In a spirit of great rejoicing, David danced before the ark of God as a pair of oxen moved the ark to Jerusalem. Along the way, the oxen stumbled and one of the minders, Uzzah, reached out to steady the load. God struck him down instantly for his apparently irreverent act.

David reacted first in anger, followed quickly by fear. The Lord showed up in an unexpected, uncontrolled way.

Not that David hadn’t been warned. God gave specific instructions on how to transport the ark (see Numbers 4:15). Not on a cart pulled by oxen, but carried by Kohathite Levites, with pointed directions never to touch the ark lest they die.

David ignored these ancient instructions, failing to take the law of the Lord seriously. Uzzah bore the wrath for his lapse in leadership.

I wonder if David missed a bigger lesson in this tragic incident? The Lord’s holiness soars beyond our understanding. David knew that better than most anyone, ever. What if God’s punishment of Uzzah was part of his bigger plan for David? What if the Lord wanted David to remember his holiness as David served as king?

What if David remembered Uzzah’s lesson throughout his reign? What if he turned away from Bathsheba as she bathed on a nearby roof? What if David never ordered the death of her husband? What if the nation avoided the civil war that grew out of these crimes? What if the death of one man spared the deaths of many?

What if?

I’m only guessing at the mind of God, and I’m not good at it. But I don’t have to guess at the holiness of God. That’s obvious.

1 Samuel 6 in week twenty of reading the Bible cover to cover

Carrying the Ark of the Covenant: gilded bas-relief at Auch Cathedral, France