It’s an inherent part of our human nature to notice the flaws, mistakes, and shortcomings of those around us. Yet, when it comes to examining our own lives, we are much slower to recognize the areas where we have come up short.
The Parents at the Parade
Two proud parents stood at the edge of a parade, waiting to see their daughter march in the high school band. As they spotted her, the mother nudged her husband and said, “Look! She is the only one in step!” While in reality, their daughter was the only one out of step—but her mother was out of touch with reality.
Sometimes, we only can see what we want to see, not what’s truly there. We can get so caught up in our personal feelings, and be so sure that we are right, when sometimes, we are the ones who are actually in the wrong.
David and the Ark of the Covenant
“And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzzah; and God smote him there for his error; and there he died by the ark of God. And David was displeased, because the Lord had made a breach upon Uzzah: and he called the name of the place Perezuzzah to this day.” – 2 Samuel 6:7-8
In this chapter, David is bringing the Ark of the Covenant back to Jerusalem from Baale-judah, where it had been kept since it was captured by the Philistines about 70 years earlier. The Ark, a sacred symbol of God’s presence, was always meant to be carried on poles by the priests (Numbers 5:15; 7:9). It was such a sacred thing, that even the priests carrying the Ark on poles were forbidden to touch it (Numbers 4:15). In spite of this, David and his men decided to roll it into town on a cart pulled by oxen, violating God’s command.
As David and his men rolled the Ark into town, one of the oxen stumbled, causing the Ark to tip. Then, a man Uzzah reached out to catch it and instantly fell over dead.
Although David had the right intentions and was doing the right thing, he went about it in the wrong way. He had dismissed God’s specific instructions. After Uzzah’s death, David named the place Perezuzzah, meaning "the breach of Uzzah," acknowledging that this event was a breach of God’s commands. After this, David chose to hold off on the project for 3 months.
David could not blame anyone else. He had to look at himself and recognize that it was his own disobedience that caused this tragedy. By addressing his mistake and correcting the problem, he finally brought the Ark back to Jerusalem as God had intended.
The next time, David gathered the priests and they carried the Ark on poles, just as God had commanded. In reverence and obedience, they began the journey again, and David offered sacrifices all along the way.
This story reminds us that sometimes we are the problem, and the solution has to start with changing our own actions. David’s desires were right, but his approach was wrong. It wasn’t until David took a step back, acknowledged his own mistake, and made the necessary corrections that he was able to complete his God-given task.
When things go wrong in our own lives, we need to examine our own actions, recognize where we have gone off track, and make the changes needed to align with God’s ways.