Are You Respecting God's Word in Worship? | Ligon Duncan

The Danger of Unbiblical Worship

I think a lot of times we give our brothers a pass on unbiblical worship because he's a good brother, his heart's in the right place. And that's not wrong. You want to be gracious. You want to give people the benefit of the doubt.

But at the end of the day, if God is the one who has made it possible and if he is the one who has told us how we should approach him, there is a measure of you better be careful here because you're leading God's people and you're proclaiming his name.

And if you do it in a way that he hasn't prescribed, you're on shaky ground. You're in a dangerous place.

God Ruling His People by His Word in 2 Samuel 5–7

Amen to everything you just said. And one thing to add, when I look at the whole flow of that passage in 2 Samuel 5, 6, 7, you're getting ready for the ark to be moved to its final central location in Jerusalem next to the king's palace.

And so it indicates that in Israel, God is going to rule. And if God is going to rule, he's going to rule by his word. And it is very clear to me that David knows why Uzzah was struck down. Because the next time after they are taking the ark in on the cart and it falls, David pouts for a while about it.

And then the next time you see the ark coming into Jerusalem, it's coming in on poles. And remember the king had to write down the law, his own copy of the law. So David knew the law. The law is the Levites carry it and they carry it on poles.

The next time you see it, it's on poles. So David knows why Uzzah is struck down. It's no mystery to David. David had not insisted that it be done according to God's word. And disaster happened. And God has a reason for why he commands what he commands.

Presumption, Mercy, and the Message of Uzzah's Death

And so the Puritans would say about that, I think it is true that God gives us all kinds of latitude and mercy that we don't deserve. That should never lead us to presumption, however. And there was presumption there.

No question God meant to send David a message. And the message is, if I'm really going to rule this people, it's going to be by my word. And if the king won't pay attention to my word, who will? And so I think that whole scene is about God ruling his people by his word.

The Ark, the Presence of God, and Pastoral Responsibility

And in the very central issue of worship in the art did what? It symbolized the special presence of God with his people. If you're not going to treat that with respect, what are you going to.

Treat with respect? And just, I can't help but hear that story through the lens of being a pastor and just thinking, if I mess this up, people get hurt. This isn't a game. This is not theoretical. David's failure led to someone dying.