CONSULTING with GOD & HIS WORD is our BEST OPTION
April 26 Bible
Reading: 1 Chronicles Chapters 13-15
CONSULTING with GOD & HIS WORD is our BEST OPTION
Then David consulted with the captains of thousands and hundreds, and with
every leader. And David said to all the assembly of Israel, "If it
seems good to you, and if it is of the Lord our God, let us...bring the ark of our God back to us, for we
have not inquired at it since the days of Saul." Then all the assembly
said that they would do so, for the thing was right in the eyes of all the
people. (1 Chron.
13:1-4)
Then David said, "No one may carry the ark of God but the Levites, for the Lord has
chosen them to carry the ark of God and to minister before Him forever."
(1 Chron. 15:2) "For because you
did not do it the first time, the Lord our God broke out against us, because we did not consult Him about
the proper order." (1 Chron. 15:13)
The children
of Israel had neglected the Ark of God since the days of Saul, so King David
resolved to bring the Ark to its rightful place in Jerusalem from the house of
Abinadab in Kirjath Jearim. Like a wise ruler, David consulted with every
leader and everyone in Israel and he received a unanimous approval to go ahead
with this project. However, David did not consult with the law that was already
given through Moses in this matter in Numbers 4:5; 7:9; 10:17 that the Ark of
God should only be transported on the shoulders of the Levite priests. Instead,
David prepared a new cart, and got two excellent people to guide the oxen.
However, a mishap occurred when one of the cart drivers Uzza tried to stabilize
and keep the Ark of God from falling down when the oxen stumbled. Inadvertently
he broke the law of God and received a swift death punishment from God (1
Chron. 13:7-10). We may question the fairness of this judgment of God, but God
had clearly stated in Numbers 4:15 that He would put to death anyone who
touched the Ark of God.
After the
lapse of three months (1Chron. 13:14) the purpose of transporting the ark to
Jerusalem was resumed. Time and reflection had led to a discovery of the cause
of the painful catastrophe that marred the first attempt. In preparing for the
solemn procession that was now to usher the sacred symbol into its resting place,
David took special care that the Ark of God should be transported in strict
conformity to the law of God. David now realized that earlier he had neither
consulted with God nor His Word properly and the results were not good.
Let us understand that consulting with God and His Word is our best option before taking any crucial decision in our lives. God is great in His counsel, as the prophet Jeremiah has expressed to God: "You are great in counsel and mighty in work, for your eyes are open to all the ways of the sons of men, to give everyone according to his ways and according to the fruit of his doings" (Jer. 32:19). Our God is “...wonderful in counsel and excellent in guidance" (Isaiah 28:29). Let us look to Him alone for giving us excellent counsel every step of our way.
