Date: 04-29-2020

Title: Good Intentions

(S) cripture:
    1 Chronicles 13:9-10 (NASB77) When they came to the threshing floor of Chidon, Uzza put out his hand to hold the ark, because the oxen nearly upset it. 10 And the anger of the LORD burned against Uzza, so He struck him down because he put out his hand to the ark; and he died there before God.

(O) bservation:
    David is returning the ark of the covenant back to their land. The ark was on a new cart and was guided by Ahio and Uzzah. At one point the oxen stumbled and Uzzah reached out and touched the ark to steady it. Touching the ark was forbidden and Uzzah was struck down by the Lord. Although his intentions were good, to steady the ark, his faith was weak because he did not believe that God could keep the ark from falling. It was his lack of faith that resulted in him touching the ark (overt disobedience) that brought about his death. The consequence of his disobedience was his death. Good intentions do not excuse disobedience.

(A) pplication:
    I wonder how often I excuse disobedience because my intentions were “good”. Here the lesson is to trust God fully and to be obedient to Him. My actions have consequences, some good and some bad. When I am obedient to the Lord the ultimate consequence is good. Being obedient may bring some persecution and trouble those who do not know the Lord but that is nothing compared to the consequence of not obeying. I am not talking about losing my salvation. The consequence of being out of fellowship with the Lord and feeling distant from Him is scary. I cannot imagine living apart from the assurance of His protection and care and strength and love. Today I will listen to the Lord and will obey Him. I want to do His will. I do not want to excuse disobedience with “good intentions”.

(P) rayer:
    Lord you know how easy it is for me to excuse my disobedience with good intentions. Let my intentions be Yours and empower me to do your will. Let me trust you today. Amen