Worship and Obedience

by Ross Parsley

Passion and exuberance is not enough to qualify as worship. True worship requires much
more.

Imagine the scene. Coming down from Abinidab's house on the road towards Jerusalem,
thirty thousand men of Israel escorting the ark of God in a joyful procession. Banners and
streamers are everywhere. Singers are lifting their voices; musicians of all kinds are
playing their instruments; and dancers and twirlers are rejoicing before the Lord with all
their might. Parents and children, servants and people of influence, all look on with joy
and excitement as the house of Israel worships the Lord at the coming of the ark of God.
David, the newly established King of Israel, is leading the procession in worship,
ushering the ark back into the center of Israelite culture and consciousness.

There in the middle of the crowd is the ark. It's golden brilliance reflecting the sun as it
rides on a new cart. Abinidab's sons, Uzzah and Ahio, are walking along side as
attendants on this momentous occasion. Suddenly, the ox stumbles. Uzzah reaches out his
hand to steady the ark and the crowd gasps; instruments are abruptly silenced; dancers
come to an awkward halt; singers' voices trail off and the celebration is unexpectedly and
dramatically turned to grief. Uzzah is dead.

David is stunned. How could this wonderful event end like this? How could their worship
go unnoticed by the Lord? Worse yet, why would He punish them for it? As this story
unfolds in II Samuel 6 and I Chronicles 13-15, we find several points of note for our
modern day worship.

Honorable motives are insufficient. It appears that David wanted to honor the Lord by
bringing the ark back to Jerusalem and into prominence with the people of God. The ark
had been neglected during the reign of Saul and had recently been returned by the
Philistines who had captured it during a battle with Israel. David wanted to lead Israel
back to its foundation of worship and to restore Jerusalem as the worship center and
capital of Israel-the City of David. He was making worship a priority again for the people
of Israel. Unfortunately, David's motives were not enough to appease God's wrath. David
was trying to do a good thing, the wrong way. Tragically, Uzzah, in reaching out to catch
the ark, was also found guilty of possessing zeal without knowledge (Rom. 10:2).
Whether it was from years of common interaction or just ignorance, a well-intentioned
act became the touch point for God's discipline.

God's mandate is often inconvenient. The Philistines had captured the ark and kept it for
seven months during which they had endured much devastation and many afflictions.
They sent the ark back to Israel on a cart pulled by two cows who had recently calved but
never been yoked (I Sam. 6). Perhaps it was from them that Israel got the idea of putting
the ark on a cart. Their choice to use a cart is representative of our following convenience
over conviction. The cart seemed like a good idea and was the quickest way to get to
Jerusalem. Yet God wanted them to embrace His way of carrying the ark, instead of a
convenient shortcut. You see the Divine mandate was to carry the ark on the shoulders of
the Levites.

Don't respond to judgment with anger and fear. Devastated, David retreated back to
Jerusalem without the ark, which remained at the house of Obed-Edom. He was upset
because he was trying to do something wonderful and the Lord's wrath had broken out
against them. He actually asked the question, "How can the ark of the Lord ever come to
me?" Many times we become angry and confused because of our disobedience when the
answer is repentance and humility. David chose to be frustrated with God instead of
accepting the responsibility for the sin. Three months later, after watching the blessing of
God upon Obed-Edom's household, David realized his error and once again took up the
pursuit of bringing the ark to Jerusalem.

Passion without obedience is not worship. Fast-forward to I Chronicle 15. We now find
the exact same scene playing out again as the ark of God is brought up from the house of
Obed-Edom. Only this time the priests are carrying the ark according to the instructions
prescribed by the Lord. Every six steps the entire entourage is stopping to offer sacrifices
unto the Lord. It is neither convenient, nor common. Oh, there is singing and dancing,
celebration and music! The worship is every bit as passionate as the first time but there is
a major difference. Now, the right thing is being done in the right way and the Lord is
very pleased. David has even taken off his kingly garments in the sight of all of Israel in a
humble declaration of gratitude and joy.

Two scenes exactly alike, both contain the passionate expression of worship. Both seem
to be honorable and driven by pure motives. Both are full of celebration. One ends in
grief, the other in exuberant joy. The difference: obedience.

It is in this context that the words spoken by the prophet Samuel to King Saul years
earlier bring crystal clarity to this story. "Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and
sacrifice as much as in obeying the voice of the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice,
and to heed is better than the fat of rams" (I Sam. 15:22). Samuel declared that sacrifice is
not as valuable to the Lord as obedience. When King Saul tried to use worship as an
excuse for disobedience, the offense was so great that God took the kingdom from him
and soon after David was anointed to be King.

This was David's test of worship and obedience. Would he respond as King Saul and try
to protect his pride since it had become obvious that God was displeased. Or, would he
realize his mistake, repent and obey. The truth is disobedience disqualifies our worship!
In fact, the very act of worship is but a reflection of an obedient life. This is the lesson
from the story of Uzzah: worship cannot just be convenient, and it certainly should never
be common. Passion is not enough to qualify as worship. Exuberance is no substitute for
the character and consistency that God requires of us. True worship is obedience.

- Ross Parsley, Worship Leader New Life Church, Colorado Springs, CO