof against all the malice of demons, and all the machinations of the ungodly.

But, again, we are in danger of mistrusting God’s presence with His church. We behold her imperiled, and we are prone to take false steps for her preservation. We see the world taking arms against her, and we are apt to temporize, to call bitter sweet and sweet bitter, to make concessions that are inconsistent with God’s claims upon us, and to sound a jubilant note of triumph over what is but a hollow, as it is an ill-gotten peace. Or we behold the church enfeebled, we see one good man after another cut off, and we try to swell the numbers by opening wider and yet wider the gate of Chris­tian profession. We seek the co-operation of worldly men, that we may bring over their gold into the church’s treasury, and introduce their carnal policy into the church’s councils, and win their influence in the church’s behalf. But whether we see the church assailed, or whether we see her ranks diminished, it becomes us to put our trust in Jehovah, and not in an arm of flesh. Prudent measures we may use, but no­thing that involves the abandonment of prin­ciple---nothing that amalgamates the precious with the vile---nothing that will facilitate the sowing of tares among the wheat. God has loved His church with an everlasting love, and will love her throughout all futurity. She is founded on an immoveable rock, therefore "the gates of hell shall not prevail" against her. "God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved; He shall help her, and that right early."

He walks "in the midst of the golden candlesticks," and has unlimited power to protect them from extinction. If "the godly man ceaseth," we are yet permitted to cry, and shall not cry in vain, "Help, Lord." Finally; we may learn to beware of mis­trusting God’s presence with ourselves. We may have interests dearer to us than was the ark to Uzzah; and, like him, we may be dis­posed to take sinful measures in the hope of averting their threatened overthrow. Such a course will but serve to bring down a judg­ment. Those who "refuse the waters of Shiloah that go softly," and seek for aid more evidently rapid and energetic, shall find that swift and sure destruction will overtake them, when "the Lord bringeth upon them the waters of the river, strong and many," to carry them away "as with a flood." When there is no lawful path open for us to tread, our "strength is to sit still." When no human aid can be sinlessly rendered, then "it is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait" for the deliverance God can bestow. "As the mountains are round about Jerusalem, so the Lord is round about His people from henceforth even forever: for the rod of the wicked shall not rest upon the lot of the righteous, lest the righteous put forth their hands unto iniquity: as for such as turn aside unto their crooked ways, the Lord shall lead them forth with the workers of iniquity; but peace shall be upon Israel."