David had dreamed about this many times; he had all his plans well in place—the Israelites were excited with a celebratory spirit, looking forward to this very moment. The musicians were ready, the dancers were prepared, and David was positioned at the front, guiding the parade and leading the celebratory dancing.
It was the day when David would bring the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem. The ark had been temporarily placed in Abinadab’s house and stayed there for 20 years. (1 Samuel 7:2) Now David was doing the right thing, bringing the ark to the proper place of worship in Jerusalem.
“The Ark of God was placed on a new cart. Then it was brought from Abinadab’s house, which was on a hill. Uzzah and Ahio were guiding the cart. They were the sons of Abinadab. The Ark of God was on the cart. Ahio was walking in front of it. David was celebrating with all his might in front of the Lord. So was the whole community of Israel. All of them were playing castanets, harps, lyres, tambourines, rattles and cymbals.” (2 Samuel 6:3-5 NIrV)
Considering the transportation options and route technology of that time, the parade was expected to take a considerable amount of time. Kiriath Jearim is situated on a hill, which complicates matters. The routes were not smooth and even, and there were no bridges to cross rivers or brooks. However, David had prepared everything he could offer to ensure a smooth journey.
Everything was going as planned, and the spirit of celebration was in the air. However, it suddenly took a turn for the worse.
“They came to the threshing floor of Nakon. The oxen nearly fell there. So Uzzah reached out and took hold of the ark of God. Then the Lord was very angry with Uzzah. That’s because what Uzzah did showed that he didn’t have any respect for the Lord. So God struck him down. He died there beside the Ark of God.” (2 Samuel 6:6-7 NIrV)
What a devastating situation; what was supposed to be a day of celebration turned into a day of mourning. God, the main character in this event, has just killed one of the participants. Isn’t it a tragedy when the one being honored does not like the party specially prepared for them? The celebration had to stop to make way for a period of sadness and mourning. It was a day that nobody will ever forget.
“David was afraid of the Lord that day. He asked, ‘How can the ark of the Lord ever be brought to me?’ He didn’t want to take the ark of the Lord to be with him in the City of David. Instead, he took it to the house of Obed-Edom. Obed-Edom was from Gath.” (2 Samuel 6:9-10 NIrV)
This turn of events was a hard punch for David. The death of Uzzah happened because he came up with this plan. Uzzah would still be alive and with his family if only Davis had not wanted to move the ark. But wasn’t it right to have the ark in a better worship place than being in somebody’s house? What could David have done wrong?
To understand, we need to go back twenty years, to the time before this event, when the ark was not even with Israel. It was in the hands of their enemies, the Philistines. The ark was captured in battle when the Israelites attempted to use the ark of God as a weapon against their enemies. Using the ark like a talisman, something they can control to do what they want, they try to defeat their enemies with it. However, it did not work out as they had expected.
“So the Philistines fought. The Israelites lost the battle, and every man ran back to his tent. A large number of them were killed. Israel lost 30,000 soldiers who were on foot. The ark of God was captured. And Eli’s two sons Hophni and Phinehas died.” (1 Samuel 4:10-11 NIrV)
Even though the Philistines won a great victory and brought home a magnificent war trophy, it did not play well for them. God struck them with sickness, pestilence, and a rat infestation. Not a single city in the Philistines’ territory wanted to host the ark because of the assurance of suffering for their people. So, the Philistines feared the Lord and decided that the best way was to let the ark go. The Philistines’ priest recognized the power of God and understood that a guilt offering should accompany it. Then they advise that the ark should be returned in a manner considered respectful for their time, using a “new cart.” The advice was:
“Now then, get a new cart ready. Get two cows that have just had calves. Be sure the cows have never pulled a cart before. Tie the cart to them. But take their calves away and put them in a pen. Then put the ark of the Lord on the cart. Put the gold models in a chest beside the ark. Send them back to the Lord as a guilt offering. Send the cart on its way.” (1 Samuel 6:7-8 NIrV)
After being freed, the cows walk straight into the Israeli territory. After receiving the ark, the Israelites moved it to Abinadab’s house on the hill, where the ark stayed for 20 years until David decided to move it to Jerusalem, and God killed Uzzah in the process. What could David have done wrong?
David’s mistake was to prioritize giving to God the best his culture could offer. In his planning and execution of this critical event, the best was set aside to be offered to God, with all his love and respect, but disregarding what the Lord expected as a priority. This sets a parallel comparison with how the Philistines return the ark to Israel, also showcasing the best that their culture could offer.
2 Samuel 6:3 describes what David did: “The ark of God was placed on a new cart.” This can be compared with the description in 1 Samuel 6:7 of the Philistines’ actions: “Now then, get a new cart ready.” These are the same actions, and there is nothing wrong with the actions being taken because they were a manifestation of honor and respect, using the best cultural approach at that time. When David started to transport the ark, all Israel was celebrating and dancing with joy, because the Lord was receiving the best cultural treatment they could offer as a society.
However, worship is not about giving to God the best you can offer. Worshipping God means prioritizing God, knowing Him, and approaching Him in the way God instructs us to do. Then, our culture comes in second place.
God’s instructions on how to handle the ark were clear, but ignored:
- “Put the poles through the rings on the sides of the ark to carry it. The poles must remain in the rings of the ark. Do not remove them.” (Exodus 25:14,-15 NIrV)
- “Only then are the men of Kohath to come and carry everything. They must do so only when the camp is ready to move. But they must not touch the holy things. If they do, they will die. The men of Kohath must carry everything in the tent of meeting.” (Numbers 4:15 NIrV)
- “But Moses didn’t give any carts or oxen to the men from the family of Kohath. They had to carry the holy things on their shoulders. They were responsible for the holy things.” (Numbers 7:9 NIrV)
- “Moses wrote down this law. He gave it to the priests, who are sons of Levi. They carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord.” (Deuteronomy 31:9 NIrV)
How far from knowing God were David and the Israelites that they ignored God’s instructions on how to transport His ark? How much weight did their culture have to overrule what God expected from them? Isn’t this story a repetition of what happened to Cain and Abel, which led to the first homicide in humanity?
“Abel took care of sheep. Cain farmed the land. After some time, Cain gathered some things he had grown. He brought them as an offering to the Lord. And Abel also brought an offering. He brought the fattest parts of some animals from his flock. They were the first animals born to their mothers. The Lord was pleased with Abel and his offering. But he wasn’t pleased with Cain and his offering. So Cain became very angry, and his face was sad.” (Genesis 4:2-5 NIrV)
After this event, God speaks to Cain and guides him toward the principal element of worship: to do what is right in God’s eyes.
“Then the Lord said to Cain, ‘Why are you angry? Why are you looking so sad? Do what is right and then you will be accepted. If you don’t do what is right, sin is waiting at your door to grab you. It desires to control you. But you must rule over it.’” (Genesis 4:6-7 NIrV)
The first step toward worship is to learn about God and establish a relationship with Him, which leads to understanding how God wants to be worshiped. In the case of David, God did not want a new shiny cart, even if that was the most luxurious social trend.
But David understood, and three months later, after learning that God was not angry with him, David did the right thing. And he prepared another great event, a big celebration, because the ark was coming to Jerusalem. All the elements of the previous celebration were present: the joy in the people, the parade following the ark, the singing, the playing of instruments, and David dancing in front of the ark, leading the procession. All the previous cultural expressions remained.
But one thing was different: “Those carrying the ark of the Lord took six steps forward. Then David sacrificed a bull and a fat calf.” (2 Samuel 6:13 NIrV) David did what was right, and it was accepted.
Do you know God enough to understand what He expects from you as a worshipper? Are you willing to overcome the temptation to prioritize what culture defines as “giving the best,” but instead strive for a direct relationship with God and learn to do what is right?
Singer and composer Matt Redman expresses this ideal in the lyrics of his song “The Heart of Worship”:
“When the music fades, all is stripped away.
And I simply come longing just to bring something that’s of worth that will bless Your heart.
I’ll bring You more than a song. For a song in itself is not what You have required.
You search much deeper within through the ways things appear.
You’re looking into my heart.
I’m comin’ back to the heart of worship.
And it’s all about You. It’s all about You, Jesus”
Knowing what God expects may be just a little worship detail that is missing in your life.
Copyright – Italo Osorio 2025
Photo by Edward Cisneros on Unsplash
