Is it possible to worship incorrectly? Can we screw up our Worship to God? Yes, I believe we can. This is a series of blogs inspired by Jack Hayford discussing 4 examples of how our worship to God can be defiled. This week – its . . .
The David Blindspot.
So here’s what went down. God gave the Israelites specific instructions on making the Ark of the Covenant, and that when it was to be transported it was to be carried on shoulders (Numbers 4). God was clear that anyone who touched the Ark of the Covenant would die. In the Old Testament, the Ark of the Covenant was equivalent with the presence of God.
(This story is in 2 Sam. 6) Many years later, David became King of the Israelites, and he didn’t want to be king without having God involved. So he made arrangements to have the Ark of the Covenant brought into Jerusalem, the City of David. This was a great act of worship! All of the people were celebrating their hearts out. But King David screwed up in the midst of his trying to worship.
Instead of transporting the Ark on the shoulders of priests as God commanded, he had the Ark put on a cart to be wheeled into the City of David. In the transport, the oxen pulling the cart stumbled, and one of the priests reached up to steady the Ark on the cart because it was about ready to fall off. Immediately God struck that priest dead because of his irreverent act.
So David got angry at God. He was scared to even have the Ark come into Jerusalem at that point, and he decided to have it stored at another guy’s house for awhile. (This story does have a very happy ending – but you can read it on your own in 2 Samuel 6. Seriously go read it – its really good). This was a well intentioned act of worship – but David disrespected the presence of God. The worship ceased. This is the David Blindspot; he was excited about worship – but he was irreverent of the presence of God.
The David Blindspot is about irreverence of the presence of God (the Ark was the presence of God in the Old Testament).
What are ways we can be irreverent of the presence of God today?
How can we be reverent in God’s presence today?