Wednesday, September 8, 2010

DYING FOR LACK OF KNOWLEDGE

"The Lord's anger burned against Uzzah, and He struck him down because he
had put his hand on the ark. So he died there before God." - 1 Chronicles 13:10

A business friend of mine confessed that he did not like to read. He
found it a difficult discipline. I replied, "If you do not commit
yourself to knowing what is in God's Word and following it, you will
fail to know and experience God. God's Word is life to our souls. It
provides knowledge that leads to life." The prophet Hosea tells us, "My
people are destroyed from lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected
knowledge, I also reject you as My priests; because you have ignored the
law of your God, I also will ignore your children" (Hos. 4:6).
God has given us His Word that has specific laws and principles that
must be followed if we expect His blessing. King David forgot to follow
one of those laws related to the ark. "...But they must not touch the
holy things or they will die..." (Num. 4:15). When they were
transporting the ark, Uzzah innocently reached to steady the ark but was
immediately stricken dead when his hands touched the ark of God. Did
David know this law or did he simply forget? Did Uzzah know this law? If
so, did he really believe it? David thought it was okay to carry the ark
the way Uzzah did. A man lost his life for his presumption.
Many workplace believers I know take God's Word lightly. They believe
they can violate His Word without consequence. This is not true; the
Lord stands by to uphold His Word. It can be life, or it can bring
death. When God provides instructions, we need to follow them.
Knowing this about God brings a healthy fear of the Lord. "David was
afraid of God that day and asked, 'How can I ever bring the ark of God
to me?' " (1 Chron. 13:12) We must all have a fearful respect of God's
Word. For truly, it is life or death.
Do you take God's Word seriously? Is it life or death for you? Do you
feed upon His Word daily so that you might know Him and know His
precepts? Feed upon this knowledge and be blessed of God.

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