Reflex

"And when they came to Nachon's threshingfloor, Uzzah put forth his hand to the ark of God, and took hold of it; for the oxen shook it. 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."

2 Samuel 6:6-7

The first time David tried to move the Ark of God, it didn't go so well.  He chose to move it by his own way instead of the meticulous instructions made by God Himself.  No doubt David had good intentions, but good intentions are not the same thing as obedience; it was a costly mistake.

The Ark of God represented the presence of a Holy God; it was to be revered.

It's been said by some who have read these verses that Uzzah's death had been unfair.  Even David was displeased because the LORD had made a breach upon Uzzah, (verse 8), but sinful man cannot touch a Holy God.  Uzzah's reaction to the Ark falling from off of the cart was probably just a reflex; but God doesn't need man's help.

Webster defines reflex as an automatic and often inborn response to a stimulus that typically involves a nerve impulse passing inward from a receptor of a spinal cord and then passing outward from the spinal cord to an effector such as a muscle or gland without reaching the level of consciousness and often without passing to the brain.

In other words, Uzzah's response to the Ark of God falling off the cart, was an action performed without even thinking.

The more and more I thought about Uzzah's response to the falling Ark, the more and more I saw myself.

I immediately thought about the mechanics of worship.  

We all know the drill-

We get up on Sunday morning, put on our Sunday clothes, go to church, sing hymns, pray, listen to the preaching, come home, put on our every day clothes, eat lunch, do things around the house, and then do it all again for the evening service.

All by reflex.

All by mechanics.

All without thinking.

Just like moving the Ark, God has an intended way of worship.  Do I worship God as He deserves, or am I in a 'reflex mode' of worship that no longer has any thought behind it?

No reflex...

    No mechanics...

        Just true worship...

            But that's just me!

"Uzzah made a decision in a moment to disregard God's command and to do what seemed right to him. Even decisions made in a moment matter to God." Guzik