When Worship Goes Wrong

Big Idea: Because God is holy, His presence must be approached according to His Word; therefore our worship must move beyond enthusiasm to hearing, obeying, and spreading the Word of God.

Intro.

About 75–100 years before This event, Israel faced the Philistines in battle, Saul was in charge at the time. Instead of asking why God was not giving them victory, the leaders came up with a plan. they treated the Lord God like a totem, like a good luck charm. They were attemtping to use God to get what they wanted without seeking God first. But what they learned, or were going ot learn is that God can not be manipulated to serve our own needs or greeds.

1 Samuel 4:3 “When the troops returned to the camp, the elders of Israel asked, “Why did the Lord defeat us today before the Philistines? Let’s bring the ark of the Lord’s covenant from Shiloh. Then it will go with us and save us from our enemies.””

they did not seek God but rather each other and their falsre assumptions. We must seek the Lord and His will. Are we following the word of the Lord. Not what we think it says but do we actually know what the word of the Lord says and does it line up with what we asre doing and how we are living.

We can not manipulate God to get what we want. We will go deeper into this in a moment.

Notice the thinking: They treated the Ark like a weapon or a lucky charm. When the Ark arrived, the army shouted so loudly that the ground shook:

1 Samuel 4:5 “When the ark of the covenant of the Lord entered the camp, all the Israelites raised such a loud shout that the ground shook.”

They had a few things going for them - excitement, confidence, religious enthusiasm

But they did not have obedience or repentance.

The result?

1 Samuel 4:10–11 “So the Philistines fought, and Israel was defeated, and each man fled to his tent. The slaughter was severe—thirty thousand of the Israelite foot soldiers fell. The ark of God was captured, and Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, died.”

Now fast forward to David bringing the Ark to Jerusalem. Once again there is:

celebration, music, excitement

But again there is a failure to follow God’s instructions, The lesson across both events is the same:

God’s presence cannot be manipulated, managed, or used. It must be approached with reverence and obedience.

“In 1 Samuel 4 Israel treated the Ark like a good luck charm. In 2 Samuel 6 they treated it like ordinary cargo. In both cases they forgot the same thing: the Ark represented the holy presence of God.”

1. The Wrong Method – Sincerity without obedience (2 Sam 6:1–7)

The ark was captured by the philistines in 1 sam 4, there are a few things to remember from this time.

So the ark of the Lord has been sitting in a town known as the center of pagan worship of the Canaanite god Baal in Judah. But now it will move to the city where it will become the center of worship of Yahweh, the true living God

About twenty years earlier, Saul had gone against the Lord’s wishes by taking the ark from the tabernacle in Shiloh into battle. Saul wanted to assure his success by having his troops enter battle with the ark going before them Since Saul tried to force God’s hand, the Lord allowed the ark to fall into the hands of the Philistines who took it away in victory

Notice in v.2 we’re told that the ark is called by God’s name in that day, the very name of the God of Heaven

2 Samuel 6:1–2 CSB

David again assembled all the fit young men in Israel: thirty thousand. He and all his troops set out to bring the ark of God from Baale-judah. The ark bears the Name, the name of the Lord of Armies who is enthroned between the cherubim.

And that means something to David, and he dearly wants to ensure that something representing God’s name is honored

There was more to the ark then that.

It was God’s dwelling place, it was important that it be treated it with reverence.

- Exodus 25:22 “I will meet with you there above the mercy seat, between the two cherubim that are over the ark of the testimony; I will speak with you from there about all that I command you regarding the Israelites.” Psalm 80:1 “Listen, Shepherd of Israel, who leads Joseph like a flock; you who sit enthroned between the cherubim, shine”

So we can understand why Saul was thinking the way that he did, though he was not following the word of God in doing it.

Because of what the ark was, David wanted it back to worship God.

There hearts where in the right place but their actions where wrong.

2 Samuel 6:3–7 CSB

They set the ark of God on a new cart and transported it from Abinadab’s house, which was on the hill. Uzzah and Ahio, sons of Abinadab, were guiding the cart and brought it with the ark of God from Abinadab’s house on the hill. Ahio walked in front of the ark. David and the whole house of Israel were dancing before the Lord with all kinds of fir wood instruments, lyres, harps, tambourines, sistrums, and cymbals. When they came to Nacon’s threshing floor, Uzzah reached out to the ark of God and took hold of it because the oxen had stumbled. Then the Lord’s anger burned against Uzzah, and God struck him dead on the spot for his irreverence, and he died there next to the ark of God.

Why was the man killed for what he did?

The ark was to be carried by the Levites - Numbers 1:50 “Appoint the Levites over the tabernacle of the testimony, all its furnishings, and everything in it. They are to transport the tabernacle and all its articles, take care of it, and camp around it.”

It was designed to be carried by poles Exodus 25:15 “The poles are to remain in the rings of the ark; they must not be removed from it.”

no direct contact of the ark was allowed - 1 Chronicles 15:13 “For the Lord our God burst out in anger against us because you Levites were not with us the first time, for we didn’t inquire of him about the proper procedures.”” 1 Chronicles 15:14–15 “So the priests and the Levites consecrated themselves to bring up the ark of the Lord God of Israel. Then the Levites carried the ark of God the way Moses had commanded according to the word of the Lord: on their shoulders with the poles.”

The issue was not sincerity but obedience.

David’s celebration and good intentions were not enough—God required that His holiness be approached the way He prescribed.

This looked forward to a a time when the ark was not going to necessary, as we would have a new high piest in Jesus.

Jeremiah 3:16 CSB

When you multiply and increase in the land, in those days—this is the Lord’s declaration—no one will say again, “The ark of the Lord’s covenant.” It will never come to mind, and no one will remember or miss it. Another one will not be made.

“Enthusiasm in worship cannot replace obedience to God.” as it says in Luke 11:28 “He said, “Rather, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it.””

David and the people were passionate, but they were not careful about God’s holiness. We are called to obedience

as we will see next

The Hard Lesson – God’s holiness confronts human assumptions (2 Sam 6:8–11)

They had learned a hard lesson. It may have seemed a little harsh to us what God did but there where laws to be followed for a reason. Jesus is now the fulfillm,ent of these laws, but at the time the presence of God was not something to be flippant with. They where not to have done what they did in assuming the ark could be transported however they wished.

2 Samuel 6:9–11 CSB

David feared the Lord that day and said, “How can the ark of the Lord ever come to me?” So he was not willing to bring the ark of the Lord to the city of David; instead, he diverted it to the house of Obed-edom of Gath. The ark of the Lord remained in his house three months, and the Lord blessed Obed-edom and his whole family.

David was reminded that day that we must fear the Lord.

We often have to learn hard lessons like this as well, especially when we work without a proper understanding of the Bible. We have desires, we have plans assumptions and beliefs of how we live and serve the Lord God. Sometimes we are correct but if we are not going to the word of God we might be misinformed.

Unless we go back to the word of God we can remain trapped by these errors. Sometimes the Lord will discpl;ine us and it may seem harsh but it is to remind us of how we are to live our lives for God.

then the question is, How do we react to God when the happens? What will we do if we find we are going down the wrong path?

The Right Method – Obedience brings blessing (2 Sam 6:12–23)

David was going to learn a Lesson, as the place where he left the ark was being blessed by God so He deicded to go get it the right way this time.

2 Samuel 6:12 CSB

It was reported to King David, “The Lord has blessed Obed-edom’s family and all that belongs to him because of the ark of God.” So David went and had the ark of God brought up from Obed-edom’s house to the city of David with rejoicing.

The book of 1 chronicles tells us in a little more detail a bit about how he went about this.

1 Chronicles 15:11–16 CSB

David summoned the priests Zadok and Abiathar and the Levites Uriel, Asaiah, Joel, Shemaiah, Eliel, and Amminadab. He said to them, “You are the heads of the Levite families. You and your relatives must consecrate yourselves so that you may bring the ark of the Lord God of Israel to the place I have prepared for it. For the Lord our God burst out in anger against us because you Levites were not with us the first time, for we didn’t inquire of him about the proper procedures.” So the priests and the Levites consecrated themselves to bring up the ark of the Lord God of Israel. Then the Levites carried the ark of God the way Moses had commanded according to the word of the Lord: on their shoulders with the poles. Then David told the leaders of the Levites to appoint their relatives as singers and to have them raise their voices with joy accompanied by musical instruments—harps, lyres, and cymbals.

so finally David was going to go about it the right way. He likely realized that the blessing of thr Lord would come on Jeruselam and Israel as a whole if they but brought the presence of the Lord back to Jeruselam

This time David made sure to follow every step that the Lord had commanded for the transport of the ark and then some.

The lengths that David went to to make sure that he was doing things the right way is amazing to see. There have been songs wrote about it even. 2 Sam 6:13-15

2 Samuel 6:13–15 CSB

When those carrying the ark of the Lord advanced six steps, he sacrificed an ox and a fattened calf. David was dancing with all his might before the Lord wearing a linen ephod. He and the whole house of Israel were bringing up the ark of the Lord with shouts and the sound of the trumpet.

Sacrifices where made for every six steps, David dance before the lord in the garment of a priest.

As a baptist I struggle with the idea of dancing and praising the Lord, I am to self conscience an mennonite to dance. I even read a commentary yesterday that mentioned that dancing here can actually be translated as moving the fingers, they say he was playing a harp instead. He must be mennonite as well.

It is not the dancing though that should be the main focus, as in we should not use this as a theology on praise dancing in the services but rather the way in which we worship the Lord.

2 Samuel 6:20–22 CSB

When David returned home to bless his household, Saul’s daughter Michal came out to meet him. “How the king of Israel honored himself today!” she said. “He exposed himself today in the sight of the slave girls of his subjects like a vulgar person would expose himself.” David replied to Michal, “It was before the Lord who chose me over your father and his whole family to appoint me ruler over the Lord’s people Israel. I will dance before the Lord, and I will dishonor myself and humble myself even more. However, by the slave girls you spoke about, I will be honored.”

I will be dishonered, I will humble myself even more then this to praise God. Davids wife said that he was not being dignified, dancing in the garmet of a priest rather then a king, praising God witt all His might.

To follow the word of the Lord we will give ourselves completley to Him.

That is the point after all. are we willing to be humble before God, to follow the will of God, to give ourselves completley to God? God is not a God of disroder, and people have taken this way to far in the wrong direction, again go back to what the word of God says.

we are told to praise God with all that we are, to give ourselves wholly to Him. I struggle to lift my hands when I praise God, maybe because I am tall enough as it is, but what holds us back, what holds me back from praising God with all that I am? People might think us mad, crazy, what on earth are they doing. But we must humble ourselves and exalt God.

I will seemingly be undignified by the worlds standards if it means I am praising God according to God’s standards.

So What?

Big Idea: Because God is holy, His presence must be approached according to His Word; therefore our worship must move beyond enthusiasm to hearing, obeying, and spreading the Word of God.

To me it all comes back to the word of God. David Got in trouble, as did Saul because he was not following the word of God like they where supposed to. God must be approached with humility and obedience and we learn how to do that through the word of God. Therefore there are three things we must do.

Hear the word of God

the first is that we must be in the word of God. How are we to obey the Lord God if we first do not hear the word of God. This is not just going to church on a sunday morning and in the middle of the week but rather to read to be in the word of God, to hear the word of God in our personal lives so that we may know what it is that we are to obey

Obey the word of God

Once we hear the word of God we must learn to obey the word of God. and in doing this we must remember as David learned that

“Enthusiasm in worship cannot replace obedience to God.”

enthusiastic worship is good and all, but we must always let our worship, our lives our everything be guided by our obedience to the word of God.

Spread the word of God

Once we do this we thne must spread the word of God. To be obedient to the word of God means that we will tell people about Jesus and the message of His gospel. Jesus was oebedient to God to the point of death on the crosss. And he rose again so death and sin might be defeated.

So then what are we doing to tell people of what the Lord has taught us.