I was reading during my devotions one day this week when I came across a fascinating, perplexing, and eye opening passage. [II Kings 6:1-10] Let me set the stage. The ark of the covenant (which represented the presence of God) had been out the capitol city of the Jews for a long time. David upon becoming king recognized the need to get the ark of the covenant back to its rightful place and gathered thirty thousand chosen men of Israel to go and retrieve the ark.
Verse two is a very critical verse. “And David arose and went with all the people who were with him to Ballejudah to bring up from there the ark of God which is called by the Name, the very name of the Lord of hosts who is enthroned above the cherubim.” The ark was not a piece of antique furniture. The very presence of God resided with the ark. The Lord of hosts was enthroned above the cherubim. This was more than an antique piece of furniture. The ark was holy and consecrated because God Himself was enthroned between the cherubim.
In verse three we learn that some men placed the ark on a new cart so they could bring the ark back to its rightful place. Notice that a new cart was constructed for the purpose of moving the ark. The ark was holy and in order not to defile it by moving it on an old cart a new cart was used. This was a modern way of transporting the cart learned by the Philistines who sent the ark back to Israel on a cart after they had captured it. They grew weary of it because God began to afflict the people with tumors. [I Sam 5:1-12] The Philistines kept the ark for seven months before sending back to Israel on a cart. The church today is filled with new carts. In many ways the church seeks to emulate the world. What new carts am I referring to? We have the new cart of technology. We have power point, lights, fog machines, massive sound systems, and video capability. Churches use high tech cutting edge technology to reach people but this does not always translate into the power of God. People in churches used to sing from the Psalms and then hymns were written and people used hymnals. Now, many churches have the words to songs projected on the screens. This is a new cart. Places of worship are constructed in such a way as not to look like a church. What I grew up calling a sanctuary or auditorium is now often referred to as the worship center. I was in a church recently that had a restaurant, a bookstore, a recreation center which resembled a YMCA or 24 Hour Fitness health club, a media center where commercials are made rather than announcements and where the services are televised, along with more plasma televisions than Best Buy. The church was massive. I saw a lot of new carts there. I know God has done neat things through that church but I also see the stress and pressure to keep the machine going. It is like a man spinning several plates at the same time constantly going from one to the other to keep them all spinning and then suddenly one crashed and another crashes. If we are building the church of God on our efforts, creativity, and not on His power and character we are headed for a tragic implosion.
Before I proceed please do not get me wrong. There are some new carts that help make the work of the Lord more efficient. As I write this I am hammering out these lines on a computer with the aid of Bible study software. What used to take hours and piles of books I can now do in minutes with the click of a button. When I first started writing I wrote my first few books with a pen and pad and then had someone type the manuscript. Now with the new cart of my computer I can write the manuscript as I type eliminating one step in the process. I have access to all sorts of helpful tools like grammar and spell checking and the ability to save the document and email it to Darrell who posts it on this blog for others to see and read. This is all done with speed and efficiency. I think this new cart is very helpful.
There is a danger with all of our new technology though. As we continue to use creative methods to enhance worship and reach out to other people, there is a danger that we lose respect for God and forget that technology can never substitute for the power and holiness of God. As the ark was put on this new car a fatal error was made. God had given specific instructions about how the ark was to be transported back in the way the ark was constructed in [Ex 37:1-5]. There were rings constructed on the sides of the ark and poles constructed of acacia wood and overlaid with pure gold to be put through the rings. The priests were then to lift the ark and to transport it by carrying it on their shoulders. In the fourth chapter of the book of Numbers the sons of Kohath were given specific instructions on how to move the holy objects of the Lord. “They shall also put on it all its utensils by which they serve in connection with it; the firepans, the forks and shovels and the basins, all the utensils of the altar, and they shall spread a cover of porpoise skin over it and insert its poles. When Aaron and his sons have finished covering the holy objects and all the furnishings of the sanctuary, when the camp is set out, after that the sons of Koath shall come to carry them, so that they will not touch the holy objects and die. These are the things in the tent of meeting which the sons Koath are to carry.” [Num 4:14-15]
Our modern ways do not always meet the approval of the Ancient of Days. On what should have been a very festive occasion tragedy struck. The ark began to topple as the ox stumbled and Uzzah reached up to steady the ark. The Lord struck Uzzah dead on the spot and the whole procession stopped. Before this there had been joyous celebrations before the Lord with festive music but all that changed in an instant as Uzzah’s body turned limp falling to the ground as the life left him.
What seemed like an innocent gesture to protect the ark kindled the anger of God against Uzzah. Here is where our modern ways often can lead us astray. God is holy meaning God is set apart, clean, pure, blameless, without fault, and righteous. The ark of God represented God’s presence to the people of Israel and should have never been put on a cart to begin with. This failure to follow the prescribed instructions of the Lord cost a man his life. When we get too chummy and casual with the Lord and do not revere Him or treat Him and worship of Him as Holy bad things are on the horizon.
Travel around and attend worship services. I challenge you to look closer and watch how casually the worshippers treat the things of God. The holiness of God is a forgotten character trait down here but one emphasized in Heaven. When John was given a glimpse into Heaven and the scene unfolding around the throne of God, what was the message emphasized by the four living creatures night and day without ceasing? “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God, The Almighty, who was and who is and who is to come.” [Rev 4:8] What did Isaiah hear the seraphim saying after getting a vision of God? “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of hosts, the whole earth is full of His glory.” [Is 6:3] When Moses had his encounter with the Lord at the burning bush he was told to remove his shoes for he was standing on holy ground. [Ex 3:5] The word holy occurs over five hundred and eighty times in the Old and New Testaments. We are commanded to be holy. “But like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written, ‘You shall be holy for I am Holy.’” [I Pet 1:15-16]
Our modern ways do not always produce holiness. In fact, I would say many of our modern ways devalue the holiness of God. There is no fear or reverence for the Lord anymore. We may sing about holiness with our modern instruments and modern songs but is holiness the experience of modern worshippers and the focus in modern talks rather than sermons? For some the answer is yes. I am grateful for modern hymn writers like Chris Tomlin, Charlie Hall, Matt Redman, and David Crowder. I am also captured by ancient hymn writers like John Newton, Horatio Spafford, Fanny Crosby, and Isaac Watts.
I recall a conversation I had with him after a worship service at a youth camp where he just lead us in a song with powerful lyrics. Turned out that song had been written over two hundred years ago. I will never forget what he said about those hymn writers, “Hey, those guys had a clue!”
In our attempts to be cutting edge, hip, creative, and relevant to this culture I wonder if we are ushering people with hastening speed toward the judgment of God faster than the grace of God because we have ceased to emphasize the holiness of God and the call to holiness for His people. I am a man without a home. I do not fit in well with all new glitz and glamour hitting the stage in worship today, but I do see the benefit and value of some new innovations. While living in this modern era my soul feels much more at home when reading about old preachers and their mind splitting meditations on the scriptures. I am fascinated by the moves of God so many of them experienced and disillusioned that we cannot buy, produce, or manipulate a move of God with all our education, modern stuff, and new carts. I am increasingly frustrated with worship bands who look like the world and act like rock stars instead of humble, holy servants of the Lord. I do not have a preference whether to sing ancient hymns or new worship ballads. I love them both. I just long to see worship leaders focus more on the holiness and presence of God rather than the performance of hitting every note and sounding good. I long to see “speakers” (I still prefer to be called a preacher rather than a speaker or communicator) open their Bibles and preach the word of God letting the text make the points.
In Daniel chapter seven God is referred to as the Ancient of Days three times. Is He pleased with all our modern methods? I have heard the old adage that the message of the gospel must never change but our methods must change in order to be relevant to this world. I do not know that I agree with that statement anymore. A genuine move of God transcends cultures, generation gaps, post modern ages, and irreligious people. God is always relevant and when the focus gets put back on Him, when the church falls to her knees again to cry out for His power and conviction in saving the lost, when comfortable and complacent ministers weary of trying to take short cut routes to revival and spiritual awakening, perhaps we could see God move as He once did in history in the First and Second Great Awakenings.
The modern church and stuck in past traditional churches by and large are having little impact on their culture. God used Paul to turn the world upside down. [Acts 17:6] We need fewer carts and more prayerful and holy hearts. I know I am old (42 at the time of this writing.) I think video games are a waste of time and I am sick of reality television, and scantily clad women running around on commercials and sitcoms. I would rather talk to someone in person rather than send a text and I still the think the old fashioned way to sharing the good news of Jesus one on one still works.
Recently when talking with a group of pastors about what we had been reading I felt out of place and born in the wrong century as they listed their modern day authors and books with fancy titles when every book I could think of I have been reading over the past months were written either by dead guys or about dead guys. I seldom stop at the best selling section at bookstores any more but meander back to the hidden and tucked away corners to find some “treasure” written by some seasoned saint who persevered nad whose writings have stood the test of time. I do not text but do own a cell phone. I do not have a face book nor care to create one though I have a friend begging me to do so. I still use a spiral notebook to journal my thoughts and prayers to the Lord and I would rather read a book than listen to a book on cd any day.
Though the world is passing me by, I still love and revere God. I still know that apart from Him I can do nothing. [Jn 15:5] I still plead for His anointing and power to convict sinners and draw them to salvation. I am still humbled that I have the solemn and sacred responsibility to get in the pulpit and preach the truth of scripture even though the message is not always politically correct and what people want to hear but I am convinced it is what they need to hear. I still believe in preaching through the Bible verse by verse along with a long line of pulpit giants from ancient days. The bottom line is I would rather please God in keeping my convictions even if the crowds thin and attendance plummets to please the Ancient of Days with holiness and reverence while passionately preaching what the scripture says. Not all modern methods are wrong but not all of them are right either. Before creating a new cart why not sit before the Lord long enough and linger in His word habitually enough that we do not fail as Uzzah and David did so long ago.
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