God’s Will, God’s Way

Today’s Passage – 1 Chronicles 13 – 15

(Second Milers also read – John 13 – 14; Psalms 51 – 55; Proverbs 11)

Scripture Memory for May – Psalm 51

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 34

Read “Subversion of Marriage” by Pastor Paul Chappell

Read last years post from this passage – “Obededom – A Doorkeeper for the Lord”

“And David said unto all the congregation of Israel, If it seem good unto you, and that it be of the LORD our God, let us send abroad unto our brethren every where, that are left in all the land of Israel, and with them also to the priests and Levites which are in their cities and suburbs, that they may gather themselves unto us:” – (1 Chronicles 13:2)

“And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Uzza, and he smote him, because he put his hand to the ark: and there he died before God.” – (1 Chronicles 13:10)

A quick glance at 1 Chronicles 13 will leave the reader puzzled as to why God killed Uzza, and also as to why God stopped the transport of the ark to Jerusalem. Let’s carefully look at what took place in this passage and see if we can figure out how we can prevent this type of thing from happening in our lives and ministries.

First of all I want to say that David’s heart was right in wanting to bring the ark to Jerusalem. Jerusalem was going to be the place where God was going to build His temple through David’s son Solomon. Jerusalem was going to be the capitol city of the people of God. David wanted to do the right thing, and David wanted to be sure that the thing that he wanted was also the thing that God wanted. He said in v 2, “and that it be of the Lord our God”, meaning that he was careful to point out to the people that God had the right to close the door on this move. So, was it not God’s will to bring back the ark?. Did God close the door on the project by killing Uzza? I don’t think so. God removed His hand of blessing from the transport of the ark because David and the people of Israel were not doing it God’s way. The Bible had given clear instructions as to how the ark was to be transported. It was supposed to be carried on staves (poles); not on a cart pulled by oxen. What happened to Uzza was certainly unfortunate, but it could have been avoided had David and the leaders of Israel looked into the Word of God to see how this particular job was to be done.

In this passage, we see a threefold formula for fulfilling our purpose in life. First, God puts the desire in our hearts. The verse says, “if it seem good unto you”. I believe if God wants you to do something, He will put the desire in your heart to do it:

“For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.” – (Philippians 2:13)

“This is a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work.” – (1 Timothy 3:1)

Secondly, we must determine that the thing we “desire” to do, or “seem good unto [us]”, is, in fact, the will of God. If it is, it will be in agreement with the Word of God, and will be reassured through prayer and godly counsel.

The third thing is that once we determine to that the thing we want to do is God’s will, we must do it God’s way. We need to search the Word of God and see what He says about the process of completing the task at hand. This is where I believe many churches and leaders are failing today. We are attempting to what God wants us to do, but we are not doing it His way. God’s will must be done, God’s way. I realize that everything that God wants us to do today, including every minute detail in the process will not be covered completely by the Word of God; but I believe the foundational principles contained in the Bible, coupled with the leadership of the Holy Spirit, will guide us through the process.