A Lesson in God's Holiness and Grace
A Lesson in God’s Holiness and Grace
2 Sam. 6-10
“And the anger of the Lord burned against Uzzah, and God struck him down there for his irreverence, and he died there by the ark.
“Your (David’s) house and your kingdom shall endure before Me forever; your throne shall be established forever.”
Two events. The first resulted in death. The second resulted in the eternal promise of an eternal dynasty. Throughout scripture, we see the interplay between the holiness of God and the grace of God. The holiness of God separates sinful man from a holy God who demands complete obedience and brings swift judgment upon sin. The grace of God results in the promise of salvation and an eternal plan to restore order to a chaotic world plagued by sin.
The first event we find in chapter 6. David desired to bring the ark back to Jerusalem and restore its rightful place among the people after the Philistines had captured it during the reign of Saul. David desired to bring the ark to Jerusalem so that the religious and political authority would be unified around David. The Mosaic law had strict requirements for how the ark was to be transported. The ark was to be carried only by poles on the shoulders of the Levites. Furthermore, it was not to be touched by anyone else. Instead of following the law, they placed the ark upon a cart, and while traveling down the road, the ark was nearly upset, so Uzzah reached out and took hold of the ark to keep it from falling. To the dismay of David and those with him, God immediately struck Uzzah dead. The issue was more than a slight indiscretion for failing to obey God. It was an act of disobedience to God’s law, and they were treating the ark as a “good luck” charm rather than the abode of a holy God. It was a terrible reminder that God should not be trivialized and treated lightly. He is holy, and he does not tolerate sin. All sin, no matter how trivial in our eyes, is an act of rebellion against God. To trivialize god and his law is to render God insignificant. A harsh lesson that David needed to learn if he was to be the king and leader of God’s people.
The next event is equally as surprising. On the heels of God’s judgment upon sin, we see one of the great demonstrations of God’s grace. In chapter 7, God does something both surprising and incredible. Like Abraham, God makes an unconditional and eternal covenant with David. He makes a covenant that will have eternal consequences, and one that becomes the basis of our hope today. In spite of David’s failure, God promises to David that He will establish an eternal dynasty through David and bestow His blessing and faithful love to the descendants of David. This ultimately points to the person of Christ, who will return and establish an eternal dynasty at the end of the current age. So great was this demonstration of Grace that David could only respond with wonder and praise (2 Samuel 7:18-29). The Messianic king will come to bring final salvation and restoration to a broken world.
However, these two events are more than just a record of history; they are a lesson to us today. It is a reminder that all sin, no matter how trivial in our eyes, from the little white lie to the most horrendous act of rebellion, is an affront to a holy God and brings us under His judgment. While we minimize sin, God takes it seriously, and sinful man cannot stand in the presence of a holy God. Thus, we are left with the paradox: How can sinful humanity stand before a holy God? The answer is that we cannot! Yet God, in His grace, gives us the answer by sending the Messiah to redeem us from the penalty of our sin. But not only would the Messiah die for us so that we might live, but He will return to establish His kingdom. This is our hope in the present broken world we live in. To stand before God in our sin is to face certain death. To embrace the hope of the Messianic King and surrender to His sovereign reign in our lives brings eternal life. The question that confronts us is which one will we choose?
2 Sam. 6-10
“And the anger of the Lord burned against Uzzah, and God struck him down there for his irreverence, and he died there by the ark.
“Your (David’s) house and your kingdom shall endure before Me forever; your throne shall be established forever.”
Two events. The first resulted in death. The second resulted in the eternal promise of an eternal dynasty. Throughout scripture, we see the interplay between the holiness of God and the grace of God. The holiness of God separates sinful man from a holy God who demands complete obedience and brings swift judgment upon sin. The grace of God results in the promise of salvation and an eternal plan to restore order to a chaotic world plagued by sin.
The first event we find in chapter 6. David desired to bring the ark back to Jerusalem and restore its rightful place among the people after the Philistines had captured it during the reign of Saul. David desired to bring the ark to Jerusalem so that the religious and political authority would be unified around David. The Mosaic law had strict requirements for how the ark was to be transported. The ark was to be carried only by poles on the shoulders of the Levites. Furthermore, it was not to be touched by anyone else. Instead of following the law, they placed the ark upon a cart, and while traveling down the road, the ark was nearly upset, so Uzzah reached out and took hold of the ark to keep it from falling. To the dismay of David and those with him, God immediately struck Uzzah dead. The issue was more than a slight indiscretion for failing to obey God. It was an act of disobedience to God’s law, and they were treating the ark as a “good luck” charm rather than the abode of a holy God. It was a terrible reminder that God should not be trivialized and treated lightly. He is holy, and he does not tolerate sin. All sin, no matter how trivial in our eyes, is an act of rebellion against God. To trivialize god and his law is to render God insignificant. A harsh lesson that David needed to learn if he was to be the king and leader of God’s people.
The next event is equally as surprising. On the heels of God’s judgment upon sin, we see one of the great demonstrations of God’s grace. In chapter 7, God does something both surprising and incredible. Like Abraham, God makes an unconditional and eternal covenant with David. He makes a covenant that will have eternal consequences, and one that becomes the basis of our hope today. In spite of David’s failure, God promises to David that He will establish an eternal dynasty through David and bestow His blessing and faithful love to the descendants of David. This ultimately points to the person of Christ, who will return and establish an eternal dynasty at the end of the current age. So great was this demonstration of Grace that David could only respond with wonder and praise (2 Samuel 7:18-29). The Messianic king will come to bring final salvation and restoration to a broken world.
However, these two events are more than just a record of history; they are a lesson to us today. It is a reminder that all sin, no matter how trivial in our eyes, from the little white lie to the most horrendous act of rebellion, is an affront to a holy God and brings us under His judgment. While we minimize sin, God takes it seriously, and sinful man cannot stand in the presence of a holy God. Thus, we are left with the paradox: How can sinful humanity stand before a holy God? The answer is that we cannot! Yet God, in His grace, gives us the answer by sending the Messiah to redeem us from the penalty of our sin. But not only would the Messiah die for us so that we might live, but He will return to establish His kingdom. This is our hope in the present broken world we live in. To stand before God in our sin is to face certain death. To embrace the hope of the Messianic King and surrender to His sovereign reign in our lives brings eternal life. The question that confronts us is which one will we choose?
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