Sacred
Author: Pastor Miguel Verazas
July 08, 2021
Reading the story of Uzzah and how God struck him dead in 2 Samuel 6
has always bothered me. You know Uzzah was just trying to keep the Ark
of the Covenant from falling to the ground. The oxen carrying the ark
stumbled going to the threshing floor of Nakon. Uzzah, while trying to
keep it from falling, of course touched the ark and God struck him dead.
Sure, God had given strict instruction for no one to touch it, but what
was Uzzah supposed to do? Let it fall?
How
about the time when King Saul’s sacrifice got the kingdom taken away
from him. Or the time when Moses was not able to enter the Promised Land
because he struck the rock. Then there is Ananias and Sapphira and
their lie.
Too many of these situations in
scripture involve a punishment way too severe for the sin. Or was it?
The question we should be asking ourselves is, why do we feel this way? I
believe that we live in a time where the world has taught us to rush
into things without caring and because of that we lose the meaning of
what it means for some things to be “sacred.” We live in a
human-centered world and we believe we are in control. We are so eager
to speak out and say “that’s not fair!” We believe we are entitled to
definite rights as people, yet we ignore or give little attention to the
rights God deserves as the creator of the whole universe.
I
am reminded of an illustration that I use when I teach the youth. We
all have a God-shaped hole in each one of us. We try to reason
everything and we try to fill that hole in us with anything other than
God. But when we do that it is like trying to fit a square peg in a
round opening. The above stories are reminders that there exists
something of much greater value than what we selfishly think should fit
in that God-shaped hole. There exists something of greater value than
our own selves, wants, and even rights. It is only God that can fill and
fit perfectly in the God-shaped hole each of us has. What I have
learned is not to be surprised by God's response, but to be humbled. Let
us be challenged to thank God for His mercy and walk softly and
carefully in the sacred matters of God.
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