Uzzah

The Levites were to bear it on their shoulders, but they might not come near it until they had been covered by the priests, nor touch it except with staves provided for carrying it.

The ark had been under Uzzah's care.

Perhaps he had come to treat it familiarly.

Uzzah put forth his hand to hold the ark, for the oxen stumbled.

And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzzah, and he smote him, because he put forth his hand to the ark, and there he died before God.

it was a natural thing for uzzah to do the road was

rough and it seemed as if the ark would fall off the cart uzzah instinctively and impulsively put his

hand out to steady it if the levites had been carrying the ark the only proper way uzzah could not have committed this sin one irreverence prepares the way for another almost makes another necessary the breaking of one commandment leads to the breaking of others the first sin is like the little leak in the dike which grows until it becomes a flood if we would be safe from the final ruin we must guard against the smallest beginning of evil David was greatly affected by the occurrence.

Now, as far as, you know, how is God's character in the Old Testament so much different than that of Jesus, it isn't.

If you read in the Old Testament, for example, a guy named Uzzah touched the Ark of the Covenant to steady it, and he was struck dead.

Nebuchadnezzar, a couple of priests, sons of Aaron, they did a sacrilegious thing in the tabernacle and they were struck dead.

Well, that's pretty mean of God, right? Well, what about in the New Testament? What about King Herod? He did something blasphemous and an angel of the Lord, presumably under Christ's commands, struck him and he was eaten with worms and he died.

So an example that I didn't bring up in the article, but I think is interesting is when David has the Ark of the Covenant and they're taking it to Jerusalem.

And then there's a man called Uzzah who's helping carry the thing and Ark of the Covenant tips over, he catches it and then he instantly dies.

Um, and so there's, David is actually seems to be, first of all, he's angry at God that God would do this.

Uh, but then he's also in, um, it says in second Samuel six, nine, that David was afraid of the Lord that day.

And also, you must remember the first man, Isaiah.

In the year King Uzzah died, I saw the Lord.

How did Uzzah die? Because Uzzah was a king and he wanted to perform the duty of a priest.

Then God says, take leprosy.

In other words, take sin.