The Right Thing the Wrong Way

I was once asked to straighten a crooked fence post. I did it Josh's way...brute force!

It was a short fence and I decided I was going to just push it back into line. Guess what I did? I straightened it out, but in the process, I also broke the post. The person who asked me was not impressed. Clearly "it's important to do the right thing the right way."

The same can be said in obeying God. The right way to do something is to do it God's way. In the OT book of 2 Samuel 6 (also 1 Chronicles 13) we find a perfect example of this. David was finally king over all of Israel. He defeated Jerusalem and set it up as “The City of David”. David decided to bring the “Ark of God” back to Jerusalem.

I believe David wants to do the right thing, and I believe God is all for this. The problem is, David didn’t go about it the right way.

1. I Chronicles 13:1-4 David discusses the idea with the army commanders as well as the priest and Levites.

2. 2 Samuel 6:3 the people set the “Ark” on a new cart to move it.

3. 2 Samuel 6:5 the people celebrated the whole way home.

     If these are all the details you know, then this looks like a good way to go about this.

Problem #1: David never inquired of the LORD. I believe David would have been reminded of important details he overlooked.

Problem #2: The ark was supposed to carried. In Numbers 4 God gave specific commands on how to move the “Ark” and the consequences of touching it.

Due to the fact the “Ark” was moved the wrong way, a man lost his life. The oxen pulling the cart that was carrying the “Ark” stumbled, and a man reached out to stable it and God struck him down. Doing “the right thing the wrong way” can have severe consequences.

(It’s important to note, that God didn’t deal with the “right thing the wrong way” immediately. From all appearances (I Chronicle 13:13), the “Ark” made it almost all the way to Jerusalem before this accident happened. That doesn’t mean it was ok with it.) God eventually dealt with this choice.

     If we continue reading 2 Samuel 6, we see David didn’t give up, but tried and succeeded in vs. 13. David did “the right thing God’s way”. That’s exactly how seriously we should take God’s word. Not out of fear of punishment, but out of love for the one who gave his life for us. If you recognized that you screwed up in the past, confess it, move on and try it again. Just make sure the next time you try, go about it God’s way,

because “The right way is God’s way”.

                                                                                                      Pastor Josh