Our Good Intentions Must Supported By Principles Found in God's Word

Today, Brendan, we're going to talk about good intentions. Have any of you ever had good intentions? Have those good intentions not quite played out the way you thought they would play out? Well, I'm sure all of us have had our share of good intentions, and I think all of us have had good intentions that didn't play out the way we hoped they would play out. Today, as we take a look at this idea of good intentions, we're going to look at the actions of a very famous man in Scripture. Thank you, sir.

The famous man in Scripture who had good intentions that went south was a fellow by the name of King David. There's another fellow who also had good intentions. He is combined in this story with King David, and he's only known actually as far as I'm understanding just for this one act. His name is Uzzah. Oh, somebody said, you understand where I'm going. Today is the Old Testament day today in the church. We're going to be looking in just a moment at 1 Chronicles 13. If you want to start going there, we will get there in just a moment. Want to give you a little bit of background before we get to 1 Chronicles 13. David had taken Jerusalem from the Jebusites and made it the capital of Israel and Judah. He was eager as well not only to make it the national capital, but the religious center as well. And in order to do that, he wanted to bring the Ark of the Covenant back to Jerusalem. He viewed that as being a very important thing. The Philistines had captured the Ark at Shiloh. They had exhibited it for several months, not to their benefit. We'll look at that a little bit later. The Ark had been in other places for some period of time. Of course, the Ark was important. You understand why. There were three things inside the Ark, deeply significant things. You had the two stone tablets, the Ten Commandments. You had the golden pot of manna, and you had Aaron's rod. All three of those things had deep significance to the nation of Israel. Obviously, the Ten Commandments were the basis of Israelite society in terms of the laws of God, the laws of the people of God. Very important to them, showing they were a very special people to a very special God. You had the pot of manna, which represented God being with them and serving them and providing for them, being there for them. You had the Aaron's rod that budded, showing that Aaron was chosen especially for God. There was leadership in this country, spiritual leadership under a spiritual God. Of course, the Ark had witnessed the tremendous power of God. God used that as a tool. The power was God's, but he used the Ark as a tool. When they were crossing the Jordan River, God caused the waters to part. And, of course, the human beings, as they watched this, the Israelis, as they watched this, they thought it was the Ark, perhaps, that was doing that, but it was God that was doing that, as you and I well know. The Ark was also carried around the city of Jericho, which was one of the greatest strongholds in biblical history, one of the oldest cities in Bible history. But here's where the problem came in for some of the Israelites. They began to view the Ark superstitiously. They began to think of the Ark as God in a box. And God is not in a box. God is limitless. Our mind can begin to comprehend our great God. But the Israelites began to think about the Ark of the Covenant as God in a box. And, of course, they took it on a battle with the Philistines and suffered a crushing defeat. And it was there with the Philistines for a number of... for a time. So David, at this point, you know, as he's thinking about himself, he's thinking about the great king of Israel, he's thinking, I live in a beautiful palace, a beautiful palace. And where is God? Where is that Ark? Let's do something wonderful with that Ark, which represents our great God. So he had great intentions regarding the Ark of the Covenant or the Ark of the Testimony. He wanted it there nearby with the capital in Jerusalem, in the capital of Jerusalem. And so that's where we now turn. Let's go to 1 Chronicles chapter 13.

For those of you who like to take notes, here's the theme. The theme is very simple. Our good intentions must be supported by God's Word. Our good intentions must be supported by God's Word. If you're not supported by God's Word, all the good intentions of the world don't matter. 1 Chronicles chapter 13 verse 1. Then David consulted with the captains of thousands and hundreds and with every leader. And David said to the assembly of Israel, If it seems good to you, and is of the Lord God, let us send out to our brethren everywhere who are left in all the land of Israel, and with them to the priests and Levites who are in their cities and their common lands, that they may gather together to us. And let us bring the Ark of our God back to us, for we have not inquired at it since the days of Saul. Then all the assembly said that they would do so, for the thing was right in the eyes of all the people. So not only did David have good intentions, the people had good intentions. David's zeal and enthusiasm was contagious. And what he wanted to do and what the Israelites wanted to do, they were all on the same page. So to this point, no difficulty. Keeping on with the story here, verse 5. So David gathered all Israel together from Shaihord in Egypt to as far as the entrance of Hamath to bring the Ark of God from Kirjath, Jirim. And David and all Israel went up to Baalah to Kirjath, Jirim, which belongs to Judah, to bring up from there the Ark of God, the Lord, who dwells between the carobim, where his name is proclaimed. And again, so far, so good, in one sense. But David hadn't thought this through the way he should have. Now here's a man who would meditate on the Word of God on his bed at night. Here's a man who prayed a great deal. He was a man of God, a man after God's own heart. But, brethren, we can appreciate the fact that David was human. We are human. You and I. You and I can have good intentions. We go to church. We go to the feast. We do all these things that are wonderful things. And sometimes our zeal cannot run our wisdom. And sometimes our zeal cannot run what God's Word says. And that is the case here. Verse 7. So they carried the Ark of God on a new cart from the house of Abinadab, and Uzzah and Ahio drove the cart. Here we've got a tremendously big problem. The Ark of the Covenant was supposed to be transported in a very specific way by very specific people. Not just anybody can do this. It certainly was not to be placed on a cart, as was being done here. And so what we see is a man with very good intentions. People with very good intentions are going to have some unintended consequences, some deadly consequences. Put a marker here. Let's turn over to Exodus chapter 25.

Exodus chapter 25.

Exodus chapter 25 verses 14 and 15.

You shall put the poles into the rings on the sides of the Ark, that the Ark may be carried by them. The pole shall be in the rings of the Ark, they shall not be taken from it. So the Ark was not to be placed on a cart. The Ark was to be used these poles, put through these rings, and they were to be carried by a certain family, Levites, not on a cart. Turn to Numbers chapter 30. Numbers chapter 30. I'm sorry. Numbers chapter 3 verse 30. Excuse me. Numbers chapter 3 verse 30.

Numbers 3, 30. And the leader of the father's house of the families of the Kohathites, their duty, verse 31, included the Ark. So there was a certain family of Levites who were to bear the Ark, not just anybody. And they were to put poles through those those islets to be carried on two poles. Those poles were never to be taken out, even when the Ark came to rest in the tabernacle or the temple. Those poles would be there permanently as a shine, as a sign, excuse me, that this was something portable, something portable. Numbers chapter 4 and verse 15. And when Aaron and his sons had finished covering his sanctuary and all the furnishings of the sanctuary, when the camp is set to go, then the sons of Kohath shall come to carry them. Of course, that included the Ark. But they shall not touch any holy thing lest they die. They shall not touch any holy thing lest they die. These are the things of the tabernacle of meeting which the sons of Kohath are to carry. So very specific, no cart carried by the Levites. You touch it, you die. Even Levites, they touch it, they die.

This was only to be touched by the priests. Okay, let's go back to 1 Chronicles chapter 13 again. 1 Chronicles chapter 13 verse 8.

Then David and all Israel played music before God with all their might with singing on harps and stringed instruments, on tambourines, on cymbals, with trumpets. David himself was a renowned musician. He enjoyed music. He would enjoy attending the services we have here in Chicago with all the music that we do. He would be right up there singing with the best of you.

David enjoyed this procession. He enjoyed what was going on. He was rejoicing. Verse 9, When they came to Kidron's threshing floor, Uzzah put out his hand to hold the Ark, for the oxen stumbled. Now, brother, how many times have you, when you've been, let's say, driving, I can't remember all the various times, but I know I've done it. As I've been driving down the road, something happens in front of you, some emergency type of a thing, you slam on your brakes.

And how many times have you reached out to protect a loved one? Uzzah did basically the same thing. He thought the Ark was going to fall. He reaches out, which he should not have done. He touches the Ark, which he should not have done, and God immediately takes his life. Takes his life. Had they followed scriptural instruction, this would not have happened. The Ark wouldn't have been so tipsy, and so forth. But here the man is going to die. Uzzah put out his hand to hold the Ark, for the oxen stumbled.

Then the anger of the Lord was aroused against Uzzah, and he struck him because he put his hand on the Ark, and he died there before God. Now, a number of people will read this section of Scripture, and they will say, our God is a horrible God. Our God is a vengeful God. Our God is a God full of hate and murder and all sorts of evil things. Now, we're going to read just the last few verses here. Then we're going to look at the takeaway from this section of Scripture. Is that true about God?

You know differently. That is not true about God. Verse 11, and David became angry because of the Lord's outbreak against Uzzah. Therefore, that place is called Perez Uzzah to this day. David became angry. Why was he angry? Was he angry at God? Or was he angry at himself for what he put in motion? I'd like to read you from the Kyle and Delish commentary in the Old Testament, and I quote, The burning of David's anger was not directed against God, but referred to the calamity which had befallen Uzzah, or speaking more correctly, to the cause of this calamity which David attributed to himself or to his undertaking.

As he had not only resolved upon the removal of the ark, but also had planned the way in which it should be taken to Jerusalem, he could not trace the occasion of Uzzah's death to any other cause than his own plans. Now, was Uzzah also culpable?

Sure he was. It was known in Israel, you touch the ark, you die, unless you're a priest. Even the Levites could not touch it. So the word was out, don't touch it. So Uzzah bore his own sin in that regard, but so did David.

David was angry because he realized he had done wrong. Verse 12. David was afraid of God that day, saying, how can I bring the ark of God to me? He'd be kind of overcoming a little bit here with emotionalism. So David would not move the ark with him to the city of David, but took it aside into the house of Obed-Edom, the Gittite. And the ark of God remained with the family of Obed-Edom in his house three months, and the Lord blessed the house of Obed-Edom and all that he had.

Now, later on, we're not going to turn there, but later on we're going to see how you would see in chapter 15 how the ark was brought up properly and Israel was blessed. But what do you and I take? What's the takeaway from the story we've just read? We have read this in a church. You've probably heard any number of sermons on this over the time you've been in a church. But as I was thinking about this, I put together some of my thoughts with Scripture for you to contemplate. Takeaway number one.

Takeaway number one, God is love. He's not hate. He's not malice. He is not impatient. He is a God of patience. God is love. Let's turn to 1 John 4. 1 John 4 and verse 8.

1 John 4, 8. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. God is love. Many Scriptures, though one of the great themes of the Bible is that our God is not harsh. Our God is not cruel. Our God is not vindictive. Our God is love. He was willing to have Jesus Christ come to sacrifice himself. He was willing to allow that to take place. It did take place, so that all people have the opportunity to inherit eternal life in the kingdom of God. We read earlier today 2 Peter 3 and verse 9. How God is giving...He's patient with people in hopes that people will repent. That's the God we serve. He's a loving God. And whatever he does, he does in our best interest as a matter of love for us. That's takeaway number one. Takeaway number two.

God gave specific instructions on how we are to draw near to him. When they were drawing near to that arc which represented God, there was a certain way to do that. You can't just do it any old way. And the same thing is true for us today. If we want to draw near to God, if we want to come into his presence, if we want to be his son or his daughter, we can't just live our life any old way. The Bible prescribes how we are to live. The Bible prescribes how we are to come to him. Let's look at Proverbs chapter 3. Proverbs chapter 3, starting here in verse 5.

Trust in the Lord with all of your heart.

Question in this whole situation in 1 Chronicles 13. Were people trusting in God? Did they not think that God can make sure that arc wouldn't fall to the ground?

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. David and Uzzah leaned to their own understanding. It caused Uzzah's life. Brethren, if we lean to our own understanding, it will cost us our lives spiritually. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct your paths. David took a shortcut. He was full of good intentions. In one such you can see his heart was in the right place. But he set in motion a string of actions that where a man lost his life. Was David at that point acknowledging God in all of his ways and allowing God to direct his paths? He was not at that point. Am I trying to down King David? No, but he was human. He made mistakes. You and I make mistakes, and we need to learn from those. That's why they're in the Scriptures. Verse 7. Do not be wise in your own eyes, for fear the Lord and depart from evil. No matter how innocently it was done, touching the arc was in direct violation of God's law. Direct violation of God's law.

This was a means of preserving the sense of God's holiness. You don't just touch God with dirty hands. And the fear of drawing near to God without appropriate preparation. How do we draw near to God in our prayers? We make sure that we're trying to obey God. We're trying to honor God. We fast. We pray. We're trying to approach Him in an appropriate way. This whole thing in 1 Chronicles was not done in an appropriate fashion. Failing to follow God's precise instructions could seem as A, not revering God's words when He spoke to them through Moses, taking the word of God lightly. B, having an independent attitude. I could do whatever I want. Having an independent attitude that bordered on rebellion. Seeing things on a worldly rather than a spiritual perspective. And let her see, doing it the way they did it was simply disobedient. A third take away.

And we learn this, most of us in this room learn this very painfully a number of years ago. The counsel of mighty men does not constitute authority from God. The counsel of mighty men does not constitute the authority from God. We learned that back in 1995, didn't we? People in high office, people in high authority. They spoke, people followed. They weren't following God when they spoke and when they were doing certain things that divided our church, our church culture.

David met with prominent men, men of renown and so forth. He was obviously king, well-known, well-loved, but he was not following the word of God. You know, years ago, I was pastoring in West Virginia when all this took place in 1995. And I remember one man saying, you know, as we were talking, he was going to stay with our former association and we had a good relationship, we were talking and I said, but why? He said, well, you know, Mr. Nelsandro, I never understood everything Mr. Armstrong said, but I followed Mr. Armstrong. He was our leader. And now I don't understand everything Mr. Dukat says, but he's our leader and I'm going to follow him.

How many people did that? Too many people did that.

The counsel of mighty men or renowned men does not constitute authority from God. In your notes, you might want to jot down Matthew 4 and verse 4. Matthew 4, 4, Matthew 4, Matthew 4, Matthew 4, 4, men shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. That's what we live by. Every word of God.

Takeaway number four.

Uzzah, and here I'm speculating, but I think it's speculation based on some fact here. Uzzah may have taken the ark for granted. Uzzah may have taken the ark for granted. What do I say then? We understand that the ark was for a time in Abinadab's house. In your notes, you might want to jot down 2 Samuel 6 and verse 3. 2 Samuel 6, 3. Abinadab had two sons, one of which was Uzzah. So Uzzah may have been living in the same household with the ark of God for a period of time. He may have gotten used to that ark sitting there.

And he may have taken that, you know, for granted. People say familiarity breeds contempt.

Again, what lesson do we learn?

You know, if we're not careful, we can take our spiritual disciplines for granted. Come into Sabbath services for granted. Go into the Holy Days for granted. We're familiar. We do this all the time. We've been doing this for many, many years. Maybe our parents before us or our grandparents before them have been doing this. It can become so familiar that it becomes routine. Let's go to Hebrews chapter 2.

Hebrews chapter 2.

Hebrews chapter 2 verse 1. Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest we drift away.

Lest we drift away. For if the word spoken through angels proves steadfast and every transgression and disobedience receives a just reward, how shall we escape we neglect so great a salvation, which in the first began to be spoken by the Lord and was confirmed to us by those who heard him? Take earnest heed to the things we have heard lest we drift away. I've lost track in my ministry of people who came in bright, shining, like shooting stars, wanting to serve, wanting to do everything right, going to all the Bible studies and holy days and you name it. And after a time, you look around, where are they? They're not here anymore. Why? Well, they drifted away. They drifted away. Brethren, we don't want to be drifting away. We don't want things to become so familiar to us that we lose the beauty and the awe, if you will, of what they should mean to us.

Takeaway number five. The faithless idea that God needs our help.

The faithless idea that God needs our help. The account tells us the oxen stumbled. Now, had they been carrying the ark properly and not in the cart, that wouldn't have been a concern.

Now, we see that the cart didn't fall, neither did the ark. So, what Uzzah did was not needed. God will take care of things himself. Let's turn to Matthew 8.

We've got a New Testament example here. Matthew 8.

Jesus Christ and His disciples are in a boat. A tremendous storm comes up. They think they're going to die. They think they're going to die. Verse 24. Matthew 8. Suddenly, a great tempest arose on the sea so that the boat was covered with the waves, but He was asleep. Then His disciples came and woke Him, saying, Lord, save us. We are perishing. Kind of like Uzzah. Ark's going to fall. We've got to study that thing. Only in New Testament, Christ, we're about ready to drown, and here you are sleeping. But He said to them, Why are you fearful, O you little of little faith? Then He arose, rebuked the winds in the sea, and there was great calm.

Great calm.

We need to be faithful people, realizing that our God doesn't need our help. He's going to work out His plans. He's going to work out His plans. Numbers, chapter 20. You know, when we decide we're going to short-circuit what God tells us to do, that never comes to a good end. Numbers, chapter 20, verse 7. Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, Take the rod you and your brother Aaron, gather the congregation together, speak to the rock before their eyes. Notice, speak to the rock before their eyes, and it will yield its water. Thus you shall bring water for them out of the rock and give drink to the congregation and their animals. So Moses took the rod from before the Lord as He commanded him, and Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock, and He said to them, Here now you rebels, must we, must we. Certainly God can't do it Himself. You know, we've got to help Him here. Must we bring water for you out of this rock? Well, there Moses was making a tremendous mistake. And it cost him so very dearly. Such a man of God, but he made a big mistake in front of the entirety of the congregation of Israel. Must we bring water? No. They don't have to do anything. God will do it all. But he's thinking, must we do this? Then Moses lifted his hand and struck the rock twice. He was told to speak to it. He struck it twice with his rod, and water came out abundantly in the congregation and their animals drank. So God's going to have mercy on the people, regardless of the fact that Moses would not obey instructions. Then the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, Because you did not believe Me, because you didn't have faith in this regard, to hallow Me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them. Moses had to sit on the sidelines. I can't imagine what it would have been like to be Moses's shoes. All that he went through, all the sacrifice, all the toil, all the travail. Times when God wanted to just destroy the whole lot of them, and Moses interceded for the nation of Israel. And now God's saying, you know what? They're going to go in, but not you. They're going to go into the Holy Land, but not you. Last takeaway, number six. Number six, last takeaway, God loves Uzzah and will grant Him an opportunity for eternal life. We celebrate this every year. We call it the last great day. The Bible refers to it as the eighth day, and even the last great day. Look at John 5.

Last great day when you put several Scriptures together. John 5.

John 5, verses 28 and 29.

Do not marvel at this, for the hour is coming, which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth, those who have done good to the resurrection of life and those who have done evil to the resurrection of condemnation. Well, Uzzah, poor Uzzah, never had an opportunity to understand the truth of God, not the way you and I understand it. Yes, He was an Israelite. Yes, He knew about the Sabbath and Holy Days, but God had not opened up His mind like He's opened your mind and mine. So far from God being this hateful, vengeful God that just murders people on a whim, that is not our God at all. Our God is a God of love. And our God has shown that love by the plan of God, the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, and what we understand during the time of the Great White Throne Judgment period.

So, brethren, you and I may have the best intentions many times in our lives. Sometimes those best intentions work out for the best. Sometimes those best intentions don't work out at all. One last scripture to turn to is over here in Proverbs. Last scripture today for me, Proverbs 14.

Proverbs 14 and verse 12. There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death. Good intentions can be just that. Unless those good intentions are supported by the Word of God.