WORSHIP IS ABOUT THE PRESENCE OF GOD, NOT THE SOUND OF THE MUSIC
SCRIPTURE:
“Then David summoned Zadok and Abiathar the priests, and Uriel, Asaiah, Joel, Shemaiah, Eliel and Amminadab the Levites. 12 He said to them, “You are the heads of the Levitical families; you and your fellow Levites are to consecrate yourselves and bring up the ark of the Lord, the God of Israel, to the place I have prepared for it. 13 It was because you, the Levites, did not bring it up the first time that the Lord our God broke out in anger against us. We did not inquire of him about how to do it in the prescribed way.” 14 So the priests and Levites consecrated themselves in order to bring up the ark of the Lord, the God of Israel. 15 And the Levites carried the ark of God with the poles on their shoulders, as Moses had commanded in accordance with the word of the Lord. 16 David told the leaders of the Levites to appoint their fellow Levites as musicians to make a joyful sound with musical instruments: lyres, harps and cymbals.” (1st Chronicles 15: 11—16)
OBSERVATION:
David had failed in bringing back the ark of the Lord to Israel. Because he failed to properly transport it as instructed, someone lost his life. Uzzah, who was part of David’s team, tried to transport the altar on a cart with the animals. The cart seemed to wobble and stumble and was about to dump the ark of the Lord over, and Uzzah reached out and steadied the ark, and the Lord struck him so that he died.
David’s failure to properly assemble the right team to handle the ark resulted in his death. The ark represents God’s PRESENCE. God is a God of order, and he had instructed the Levites on how to behave and handle God’s presence among his people.
Uzzah, being a Levite and a priest, should have known the right protocols and procedures for handling the ark of the Lord. However, Uzzah’s disregard for proper protocols and procedures, knowing what to do and not doing it, is a sin. Here, King David desperately desires to return the ark of the Lord to the place he had prepared for it.
King David assembled a team of Levites and blamed them for what happened to his first attempt to bring the ark of the Lord back to Israel. King David said; It was because you, the Levites, did not bring it up the first time that the Lord our God broke out in anger against us. We did not inquire of him about how to do it in the prescribed way.”
My few takeaways today as I learned from King David about handling the presence of the Lord:
- Preparing a place for the Presence of the Lord among his people is important.
- Preparing the people for the Lord’s Presence is of utmost important
- As servants of God, we must consecrate ourselves unto God.
- The ark of the Lord must be carried on our shoulders and not by animal carts…Meaning, God rules over my life. God’s presence and his governance should be upon our shoulders.
- We must do everything right and according to how God lays it out and not what I think I should do.
- The Presence of the Lord must be celebrated accordingly and joyfully, with musical instruments accompanying the celebration.
Our worship must never be about how it makes me feel good. It must always focus on God, his reverence, his holiness, His character, and all that He is. Uzzah made a fatal mistake by offering his service casually. So many worship leaders tend to make leading worship about them, their talents, voices, and instrument playing without knowing that Worship is about the PRESENCE OF GOD.
APPLICATION:
I am convicted today because sometimes I have a Uzzah spirit. Just do it because it’s something I need to do. Or, do it because no one else will lead worship. I am reminded that worship is about the PRESENCE of GOD. And if it is about God’s presence, then I must lead accordingly in such a way God comes to his people and his people comes to him in worship. I want to do this every time I lead people into worship of God.
PRAYER: Father, you are worthy of all the honor, the glory, and the power from our worship. Please teach me how to lead your people in the right spirit to worship you. I ask that you lead us to your presence as we worship you in the church or in my own life as an individual. Teach me the fear of you as I stand before you to lead your congregation in worship of you. Please teach me how to listen to your voice as you inhabit our praises. In Jesus
