Anchor Scripture: 2 Samuel 6:3,7 And they set the ark of God upon a new cart, and brought it out of the house of Abinadab that was in Gibeah: and Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, drave the new cart. And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Uzzah; and God smote him there for his error; and there he died by the ark of God. Meditations: Greetings in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. May His grace and peace be multiplied unto you. Our anchor scripture today is a part of a story that started very well but turned sour because of the error of men. A new Cart (modern methodology) was manufactured purposely to drive the Ark (The presence of Elohim) of God back to Jerusalem with pomp and pageantry! I imagine Uzzah and Ahio (please read the entire story ) feeling cool for the very rare privilege of driving the Cart. You could feel the excitement of the whole nation until things went sour in 2Samuel 6:7 where God killed Uzzah – one of the drivers. But why? Even David did not understand at the time. May the Lord speak to His body today. Amen. Exhortation I believe that one of the things we should always strive to remember in our walk with God is that we are relating with the Ancient of days who calls Himself I AM. What that means to me is that He is in the future as much as He is in the now and as He was in the dateless past. God disapproved all the efforts and sacrifice of David because His presence does not ride on Carts but on the shoulders of choice men. Hear what the Bible says concerning a clan in Levi “But unto the sons of Kohath he gave none: because the service of the sanctuary belonging unto them was that they should bear upon their shoulders. (Numbers 7:9). If you back up to the preceding verses, you will understand that this was the time when MOSES was allocating Wagons and Oxen for the service of the sanctuary. Beloved, though the immediate cause of the death of Uzzah was that he touched the Ark and looked inside when it shook but for me, the remote and the real cause of his death was that the Ark was placed on a Cart rather than on the shoulders of men. Brethren, you know it is possible that, out of zeal, we to want to “impress’ God and in the process you may end up displeasing Him? That is why zeal without knowledge is dangerous. We must always be humble enough to stick to His prescribed modus operandi. Therefore, as we serve Him sacrificially, I want us to please pay attention to the following: Nothing outside of God pleases Him: God is too complete to be improved upon. Creativity without compliance with the Creator’s prescription is a great error. You remember how God went into great details describing how ordinary curtains in the temple to MOSES should be arranged and He told him sternly to endeavor to do everything according to the pattern He had shown him on the mountain. Exodus 25:40. Little wonder God approved his work by showing up with the cloud of glory in Exodus 40:33-34. All the versatility of Aholiab and Bezaleel were divinely imparted hence they could carry out complex tasks that were all acceptable to God. Think about the one who made both the ant and the Elephant. The other time I was watching on Television the complex creatures of God under the sea. Beloved, God is truly too complete to be improved upon. To attempt to do that is to insult Him. Hence Uzzah died! Please let us be careful not to dance to the gallery rather let us be careful always to find out the ancient land marks and carefully walk in them. We should always seek divine approval first! As I conclude on this edition, trusting God to take it up from here next time, my plea is that it is instructive to think less of impressing men but on pleasing God and that we should be careful enough to ensure that our zeal is founded on the knowledge of God. Shalom. Prayers Your life shall not be a waste in Jesus name. Amen Bible reading: 2Samuel 6:1-23, 1Chronicles 15:15 I bring you greetings in the name of Jehovah Shalom. By the grace of God, the lockdown will be over by 11:59pm tonight and, thereafter our gradual journey to normalcy begins. We thank God for keeping all of us this far. Please as you go out to transact legitimate businesses, adhere to government directives, listen to health officials and maintain the highest sense of hygiene. Wash and sanitize your hands regularly, wear your face mask and maintain social distancing. Above all, be prayerful and seek the leading of the Holy Ghost. No evil shall befall you and all yours in Jesus name. Have a graceful month and happy thanksgiving sunday. God bless you