It's good to know I'm not the only one...

A while back I was convicted about reading more from God's word. I don't know about you, but I have a tendency to "camp out" in the New Testament, where things are mostly cheery, and it's incredibly easy to see God as a loving Father. I love reading the gospels and Paul's letters. Although they can definitely be challenging and full of hard life-changing application, they tend to uplift or inspire me. Even the challenges are welcomed. As what I read slowly sinks in, I know it will help me to grow in my faith. I almost always walk away from a NT Bible reading encouraged, convicted or touched in some way.

But, if I'm honest, my tendency is not to view the Old Testament in the same way. Actually, I tend to see much of the OT as being either boring (geneologies - yawwwwn) or, in other cases, just plain weird. That's probably because of the fact that I have a human mind that is incapable of understanding, or because God doesn't give us all the answers, but, regardless, that's my usual view. However, like I said, I've been convicted that God allowed this particular group of books to become scripture for a reason.

2 Timothy 3:16-17 "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work."

Anyhow, I've been bouncing back and forth between the Old and New Testament, and after doing a study of David in Women's Bible Study this summer, decided to start in 1 Samuel and plow through 1&2 Samuel, 1&2 Kings. I'll be honest, sometimes David fighting all the "ites" or circumcising people isn't my favorite reading.

But as I read 2 Samuel 6:1-15, a "weird" and less well known story struck me in a new way.

Here's the text - it's worth reading!

The Ark Brought to Jerusalem

¹ David again brought together all the able young men of Israel—thirty thousand. ² He and all his men went to Baalah in Judah to bring up from there the ark of God, which is called by the Name, the name of the LORD Almighty, who is enthroned between the cherubim on the ark. ³⁴ with the ark of God on it,and Ahio was walking in front of it. ⁵ David and all Israel were celebrating with all their might before the LORD, with castanets, harps, lyres, timbrels, sistrums and cymbals. They set the ark of God on a new cart and brought it from the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill. Uzzah and Ahio, sons of Abinadab, were guiding the new cart

⁶ When they came to the threshing floor of Nakon, Uzzah reached out and took hold of the ark of God, because the oxen stumbled. ⁷ The LORD’s anger burned against Uzzah because of his irreverent act; therefore God struck him down, and he died there beside the ark of God.

⁸ Then David was angry because the LORD’s wrath had broken out against Uzzah, and to this day that place is called Perez Uzzah.

⁹ David was afraid of the LORD that day and said, “How can the ark of the LORD ever come to me?” ¹⁰ He was not willing 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 the Gittite. ¹¹ The ark of the LORD remained in the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite for three months, and the LORD blessed him and his entire household.

¹² Now King David was told, “The LORD has blessed the household of Obed-Edom and everything he has, because of the ark of God.” So David went to bring up the ark of God from the house of Obed-Edom to the City of David with rejoicing. ¹³ When those who were carrying the ark of the LORD had taken six steps, he sacrificed a bull and a fattened calf. ¹⁴ Wearing a linen ephod, David was dancing before the LORD with all his might, ¹⁵ while he and all Israel were bringing up the ark of the LORD with shouts and the sound of trumpets.

So, it's kind of a weird story. I mean, I definitely struggle with God striking people down and some of the "harder to explain" things that happen in scripture. BUT, what I love about this passage is knowing that I'm not alone! David, a man after God's own heart, struggled too! Verses 8 and 9 show two of David's emotions - he was angry and he was afraid. Then, he was unwilling to take the ark to be with him.

Now, I'm not saying these are good emotions, or that they are the proper or "right" responses to God's actions. However, they are genuine, human reactions to something that God does that is difficult for David to understand. It gives me a TON of comfort and peace to know that I'm not the only one who goes through seasons of being angry, or afraid or God, or unwilling to seek out his presence. A man in scripture who is referred to as being "a man after God's own heart" had the same issues and feelings to work out. And he did. So at least I'm in good company!

I think the other thing this passage taught me, is that, while God can handle our anger and fear, he longs to bring us out of it. Like David did, we must move past these emotions and return to God's presence with rejoicing. I wonder what life would have been like for David if he'd stayed buried in his anger and fear and hadn't reconnected with God. I'm certain the outcome wouldn't have been good.

I'm thankful today that God allows us to deal with our emotions, our fears, our questions and our doubts, but that he also draws us back into fellowship with himself.

2 Samuel 14:14b "he devises ways so that a banished person may not remain estranged from him."