Many people have heard of the Ark of the Covenant because of the first Indiana Jones movie, Raiders of the Lost Ark. Modern movies aside, 2 Samuel 6 tells the story of Uzzah, who was struck dead by God for touching the Ark, but why did God strike Uzzah dead?
What is the Ark of the Covenant?
The Ark of the Covenant was a gold-covered wooden chest which was kept inside the Most Holy Place in the Tabernacle. The cover of the Ark was made of pure gold, and it had sculptures of two cherubim, one at each end. The cherubim faced each other, and their wings touched (Exodus 37:6-9). This cover was called the "mercy seat." The mercy seat was where God sat when he inhabited the Tabernacle among the Jewish people. The Ark originally contained the two tablets on which God had inscribed the Ten Commandments (hence the name, "Ark of the Covenant"). Later, Moses placed a jar containing some manna inside the Ark, as well as Aaron's staff which had budded (see Hebrews 9:4).
Because the Ark represented God's very presence among the people, it was housed in the Most Holy Place in the Tabernacle. The Most Holy Place (or "Holy of Holies") was separated from the rest of the tabernacle by a veil. Only the High Priest could enter the Most Holy Place, and only once a year, on the Day of Atonement (see Leviticus 16). The Day of Atonement was when the High Priest offered a sacrifice on behalf of the entire nation of Israel. God promised to forgive the people (i.e., extend mercy to them); that's why the cover of the Ark was called the "mercy seat."
How Was the Ark Moved if no One Could Touch It?
Exodus 37 relates the story of the construction of the Ark: "Now Bezalel made the ark of acacia wood; its length was two and a half cubits, its width one and a half cubits, and its height one and a half cubits; and he overlaid it with pure gold inside and out, and made a gold molding for it all around. He cast four rings of gold for it on its four feet; two rings on one side of it, and two rings on the other side of it. And he made poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with gold. He put the poles into the rings on the side of the ark, to carry it" (Exodus 37:1-5).
The Ark was thus constructed so that it could be carried by poles, without anyone touching it. The entire Tabernacle and all its furnishings were made so that they could be transported from place to place. When the Israelites were traveling, God's presence led them – as a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. When His presence stopped, they stopped. They remained in the place where God stopped as long as His presence stayed there. When they stopped, they would put up the Tabernacle, and God's presence would descend upon it.
In Numbers 3:25-37, God assigns responsibilities for the transport of the Tabernacle and its furnishings to the three divisions of the Levites. The Kohathites were given responsibility for the Ark and the other furnishings and utensils associated with sacrifices (Numbers 3:27-32). In Numbers 4, God gives the specific instructions for the transport of the Ark: "When Aaron and his sons have finished covering the holy objects and all the furnishings of the sanctuary, when the camp is to set out, after that the sons of Kohath shall come to carry them by the poles, so that they will not touch the holy objects and die" (Numbers 4:15).
What Happened With Uzzah?
Before Saul became king, the Philistines captured the Ark of the Covenant from Israel (1 Samuel 4:10-11). God punished the Philistines for taking the Ark (see 1 Samuel 5), so they returned it to Israel. However, it remained in Kiriath-jearim, in the house of Abinadab, for 20 years (1 Samuel 7:1-2).
When David became king of all of Israel, he called for the ark to be brought to Jerusalem. They placed the Ark on a new cart, pulled by oxen. "But when they came to the threshing floor of Nacon, Uzzah reached out toward the ark of God and took hold of it, because the oxen nearly overturned it. 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 of God" (2 Samuel 6:6-7).
Why Did God Strike Uzzah Dead For Touching the Ark of the Covenant?
God gave Moses specific instructions for the construction, placement, and storage of the Ark. When the Ark was at rest among the people, no one other than the High Priest could even go into the Most Holy Place to stand before it. The layout of the Tabernacle was designed so that the Ark would be separated from everything else, and no one except the High Priest would go in.
Only the Kohathites were allowed to transport the Ark when it was moved. They were not even allowed to touch it; they carried it by the poles that were inserted through the rings on each corner of the Ark. Aaron and his sons covered the Ark and the other furnishings. After that, the Kohathites would come to carry the furnishings by the poles, "so that they will not touch the holy objects and die." God had commanded that no one touch the Ark. It was constructed so that it could be carried without anyone having to touch it. Uzzah violated that commandment, and God struck him down.
But why?
Why was it so important that no one touch the Ark? Two reasons come to mind. First, because the Ark represented the very presence of God among the people, it was holy. Modern believers often overlook the importance and power of God's holiness. God had told Moses that no one could ever see Him and live (Exodus 33:20). When Isaiah "saw" God in the Temple, he fell and said, "Woe to me, for I am ruined!
Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of armies" (Isaiah 6:1-5).
The second reason is presumption. When Uzzah thought that the Ark would fall because the oxen "nearly overturned it" (2 Samuel 6:6), he reached out to steady it – as if Almighty God needed his help to protect the Ark! Such presumption is always dangerous.
It might seem that God was unfair or unduly harsh to strike Uzzah dead, but God's commands are always right, and God's ways are always best.
Whenever people think that they are justified in ignoring God's commands, or think that they know better than God, they are on shaky ground indeed.
Were Adam and Eve Saved?
Posts
