“Fear and Rejoicing – An Error in Delivery”

What is your attitude when you come to worship? What style of worship services fits you best? What does the Bible have to say about the way we approach God in worship? These questions can be answered by a close look at 2 Samuel 6. In this passage, King David leads a procession to bring the Ark of the Covenant into Jerusalem. This procession has all the earmarks of a great worship service.

Verse 3 says that they set the ark on a new cart. They didn’t put the holy chest of God on some dilapidated piece of farm equipment. Instead, they gave God their best. When we come to worship, are we prepared to give God our best? Too often we’re tempted to say, “Here’s something that’s old and used up, and I have nothing to do with it anymore. But I need a tax write-off, so I think I’ll give it to the church!” How often we come to worship, prepared to give God less than our best! When we worship God, we need to do it with dignity, giving God the honor He deserves.

Verse 5 tells us that they were worshipping the Lord with all their might, with a variety of musical instruments. Does your church insist that only one or two kinds of instruments are holy enough for worship? Your praise team might be incomplete without David’s band of harps, lyres, tambourines, sistrums and cymbals. Loosen up a little, and learn to enjoy a variety of musical expressions that give God glory. Worship as David did, with all your might, and not half of it. At our church, we all bring different talents into the worship service. Musicians play. Artists decorate the sanctuary with artwork that fits the theme off our service. Amateur florists design special arrangements. Those with the gift of hospitality serve as greeters. With all our might, we bring our talents and give them to God. Is this how you come to worship?

The gaiety was interrupted by Uzzah’s irreverence, which ruined the worship service for everybody—especially for him. The oxcart tipped, and reaching out to steady the ark, Uzzah forgot that the sacred chest was never to be touched by human hands. He didn’t show proper reverence for the power of God, and paid for it with his life. God’s power hit him like lightning, and immediately he fell down dead. After that, David was afraid to bring the ark up to Jerusalem. I have to admit that I’m not always in the mood for church on Sunday morning. It’s easy for me to allow my lack of reverence to ruin the worship service for me. Even worse, my irreverence can destroy what God is trying to do in other people’s lives.

When we worship God, we need to remember to reverence Him, and remember His power. Even good intentions like Uzzah’s can be wrong. This Sunday, I hope you’ll evaluate your intentions and attitudes as you learn to worship God.