The Man After God's HeartMuestra

Think about the last time you made a mistake. From hurtful words rashly spoken to forgetting about submission deadlines completely, we’ve all made our fair share of mistakes, and the reality is that they have consequences.

David was no stranger to this: passionate for the things of God; he desired to bring the Ark of the Covenant, symbolic of God’s presence, back to Jerusalem. Yet, as he did so, he had ignored God’s decrees given to Moses (Numbers 4:15) by arranging for the Ark to be transported using an oxcart, no different from how the Philistines did it (1 Samuel 6:7). By acting more like Philistines than their Israelite ancestors, David’s orders paved the way for Uzziah's death to happen.

Abruptly, we cut to David and his battles. By sequencing them between chapters 13 and 15, the chronicler emphasised David’s passion for God—even amidst wars and bloodshed, David made it a priority to seek after the Ark. David recognised that his role in battle was simply to obey God and follow His orders, praying to God before both battles despite his army being stronger in the second encounter. His seeking of and obedience to God was rewarded.

After Uzziah’s death, David realised the gravity of his mistake in neglecting the word of God and made sure to adhere to God’s instructions this time (15:11-15). David learned the important lesson that just a zeal for the things of God alone was insufficient; he had to be in alignment with scripture to do God’s work.

Reflecting on David’s encounter, we see that while his actions came from a desire to honour God, he executed his plan hastily without following God’s decrees on how the Ark was to be moved.

God intends for us to live in alignment with His word, and that kind of life can only come from knowing and obeying what His Word says. Without inquiring of Him, we risk depending on our own strength, doing things our own way, and living life our own way, not in obedience to the word of God.

Reflection:

Do we have a Word-centered zeal for God?

Do we know how God wants us to do things? David inquired of The Lord and based his actions upon the Old Testament law -- what are practical steps we can take to inculcate prayer and knowing God’s Word into our everyday lives?