That Escalated quickly
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Intro
Intro
Does God ever overreact? No, His reactions are always fit to the event. God never over reracts nor under reacts. God is just and so every reaction of God is just.
Let me show you an incident which requires long thought.
Back Story:
In the OT the presence of God was linked to the Ark. The Ark was the presence of God. Now the Philistines had defeated Israel and rtaken the ark. God led king David to defeat the Philistines and reclaim the Ark. We pick up with the Ark being moved from the philistine camp back to its rightful place.
1 Now David again gathered all the chosen men of Israel, thirty thousand.
2 And David arose and went with all the people who were with him to Baale-judah, to bring up from there the ark of God which is called by the Name, the very name of the Lord of hosts who is enthroned above the cherubim.
3 They placed the ark of God on a new cart that they might bring it from the house of Abinadab which was on the hill; and Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, were leading the new cart.
4 So they brought it with the ark of God from the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill; and Ahio was walking ahead of the ark.
5 Meanwhile, David and all the house of Israel were celebrating before the Lord with all kinds of instruments made of fir wood, and with lyres, harps, tambourines, castanets and cymbals.
Ok all fine so far. Its a great celebration and 2 men Uzzah ans Ahio were honoured to lead the Ark back home.
Then:
6 But when they came to the threshing floor of Nacon, Uzzah reached out toward the ark of God and took hold of it, for the oxen nearly upset it.
There was a little stp on the edge of the threshing floor and one of the ox stumbeled and the Ark rocked and looked like it was going to fall. So Uzzah, not wanting anything to happen to Ark, least it falling on the floor, reached out and supported it.
No biggiue, BUT:
7 And the anger of the Lord burned against Uzzah, and God struck him down there for his irreverence; and he died there by the ark of God.
God killed him.
Still think God does not overreact?
What exacally is going on here? The bible tells us that God was Angry at Uzzah, that His anger burned against him. But why? What was it that Uzzah did that was so wrong that would cause God to become in furiated and strike him down dead?
Well lets look at this event objectivly.
Uzzah thought the ark ie God was going to fall and so he reached out to steady the ark just in case.
Listen: Just in case, Uzzah thought that God need his help. Like a small chjild whos parents might hold them on a bumpy tracktor ride, Uzzah thought God infuficient to hold GHis ground and need the help of a human.
Uzzah’s reaching out, at the surface seems innocent, but reveals his opinion of God. God , Uzzah things, needs my help.
And there can be no more blasphmous thought than to diminish God into such a frail creator that he needs the help and assistance of the creature to get home.
God Does Not Need Your Help
God Does Not Need Your Help
The almighty, the Alpha and Omega, Author and Finisher, giver of all life, creator of the erath, moon, stars and sun, the mind behind the universe, and all space and time does need help. Not from me, not from you, not from Uzzah, not from David, not from Paul, not from anyone.
24 “The God who made the world and all things in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands;
25 nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all people life and breath and all things;
God did not need Uzzah’s help that day, He does not need my help or your help. He is not served or ministered to by human hands.
This, for many is a radical idea, but a true one none the less.
12 “If I were hungry I would not tell you, For the world is Mine, and all it contains.
ie: I cant get hungry, but even if i did I certanly wouldnt ask you for help.
God does not help. He does not need our advice. He does not need our approval. He does not need our permission.
6 Whatever the Lord pleases, He does, In heaven and in earth, in the seas and in all deeps.
It the hight of pride to think that God needs you and the highest form of blasphamy.
God does not need me. He does not need me to preach. In fact, He does not need anyone to preach.
40 But Jesus answered, “I tell you, if these become silent, the stones will cry out!”
He does not need you or anyone to worship him for the heavens themselves declare His glory.
1 The heavens are telling of the glory of God; And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands.
God does not need your skills or your talents, he does not need your tithes or your offerings, God is not running out of money.
10 “For every beast of the forest is Mine, The cattle on a thousand hills.
No my frineds, it is not God who needs our help. It is us who desperatly need God’s help.
5 “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.
We need His help for without Him we would lost in our sins and be cast into the lake of fire which is the second death.
We would be blind, and deaf, lost and lonley. we would have no hope, no life, no future, no purpose and no love.
My frinds, we must come to fully understand that you have nothing to offer God at all.
12 All have turned aside, together they have become useless; There is none who does good, There is not even one.”
There in God’s own words: Yo and I are usless.
So if God does not need our help, why then does He ask for it?
So if God does not need our help, why then does He ask for it?
over and over again God calls us to do things for Him.He calls us to worhip Him.
1 Shout joyfully to God, all the earth;
2 Sing the glory of His name; Make His praise glorious.
Does God need our praise? No. So why does He ask us to do it?
Bella’s room. I can clean it. in fact I can clean it quicker and better than she can clean it. So when her room is a mess, do you think i clean it?
No.I ask her to. But why? It will take longer and not be done properly and i may have to in afterwards to do it properly so why do i bother askinbg her in the first place?
I ask Bella to clean her room, not because i need help, but because i know she needs help.
She needs help learning responcibility, she needs help learning discapline. She needs help learing obedience.
in the samne way, God doies certanly not need help, He is perfect. but he knows we ned help. And his commands are not us helping Him, his commands are for our own good.
13 and to keep the Lord’s commandments and His statutes which I am commanding you today for your good?
Does od need you to come to church, worship and sit under the authority of the pastor? Of coiurse not. So why does he ask you to do it?
For your own good.
But there is another reason why God asks for “help”
But there is another reason why God asks for “help”
Back to me and Bella.
A few weeks aho i decided to build and replace our TV cabanet. I am ok with woodwork so i knew i could easily make a new cabanet.
I did the measurements, got the tools, had the wood cut and brought it all home.
I knew it was an easy job and would not take me more than a few hours.But then i did somethiing. Something which would make it a lot harder and couse it to take twice as long.
Can you guess what i did? I ask Bella to help me.
Now, why would i do a foolish thing like that?
2 reasons.
1: I knew she would enjoy it and it would be wonderful father-daughter time with her.
and
2: Because i knew that she would be able to enjoy the accomplishment of working and doing something which would be impossible for her to do on her own.
I believe God has those same 2 reasons in mind when he asks us for “help”,
1: we get to spend time with our heavenly father.
9 For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building.
When God calls us to “help” Him with the work, we get to enjoy His fellowship and presence. As we sing, as we worship, as we teach, as we pray, in all these things we draw near to God.
and
2: We get get to be a part of a work so much bigger than oursleves or anthing we could do on our own.
Jesus said:
18 “I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.
Jesus is building His church and does not need our help, like i was building my TV cabanet and i did not need Bella’s help.
But like i invited Bella to be a part of something bigger than her ability, Jesus invites us to help so that we can experience the joy and purpose of working on something so great and so precious.
With Bella helping it was more challanging and it took much longer because i had to explain everything and help her with everything.
God could have caused every rock to preach, the gospel could have gone around the world 1000 times already, it would have quicker, and there would have no hassle.
No church contravercies, no misusing the name of God for money, no abuses of pastoral power in sexual offences.
If God had simeply done it all Himself, it would have been done already.
But he invited us to join Him. He asked you do eveangelise, he asked pastors to preach and teachers to teach. He asked you to pray for the sick and take carse of the poor.
Why? Bevause he needs help? No.
Because you and i get to enjoy the privledge and honour of working with trhe almighty.
Because you and I need help and God knows the best way to help us.
Because you and I need purpose and God knows that there is no greater purpose than to serve Him.
Conclusion:
Conclusion: