Yahweh or My Way?

1 CHRONICLES 13:1-11

You can hear him now, Old Blue Eyes (Frank Sinatra) belting out the last exploding refrain of "I DID IT MY WAY." The audience with vigorous applauding stand to their feet to give a standing ovation of approval. Perhaps the song sends tingles up your spine as you clinch your fist and say, with a grimace on your face, "From now on I'm going to do things my way!"

While in seminary I ran around with about four other "would-be" holy men and we would sing "O.B.E's" song with a strange twist. When it came to the last refrain of "I did it my way" we would insert Yahweh, the name of God and sing, "I did it Yahweh!" I guess you had to be there!

"O.B.E's" song may be politically correct but it is theologically incorrect. You may enjoy the song, but as a Christian you don't want to live your life by the song, for it counter acts the Word of God. In other words your life is to be lived "God's way." To do otherwise is spiritual suicide.
The life of David is no exception when it comes to living the "My Way" SIN-drome (syndrome, pun intended). 1 Chronicles 13 is a good example. To this point David had ...
Watched Sheep
Killed Goliath
Fled from King Saul
Faced Civil War in the kingdom
And now He is King over all Israel David made Jerusalem the political capital and is now wanting to make it the religious center of the nation. In doing so he decides to bring the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem.

1. THE ARK OF GOD
The ark (covenant/testimony) of God was Israel's most sacred treasure. It was a symbol of God's presence and power.
1a. History of the Ark
Prominent place in the Tabernacle (holy of most holies)
Prominent role in conquest of Promise Land
Permanently located at Shiloh where a house was built to hold it.
Captured by the Philistines in battle (1 Sam 4)
Brought plagues upon the Philistines
Returned to Bethshemesh
50,070 men died for looking into it
Carried to Kiriath-Jearim where it remained until David moved it to Jerusalem.
Some ask where the ark is today? Most agree that the Babylonians in 587 BC probably destroyed it along with other temple articles. (However if you've seen Indiana Jones you know it resides in the nation archives warehouse!)

1b. Moving the Ark
David not only wanted the ark in Jerusalem for a worship center, but to also receive the blessing that Abinadab and family were receiving. In the process of moving the ark the story become interesting.
David asks advice from the people.
People view the moving as good.
David travels to Kirjath Jearim where the ark resides.
Moves the ark on a new oxen cart
Abinadab's son's Uzza & Ahio escort the ark.
David & Co. sing and play music.
The oxen stumble and Uzza puts his hand out to steady the ark.
God strikes Uzza dead for touching the ark.
David pouts and becomes angry with God.
Leaves the ark at Obed-Edom's house

2. ARK LESSONS FOR TODAY
You might be asking yourself, "What does this have to do with me?" Good question since we don't cart the ark of the covenant around with us. The better question might be, "What can we learn from this story?" I believe the story has a tremendous value for us today in how serious we take God's Word.

2a. Right Ways (Yahweh's) & Wrong Ways (My Ways)
One of the first mistakes David made was asking only for the opinion of the people. Popular opinions are not always the best way to walk.
1 Chronicles 13:4 ... Then all the congregation said that they would do so, for the thing was right in the eyes of all the people.
The desire to move the ark to Jerusalem was not wrong, nor the people's agreement. However knowing what the ark represented, David should have consulted God. Good intentions without obedience to God's Word are as useless as bad intentions ... it's still sin! Good intentions will not justify bad actions.

Proverbs 16:25 ... There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.
"We walk by rule not example when it varies from the rule." 1 The right way is to always seek first the Kingdom of God.

2b. Sweat the Small Stuff!
Mom used to always say, "Wayne Matthew don't sweat the small stuff!" The message is, life is less complicated when you don't get hung up on all the details. Mom's advise is good for life in general. But I've discovered that if we fail to know and do the small stuff in God's Word life can become very complicated.

David, the Levities, and others knew the right way to handle the ark of God, and it was not an oxen cart. Perhaps they didn't want to be bothered by the details. However it was not doing the details that got Uzza killed .

I find it interesting that David chose an oxen cart to escort the ark. When David fled from the pursuing King Saul we found refuge in the camp of the Philistines. Years later when the Philistines were returning the captured ark they put it on an oxen cart. Let's call it "familiarity." Perhaps David became a bit to familiar with the Philistines way of doing things and less of Yahweh's way of doing things! Or perhaps David had become so familiar with God's ways that he thought, as we often do, "This one time won't hurt!"

"In our communion with God we must carefully watch over our own hearts lest familiarity..." We must be careful not to become so familiar with God's Word and the ways of the world so as to begin to mingle the two.

Luke 21:33 "Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away."

If this is true, and it is, we need to begin concentrating on the small stuff of God's Word. Perhaps in David's zeal to bring the ark to Jerusalem he overlooked the instructions God had given for the transporting of the ark. The ark had on it a set of rings on each side for poles to slide through allowing the Kothathites to carry it on their shoulders. That was the right way ... it was Yahweh's!

A simple mistake? Tell that to Uzza! But then again Uzza doesn't stand not guilty. You see he was a Kothathite (one who handled the sacred articles of the tabernacle), and from a young boy he was taught one critical lesson ... "You Never Touch The Ark! Or You Will Die!" Uzza's intentions were good but he failed to heed the details of God's Word. And it cost him dearly!

"When it comes to obeying God, it's the details, the rings and poles that snag us. Either we don't want to go to the trouble of getting the poles, or we don't want to carry them on our shoulders. So we grab a cart, rewrite the rules, and do it our own way."

Psalms 81:13 "Oh, that My people would listen to Me, That Israel would walk in My ways!"

2c. Live By the Word of God
What better way should a Christian live than by the Word of God?
Matthew 4:3-4 Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, "If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread." 4 But He answered and said, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.'"

The story of David has tremendous value for us in just how serious we take God's Word. The key phrase is, every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. If we really believe this is God's Word, we need to start living by it!

Tithe ... surely God understands if I only give 2% or 5%? (See: Luke 11:23)

Witnessing ... It's not my cup of tea! Besides my life is my witness. (Acts 1:8)

Adultery ... hey get with the times! Surely Jesus was only kidding about looking, wasn't He? (Matthew 5:27-28; 19:9, Galatians 5:19)

Loving your enemies ... If they did to Jesus what they did to me He would understand! (Matthew 5:44)

Wives submit to your husbands ... not politically correct, Jesus! (Colossians 3:18)

Husbands love your wives as Christ did the church ... I do, I do, now get off my back! (Colossians 3:19)

Children obey your parents ... like uh ... like Duh? (Colossians 3:20)

The list of examples could go on and on. Just how serious to do we take God's Word?

Blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it! (Luke 11:28b)
The truth be known most people prefer to do things as Old Blue Eyes ... "My Way!" Countless stories of heartache and pain resembling David and Uzza can be told because we decided to do it "My Way" instead of "God's Way." How are you going to sing the song? I did it ... My Way or Yahweh? .

As we prepare to come to the table and partake of the bread and wine; emblematic of our relationship to Jesus, let us consider well the examples we have been offered today. May we each recall how often we have attempted to live life on our own terms, doing it "My Way" and not God's Way. May we humbly ask forgiveness and newness of life as we approach this memorial, looking forward to when our saviour will dine with us in the coming kingdom. Amen.