Introduction
I want to get two words before your mind this morning: precept and principle.
A precept is a law. For instance, a sign posted on a certain stretch of
highway that says 35 mph warns us of a precept or law that limits the speed on
that stretch of highway. The precept is valid whether the road is wet or dry,
deserted or crowded.
A principle is different than a precept. Apparently there was some
reason why that piece of road was posted with a 35-mph sign. The principle is the
reason behind the sign. In this case the principle might be drive carefully
for the safety of all those who drive or walk this stretch of highway.
Often it doesn't take a lot of thought to honor a precept or law. In this
case, just put the needle of your speedometer on 35-mph and cruise on through. You need
not be concerned with the reason. That is the responsibility of the one who posted the
sign.
To honor a principle, on the other hand, takes some careful thought and
consideration. In the case of the road we are using as an illustration, issues like rain,
snow, dry pavement, condition of traffic, presence of pedestrians and other such things
all are matters of concern.
Wouldn't it be nice if we could just post the 35 mph sign and forget about thinking
about the principle of careful driving and that would guarantee 100% safety on that road?
Of course, you and I know that accidents happen in 35-mph zones as a result of careless
driving, even when people obey the precept and don't exceed the posted speed.
There might even be some situations that would make the road unsafe at 35 mph (such as a
troop of Girl Scouts walking along the edge of the road).
Wouldn't it be nice if we could just forget posting speed limit signs altogether and
trust that everyone would make it their business to honor the principle of safe
driving, always knowing just the right speed to go under the present circumstances?
The truth is, we need both the sign and an understanding of the good sense behind the
sign (the precept and the principle) to insure maximum safety on the highway. The
sign helps in those times when good sense is absent for whatever reason. Understanding the
principle, that is, the need to drive carefully, helps in those times when
driving the speed posted on the sign would be unsafe.
"What in the world are you talking about, Dave?"
I am tying to illustrate the fact that we need both precepts and principles to
insure maximum safety on the highway. Since I'm a preacher and not a traffic cop, really
what I want you to realize is that we need both precepts and principles on the
spiritual highway of life in order to be right with God.
File those two concepts (precept and principle) in an easy to get to spot in
your mind for a little while, because we are going to be using them to help us understand
a difficult passage in the Old Testament Scripture.
Please turn with me in your Bible to II Samuel 6. We are going to study the first 19
verses of this chapter that describe David's bringing of the ark of the covenant into the
city of Jerusalem.
This passage takes us to the beginning of the "United Kingdom" period of
Bible history. At this point, David is the new king over all Israel. He rules from the
just captured city of Jerusalem. Once Jerusalem was secured David devoted himself to
something high on his list of priorities: salvaging the remaining pieces of national
worship in Israel. W. Phillip Keller, in his excellent book on the life of David, put it
this way:
[David] recognized the terrible truth that for nearly
seventy years Israel had seriously neglected her spiritual life as a people. The Ark of
the Lord had been almost forgotten. The priesthood had been slaughtered by Saul. The
Levites no longer had the great honor of ministering to the Most High as they should. And
the people were, like so many so-called Christian countries of the twentieth century,
becoming more and more pagan. David was determined to change all this. He was sure that
once again, as in the days of Joshua, he could provide the powerful, personal leadership
that would challenge Israel to seek God and serve Him in humble obedience.
To initiate this dramatic change in direction, David decided the Ark of the Covenant
should be brought up to Jerusalem and placed in a prominent spot. The Ark of the Covenant
was that gold covered chest that contained the Law of Moses and several other relics of
Israel's history. On the lid of the Ark were replicas of two golden cherubim (heavenly
beings) with wings stretched out over the top. That place on top of the ark was called the
"mercy seat." The Ark represented the place where God forgave Israel's sins
under the Old Covenant. In Israel's past, the Ark had been carried by the priests ahead of
the people in the wilderness. It was carried across the flooded Jordan River as Israel
entered the Promised Land. It was used in the capture of Jerico. In the days of Eli, it
was kept in the Tabernacle at Shiloh. Years before the time we are considering this
morning the Ark had been captured by the Philistines in a raid and carried away to
Philistia. There it brought calamity to such an extent that the Philistines finally put it
on a new ox drawn cart and it headed back to Israel. When it arrived it was taken to the
home of Abinadab, a Levite, where it remained for 20 years. David would be bringing it
from the home of Abinadab in our story today.
We begin in verse one where we read of:
I. A Great Joy.
(Read v. 1-5)
So it was a time of great rejoicing. 30,000 of Israel's choice men supervised and
assisted. Music and celebration filled the air. It was something David had longed to do
for many years as he contemplated being king.
Notice with me, if you will, David's motives. They are pure. He is a man after God's
own heart. What makes God happy also makes David happy. The celebration and worship is
genuine. Oh, how I wish we could often capture that spirit of enthusiasm in the church
today! We should, you know! If Israel could celebrate the presence of God in a box, how
much more we can celebrate His presence within us!
Then something happened that was totally unexpected. It shocked David to the core of
his being and taught him a lesson about God that he would never forgot.
In the next few verses we read of:
II. A Surprising Judgement.
(Read v. 6)
The description makes it sound like perhaps the oxen spooked or lurched ahead suddenly,
and the Ark started to slide off the cart. Uzzah, not wanting to see it fall to the ground
and perhaps break open, reached out and grabbed it to keep it from going over.
(Read v. 7)
Whoa! What is this? God kills Uzzah for trying to stop the Ark from falling to the
ground? Doesn't that sound a bit harsh? Apparently David thought it was.
(Read v. 8)
This naming of the place "Perez Uzzah" probably took place later. "Perez"
in Hebrew means "rupture or tear." Perhaps as the story unfolds we'll see the
significance of that name.
Can you imagine what happened to the festivities in progress? Suddenly they stopped
dead as the lifeless body of Uzzah was carried away. David was baffled and angry. Maybe we
might have been angry, too.
I remember a certain husband who was a real scoundrel. He ran around with other women
and mistreated his wife. Finally, she left him. As is often the case in such situations,
suddenly he woke up to the fact of his abuse and wanted her back. She wanted none of it.
He came to me for advice. I told him to change his ways and show her, not tell her about
it. He started doing some nice things for her. One day, after several months, he took a
dozen red roses to her at the apartment where she was staying. She threw his roses out in
the street, accused him of trying to manipulate her, and slammed the door in his face! He
was crushed. He was angry.
Maybe that is a bit like how David felt. To him it probably felt like God had thrown
his roses out in the street!
(Read v. 9-10)
You see, David had done all of this in great sincerity and concern for the things of
God. His motives were pure. He wanted what the Lord wanted. Then to see the Lord reach out
and slap it all down. It was a great shock!
How could God do such a thing to Uzzah for just trying to keep the Ark from falling?
I will explain to you what had happened in just a few minutes. There is more here than
at first meets the eye. For now, let me just say that it had something to do with those
two little words I gave you in the introduction. Remember them? Precept and Principle.
So the plan to move the Ark to Jerusalem is abandoned. The Ark is taken to the home of
Obed-edom the Gittite. David and all of the people went home bewildered - especially
David. Then, three months later, something else happened that seems very strange when you
first read it.
(Read v. 12a)
Obed-edom, probably a proselyte from Gath (that is the city where the giant, Goliath,
had lived) is rolling in blessings! Perhaps he had bumper crops. Perhaps his wife got
pregnant. Maybe all his cows had twins. I don't know for sure. All it says is that the
Lord blessed his house.
What is going on here? David, the "man after God's own heart," has his
well-intentioned act rejected, and now this man, not even a native-born Israelite, is
blessed! So, David determines to try again - this time, I'm sure, having given instruction
to all his men that if the ark starts to fall, they should just let it fall! (Actually,
there is more to it than that, as I will show you in a few moments). So what we see next
is:
III. A Necessary Adjustment.
This time David succeeded.
(Read v. 12b-15)
I'm going to skip verse 16 because it brings up an incident involving David's wife,
Michal, that we aren't going to talk about this morning.
(Read v. 17-19)
Well, what can we make of this? David's first attempt at bringing the Ark to Jerusalem
blew up in his face and the second attempt came off without a hitch. Why?
If all we had to read were II Samuel, we might never know. But there is a parallel
passage in I Chronicles 15 that gives some additional details. From that passage and
another in Numbers 4, we learn the reason why God intervened so harshly and why Uzzah
died.
You see, God had given explicit instructions as to how the Ark of the Covenant was to
be moved. Those instructions are recorded in Numbers 4. It was only to be moved by men of
the tribe of Levi, and even more specifically, by the sons of a certain Levite named
Kohath. It was not to be touched by anyone under any circumstances. To do so brought the
penalty of death. The Ark had rings on its corners through which poles were to be run,
then the movers of the ark were to suspend it on the poles between them, two men in front,
two men behind, with poles resting on their shoulders.
Had David moved it according to instructions? No! The men moving it were Levites,
alright, but did they carry it on poles? No! (It is interesting to note that the only
other time the Ark was moved on a cart was when it was stolen by the Philistines. David
was unintentionally or negligently substituting the means of the world for God's
prescribed means! Did the men refrain from touching the Ark? No! That is where Uzzah got
into trouble. You see disobedience, even well-intentioned disobedience, is unacceptable to
God! The common reasoning that "God knows our hearts, so it's OK to disobey" is
shown to be in error by this passage.
David's words in I Chronicles 15:13 make it clear that, by the second attempt at moving
the Ark, he had figured out what had been done wrong the first time. Speaking to the
Levites, David said,
"Because you did not carry it at first, the Lord our God made an
outburst on us, for we did not seek Him according to the ordinance." (Precept)
David had the principle right but he ignored the precept.
So what instruction do we receive from this account? Let me point out a couple of
things.
A. Both Principles And Precepts Are Important.
It seems that the church is full of people who emphasize either precept to the
exclusion of principle or principle to the exclusion of precept. It makes
the church a battleground. What do I mean by that?
Well, one whom we might call a precept person realizes the importance of doing
things God's way down to the letter of God's instruction. If he would go no further than
what God has said, that would be commendable. But so often such a person's concern for
God's precepts goes awry. His great need to honor God's commands causes him to
begin to manufacture extra rules to help others keep God's precepts. Now that
wouldn't be bad in itself, except that pretty soon he begins to confuse what God has
actually said with those extra-biblical rules.
In short he makes the same error that the Scribes and Pharisees of Jesus' day made. He
multiplies man-made laws and gets so wrapped up in trying to keep all of them that he
forgets what God's intent for giving the law was in the first place! In short, he forgets
the principles.
It's like the common story of the woman who always cut the end off the roast before she
put it in the oven. Then one day her husband asked her why she always cut the end off the
roast her answer was that she didn't know. That was the way her mother always did it, so
that's how she did it. Later, the husband was still curious, so he called his
mother-in-law and asked her why she cut the end off the roast. Her answer was that the
only pan she had was small and she had to cut it to fit the pan! A classic case of
forgetting the reason behind doing something.
Now, what I would call a principle person takes a look at this guy we've just
described and is disgusted. He sees the error as clear as day. So he determines in his
life that he won't make that mistake. He will emphasize the principles. He will
think everything through. He will insist on knowing the reason why and won't spin his
wheels keeping a bunch of legalistic rules and regulations that serve no effective
purpose. He knows that the whole issue behind all the laws of God is love anyway, so He'll
just concern himself with that. And all that is OK to that point, but then, so often what
happens next is that, in his pulling away from the mindless legalism, he develops a
dislike and disregard for any rules - even the ones God has given! He departs from
the faith that was once and for all delivered.
So the precept person, disgusted with the error of the principle
person, pulls back in his corner and feels justified, and the principle person
pulls back into his corner and feels justified because of the error of the precept
person.
Brothers and sisters, God doesn't like either extreme! He doesn't want another bunch of
Pharisees! But neither does He want a bunch of people who don't take His Word seriously.
He wants people who always strive to balance precept and principle.
What am I saying? I'm saying that God is concerned for both the precepts and the
principles of His word.
Another lesson from this passage is this:
B. Good Intentions Aren't Enough.
What was motivating David to bring the Ark into Jerusalem? Love the things that God
loves! Bring Him near to your presence. Bring him into the center of your being and doing.
Is that a good principle? Yes! But what was the precept involved? Do
it God's way! In this case, move the ark according to God's instructions, don't
substitute your own way.
You see there is freedom to range into all kinds of applications of the principles provided
we don't transgress the precepts! The minute your liberty in applying the principles
causes you to violate a precept, you're wrong!
One of the most frustrating things related to this is the disregard of God's
commandments when it comes to the plan of salvation. Some of you know what I am talking
about.
The necessity of repentance and baptism in becoming a Christian are rejected by many of
the Protestant denominations. They particularly reject the necessity of baptism. That is a
tragedy. The Bible is clear on the subject. "He who believes and is baptized
shall be saved." (Mark 16:16) "Baptism now saves you." (I Peter 3:21). We
are "baptized into Christ." (Galatians 3:27). These are just a few of the
verses involved.
Well, it is frustrating enough to see people who, in ignorance, or disregard, reject
the clear precepts of God's Word in this area. But do you know what is even more
frustrating? When people who know better, who have been taught, who know what the Bible
says, come to me and say, "Well I just don't know about all that anymore. I know what
the Bible says, but after all, how can all of those good people be wrong? Anyway, I have
friends and relatives who are _______" (they mention the particular denomination).
"Besides," they continue, "as long as we love the Lord, does it really
matter all that much?"
If that is a real question in your mind, look again at this passage we've been
studying. David is standing there over the lifeless body of Uzzah. He is nearly in shock.
Ask him whether doing things God's way matters. Need I say anymore? Yes, I probably need
to say more. If you wonder how all these people could be wrong in this, here is a little
ditty I picked up from Reader's Digest:
"Even if 4 million people believe in a dumb idea, it's still dumb idea."
Conclusion
A certain Eskimo man was taken on one of the expeditions to the North Pole a number of
years ago. Later, as a reward for faithful service, he was brought to New York City for a
short visit. He was amazed at what he saw. When he returned to his native village, he told
stories of buildings that rose into the very face of the sky; of streetcars, which he
described as houses that moved along the trail, with people living in them as they moved;
of mammoth bridges, artificial lights, and all the other dazzling sights to be seen in the
Big Apple of that day.
His people looked at him coldly and walked away. They began to call him Sagdluk,
meaning The Liar, and this name he carried in shame to his grave. Long before his death
his original name was entirely forgotten.
Sometime later another Eskimo named Mitek also visited New York, where he saw many
things for the first time and was impressed. Later, upon his return he recalled the
tragedy of Sagdluk, and decided that it would not be wise to tell the truth.
So he told his people how he paddled a kayak on the banks of a great river, the Hudson,
and how, each morning, he hunted ducks, geese and seals. Mitek, in the eyes of his
countrymen, was a very honest man. His neighbors treated him with rare respect.1
You can always ignore the truth of clear precepts of God. Many do and
rationalize that they are upholding principle. But truth is truth. Are you a
Sagdluk or a Mitek?
1. Carl Lomen, the Reindeer King Of Alaska, quoted in KEEP OPEN THE
WIDOW OF YOUR MIND by Merle Crowell in The American Magazine. [Back]