Not surprisingly, one of the first things we find, as we launch out on another of Scripture’s leadership manuals, is vital lessons about worship. If we are, or will ever be, in any kind of leadership, we’ll need to absorb these too!
2 Sam 6 records one of the greatest worship events in Israel’s history, when God’s presence comes at last to the city He’s chosen. But before this goes right it goes badly wrong; and we can learn a lot from how & why.
David musters a whole army to bring God’s Ark into God’s city. And he throws himself into worship – but, we read, he has to learn the hard way to be careful to do things as commanded by `the Lord Almighty, who is enthroned between the cherubim`(v2). Everyone’s throwing themselves enthusiastically into the worship – `celebrating with all their might before the Lord, with castanets, harps, lyres, tambourines, rattles and cymbals` – but alas, not taking God Himself seriously enough; and God has to sort that out, so that His presence can truly dwell among them…
They’ve put God’s holy Ark on a ox-cart (v3); whereas David – and certainly Levite Uzzah who is watching the cart – should have remembered how God’s Word (Numbers 4) made clear that it must always be carried reverently, and by one particular group, the Kohathites. Does that really matter? The celebration is going great (v5)… but then suddenly – the oxen stumble, Uzzah reaches out to touch and steady the Ark (something Numbers specifically forbade) – and the next moment… he’s dead…
Imagine you’re David. Your desire to dance in worship has vanished. Your huge worship celebration has turned to disaster. You’re scared. And you realise – this Ark of God’s, it could kill me too (v9) – well, let’s not bring God’s presence into Jerusalem, let’s play safe and have someone else (Obed-Edom) look after it (v10)…
Is that how we should think about our Father’s presence: something so perilous it must be avoided? Most certainly not! (See John 14:23!) No, the norm is 2 Sam 6:11: the presence of God brings huge blessing, as it does, here, to `Obed-Edom and his entire household`! But, there’s a very necessary lesson; and as David reflects on Scripture (see 1 Chron 15:15) he realises what’s gone wrong. So again he musters all Israel’s leaders, but this time it’s different, he’s learned his lesson. Tenney says he’s `like an electrician who’s learned to respect the power of electricity and can now work with it.` What do we notice in 1 Sam 6:14-15? First, the worship is still enormously exuberant: David throws himself into worship again – maybe it’s one of the happiest moments of his life. And secondly, like Mary wiping Jesus’ feet with her hair, he’s clearly not thinking about his own honour and image. (This can be a tough one, a prayer issue, for us worship leaders?) Then thirdly, vv18-19, he gives a gift to `each person in the whole crowd`: worship is not some private little trip, worship is bound up with sharing, love, fellowship; loving God is inseparable from loving others…
Yet – after all that there comes a really sad ending (vv20-23), and it’s another vital lesson. Does worship make the whole world taste good? No. Having blessed everyone else, David goes home to bless his household (v20) – and has a massive row with his wife. (This happens. Have you never come home from a camp or conference on a spiritual high, and felt broken-hearted because that got ruined by a row with your spouse or parents or flatmate?) The real world is the context of true `worship with all that we are`. Does good worship mean you have no work to do on relationships? No. It’s the fuel for that work, longterm – so let’s not be surprised if we need it!
But what else do we do learn here? Most obviously: if I/you have a negative, critical spirit like Michal’s, what we’ll do is exclude ourselves in the end (v23). Or if we’re too concerned, as she was, about image and dignity (v20); because what counts in worship is God’s dignity. And the row was about how David worshipped; so perhaps thirdly – there’s going to be diversity in our church, so let’s go with it! I suggest church should be a place where we can stand to worship if that’s us, kneel if that’s us, lift our hands if that’s us, clap if that’s us – all that will be ok if everyone maintains mutual care and respect. Still, that part’s not so easy; it’s so easy (isn’t it?) to think `Really my way makes my worship a little bit better than others’`, or, `It really would be better if everybody did it my way`…….. And this is serious; society is increasingly diverse, generationally and culturally; we urgently need each other’s different personalities (1 Cor 12:21); and each of us worships as we do because of who we are. For example, I believe God the Spirit used the `freedom` of ‘60s culture, and charismatics from that era loved to be highly expressive; but later generations have been noticeably more guarded, more reticent, fewer arms in the air, more drawn to the contemplative. Which is all fine if there’s humility and mutual respect; and not, `X is a bit of a showoff when they worship` (they may be, but it’s probably not our business), or, `Y is just insensitive to the Spirit` (ditto!). Like Jesus said, let’s not judge; it’s our heart attitude that matters…
Let me put two other thoughts alongside that. We sense the celebratory exuberance in vv14-15, and exuberance belongs in church, not just in football crowds and rock concerts! The Bible says quite a lot about worshipping with our whole being: `Clap your hands all you peoples`, `Everywhere lift up holy hands`, `Come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!` I’m not wanting to contradict what we’ve just said by implying a legalism here, because there are cultural and personality differences involved. (Not everyone feels comfortable literally `greeting one another with a holy kiss`, nor should they. ) But it’s also true that God chose to reveal Scripture in a culture where physical worship was normal; and He surely loves to see the emotions He gave us expressed (somehow!) as we worship Him (and in our private prayer too!) Possibly our worshipping community (not all of us as individuals) may be healthier if some of us are expressing our worship in these ways. And if we’re not born that way, great (maybe experiment with these styles at home 🙂 ?) Let’s feel free to be ourselves, either way, while loving and respecting each other…
But then there’s the other side, from the earlier verses. `So all that matters in worship is that I should be myself; everything’s fine so long as it’s joyful and sincere`? No. In v5 we have a massive, joyous, worshipping crowd. `How can anything that feels so good be anything but pleasing to God? Uzzah’s experience stands as a clear warning`, says Vineyard leader Rich Nathan in his great book on charismatics and non-charismatics learning from each other, Empowered Evangelicals. Suddenly (like with Ananias and Sapphira) an interruption comes from God’s holy anger against sin (see v7; and if we believe in the biblical God we’d better believe in this); and everybody sees Uzzah die.
Again, imagine you’re the worship leader in such a situation. Your vocalist suddenly dies. Your instruments stop dead mid-phrase. How would you feel? `God’s ruined my celebration…` God loves us enormously, but precisely because of that He is willing to go to great lengths (as so often in the OT) to help us grasp His holiness. Uzzah’s most probably worshipping joyously in heaven now, but this had to happen and be recorded so that we all learn better to take God seriously. `The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom`: without it we will start to think of God as Santa Claus, and lose the crucial heart-motivation for essential personal holiness. The exuberance of v14 is coming too!- but this vital, vital lesson comes first…
So what happens then? Like I say, David wisely takes three months to recover and reflect on the Scriptures. Then he leads worship again; but this time (1 Chron 15:15) he’s careful to do everything the way God had commanded in Numbers. What might we learn? One thing is it’s very important how we prepare to worship. (Look particularly at the issue of worship and broken relationships in Matthew 5:23-24.) The New Testament does record deaths really happening (1 Cor 11:30) when there’s sin in worship. Worship leaders often have passionate personalities, and I can think straightaway of worship leaders and band members who have led worship while committing sexual sin. In time God will step in. As Tenney says, let’s take great care never to get casual about being in the hugely holy presence of God. And as Paul writes (1 Cor 11:28), every time we come to worship at God’s table, let’s examine ourselves, wholeheartedly repent, and receive His forgiveness, and then surely – but only then! – eat the bread.
When leading communion I’ve always been careful to make real, adequate time for that. If your church does too, please use it! And in our personal worship let’s pray, `Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! See if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!` And then comes the exuberance! But only then; first, confession, repentance, sanctification. This is very practical; let’s do it!
One last thing: as David recognizes (1 Chron 15), judgment came because they had not done things in `the prescribed way… as Moses had commanded in accordance with the Word of the Lord`. This is about going back to the Word for how we worship. That new cart to carry the ark seemed a great idea; it was a Philistine idea (1 Sam 6:7), and they were a cutting-edge culture, technologically way ahead of Israel. Probably it looked great; only the best-quality cart would have been acceptable. But it wasn’t what God had commanded. So how serious are we about ensuring our worship-life reflects God’s desires as expressed in His Word?- eg in how we follow His instructions about public use of spiritual gifts? How do we react when someone queries something we’re doing in worship from, say, the epistles? Do we feel it’s boring, it’s a nuisance, because what matters is that our worship should be cutting-edge, PC, cool, right up to date?
Let’s ask ourselves: Am I taking God seriously? Am I asking God, God what have You shown about how You want me, us, to pray and worship You? (Is this ultimately for me or for You?) This is surely not a reason for glum solemnity – David’s reflection on the Scriptures led straight into exuberance; but the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom… So let’s build our exuberance around what the Bible says; as Hebrews 12 puts it, let’s `worship God acceptably, with reverence and awe; for our God is a consuming fire…` Is that me?
In the end the issue is whether we really want the presence of Father God. Do you? Do I? If so it’s an incredible thing to want. (`Who of us can dwell with everlasting burnings?`, asked Isaiah.) If we do, it’s a learning process. And the lesson here had a price; Uzzah was dead. But in the end, David as a leader learned to make it his overwhelming priority to do things God’s way. We need to internalize, deeply, that commitment; it doesn’t come by accident. And at the end, God’s wonderful, generous presence could dwell in power and enormous blessing in their midst. And that’s what we want, isn’t it?
Let’s absorb that in the presence of Father God, absorb what He’s shown us here…
