A New Cart!

2 Samuel 5:11-6:23, and 1 Chronicles 13-16 are fascinating passages to read and are next in order of the historical chronology that take us through the events of scripture as they unfolded.

As I've mentioned before, God inspired all of the written Word, including the tough parts that can seem difficult for us to understand. For example, these verses record the incident that occurred when David instructed that the Ark of the Covenant be transported. The Bible explains that they loaded it onto a new cart. Apparently, to their detriment, they disregarded that the Ark was to be carried by a Levite (Exodus 25 and Numbers 4). They probably thought that God would be so pleased that they'd made this new mode of transportation that he would overlook their oversight.

Oh how similar I've been to these guys. In my quest to please God, to experience his presence, to honor him, I have devised a "better" way to serve him. Regrettably, I've succumbed to the notion that honoring God and invoking his presence must involve a new cart in the way of my bigger and better ideas that look and seem fancy and innovative.

I'm guessing that it's possible that David prayed for God to bless this big processional he orchestrated, but scripture says nothing of his having inquired of God about the process beforehand. As a result, David did a good thing the wrong way. I believe that I've been guilty of the same and my prayer today is that my hard learned lessons might prevent you from making similar blunders, and that you would recognize the futility of making plans without first consulting God's Word to see if there are directives or instructions that are specific to the course of action you feel led to pursue BEFORE you proceed.

What a blessing that I live in an era of grace through Jesus Christ. Fortunately, my sinful disregard for proper procedure has not resulted in death (as it did for Uzzah in this tragic story)--but that does not diminish the importance of always--ALWAYS--inquiring of The Lord before planning something for Him.

Thank you Father for forgiving all of the new carts I've crafted without your mandate. Your grace is more appreciated than I will ever adequately convey.