Even though this is a story in the Old Covenant, it has several New Covenant principles embedded into it. Let’s learn from this significant story. 2 Samuel 6:3 says that they set the Ark of the Covenant on a new cart… The Lord never intended for the Ark to be transported by a cart with oxen, He had the Ark made with poles for the priests and Levites to carry. Now, when you calculate the wood, the Gold as well as the tablets of stone, historians believe that the ark weighed anywhere from 2200 pounds to over 4000 pounds… way more than what four Levites could carry in the natural, so everytime that the ark was carried, it was carried supernaturally.
David skipped the supernatural and put the ark on a ‘new’ cart. New is not always better… there are many ‘new’ carts out there in the church world today, but the Lord wants to move His church forward supernaturally – He wants to grow His church by the power of His Word and through supernatural signs, wonders and miracles through the hands of His kings and priests, not through programs, social events, prize giveaways and gimmicks. Put away the ‘new carts’ and let the Lord move us forward supernaturally.
The oxen that were pulling the cart stumbled… only the supernatural miracle working power of God will work when it comes to the things of God. New, man-made carts will always break and the oxen (the programs) driving them will always stumble.
After the oxen stumbled, Uzzah put out his hand to the ark of God to steady it – the Lord does not want man’s fingerprints on His anointing! If the Levites had been carrying the ark, there would have been no stumbling oxen, and even if the Levites did stumble, they were not permitted to steady it… the Lord would supernaturally get the ark to where it needed to be without man having to rescue it. Do not steady the ark – keep your hands off and let God supernaturally do what needs to be done! Pray, make decrees and use your faith, but do not attempt to control, motivate or fix things in your own strength or ability! Whatever you touch will die.
David got angry at the Lord when His own way of doing things did not work – how many believers are angry at God today because of their own failure. Instead of doing things the Lord’s way by grace through faith, according to His Word, they built their own cart. Then when things failed, they walked away angry, defeated and crushed. Like David, many walk away from their kingdom assignments in defeat after their own way fails.
It took a couple of months, but David made the wise choice to try again… this time He did it God’s way! 2 Samuel 6:12-15 says, ‘David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-Edom to the City of David with gladness. And so it was, when those bearing the ark (notice, no cart and no oxen) of the Lord had gone six paces, that he sacrificed oxen and fatted sheep. Then David danced before the Lord with all his might; and David was wearing a linen ephod. So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the Lord with shouting and with the sound of the trumpet.
This time, the Levites carried the ark supernaturally six paces at a time… they stopped every six paces to dance, to praise to give offerings and to worship. This time, they did it slower, but they did it God’s way by His power and by His might!
I recommend that we all move a little slower, but that when we move, we move forward in the power of the Holy Ghost as His kings and priests carrying His anointing. As we move, like David, we should stop regularly to dance, to praise, to worship and to give offerings!
Blessings on you, Nick
