Do you remember Uzzah? He touched the ark of the covenant and died.
“Uzzah reached out and took hold of the ark of God, because the oxen stumbled. And the anger of the Lord burned and God struck him down on the spot for his irreverence, and he died” 2 Samuel 6:6-7.
Why did he die? Because he forgot the rule—you must not touch the ark. But the oxen stumbled and the ark might have fallen. Wasn’t it better for Uzzah to stop the ark from falling? No. God warned them NEVER to touch the holy ark.
But what about those who made it?
“Bezalel made the ark of acacia wood… and he overlaid it with pure gold inside and out…” Exodus 37:1-5.
So one day it’s wood and gold and Bezalel’s expert craftsmanship. The next day, it’s holy and cannot be touched—even Bezalel would have been struck dead for touching it. What made the things suddenly so special?
GOD’S GLORY. God tells Moses to anoint everything they had built, Ex. 40:9-11. Once that was done, “The glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle” 40:34.
After everything was done according to God’s instructions, God descended with His glory—and after His glory descended, everything became HOLY.
But so what? Today, the blood of Christ makes US holy—we could touch the ark and NOT be struck down. But the point to this story is OBEDIENCE. Moses and the craftsmen built everything according to God’s specifications, they anointed it as instructed. Then GOD BLESSED IT.
God will bless our work the same way—He will pour His glory on our efforts—IF WE OBEY HIM. But we must submit to God and OBEY HIS PLANS. Then He will pour out his glory on our work, making it more special, more “holy” than it could ever be otherwise.
God, thank you for the thrill of serving you! Help us obey in every detail!
ΑΩ
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