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Why Did God Strike Down Uzzah?
Why Did God Strike Down Uzzah?
“And when they came to the threshing floor of Nacon, Uzzah put out his hand to the ark of God and took hold of it, for the oxen stumbled. And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Uzzah, and God struck him down there because of his error, and he died there beside the ark of God” (2 Samuel 6:6-7).
Many skeptics of the Bible will use the story of God striking Uzzah for touching the ark as proof that God is angry and unforgiving as opposed to loving and compassionate. They will say that God striking a man for touching something just does not seem right, so Uzzah must be evidence that God is not as loving as Christians proclaim Him to be. In this article we will look at three reasons why God strikes down Uzzah and how those reasons show God’s love and compassion for His people.
- The ark was handled with disobedience. The way the men of Israel were transporting the ark was not how God instructed them to carry it (Exodus 25:14-15). Uzzah was just trying to save the ark from falling when the oxen stumbled, but the ark of the covenant should have never been put on a cart carried by oxen in the first place. Inevitably, the oxen stumble and Uzzah touches the ark to save it, but in doing so he further disobeys by touching the holy object directly. God told the people that if they touched any of the holy objects they would die (Numbers 4:15). Because of God’s adherence to what He commanded the people, the ark is carried correctly going forward after the incident with Uzzah (2 Samuel 6:13). It may seem harsh that God even set up this rule to begin with, but to understand why this disobedience was so costly we need to understand the significance of the ark and what it represented.
- The ark was the presence of God. Putting the ark on a cart pulled by oxen would be treating it like cargo instead of with the respect that the presence of God deserved. As well as disobedient, this would have been insulting to God. Instead of treating the ark like the presence of God, they transport the ark like the Philistines do (1 Samuel 6:7-10). Treating the presence of God the same way these enemies of God were treating it would have been understandably angering. This would be like picking up your father from the airport and having him ride in the trunk. Even if their actions had not been directly disobedient, the ark was the presence of God with the people, and they treat it with disrespect.
- The ark represented their covenant with God. We often refer to this ark as the ark of the covenant because of what it represents. Any object that represents a covenant should be treated in a certain way. If a husband lost his wedding ring, you could understand a wife being upset. Although this can happen to the best of us, a wife could be rightfully concerned that her husband was able to misplace the one physical object that represents their covenant together. If the men of Israel were disobedient and disrespectful toward this covenant object, the people were not treating the covenant itself with obedience and respect. Unlike a husband who misplaces his covenant object, the men of Israel disobediently and disrespectfully transport the object in a way that shows disloyalty for their covenant with God. Eventually, God could not tolerate any more disrespect toward this object that represented His covenantal love toward the people.
God’s anger is to protect His covenant with His people. The God we follow is passionate about His relationship with His people. If a leader of God’s people neglected the covenant and was disobedient, disrespectful, and disloyal toward it, God is going to deal harshly with that person.
– William Speer
