The Seriousness of Sin (1 Chronicles 13:10)

And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzzah, and he struck him down because he put out his hand to the ark, and he died there before God.
– 1 Chronicles 13:10

This is one of those sobering places in the Old Testament where we see God strike someone down on the spot. And the context here really isn’t just about Uzzah. It’s about God’s people treating God’s presence casually, treating God’s glory profanely in the way they were transporting the ark, not according to God’s Word. They were treating God’s Word lightly. And as the oxen stumbled and the ark looks like it’s going to fall, Uzzah sticks out his hand to touch it. And you might think, “Well, he was just trying to keep it from falling”. But the whole big picture is a people, including Uzzah, who had lost sight of the holiness of God, and the glory of God, the purity of God, and the Word of God, and the importance of the Word of God.

1 Chronicles 13:10 warns against treating God’s holiness lightly.

And I just want to invite all of us to do a heart check today. Have we in any way lost sight of, grown casual with the holiness of God, the glory of God, the Word of God, the greatness of God? Have we in any way grown too casual with God? I think about one of the most glaring temptations of this in my own home. When we gather around the dinner table and we pray. And we just, if we’re not careful, just start saying words, not really thinking about Who we’re talking to, kind of going through a religious motion.

And it’s good for us to pause and remember Who we’re talking to and make sure we’re not treating prayer lightly. It’s not that we have to pray some long, drawn-out prayer. But it is important for us to remember who we’re speaking to and then to let that carry over into every facet of our lives.

How often can we become casual with sin, thinking, “Oh, it’s not that big a deal. Everybody has thoughts like that”. Or “Everybody says that every once in a while, everybody gets angry every once in a while. It’s not that big a deal”. The whole point of 1 Chronicles 13:10… Well, there are many points, but one of the points is that sin is a big deal. Treating the holiness of God lightly is a massive deal that’s worthy of death, which just makes us so thankful for Jesus. Apart from his grace, apart from his mercy, apart from his sacrifice on the cross for us, we would all be in hell right now.

1 Chronicles 13:10 urges us to live in awe of God’s glory.

Praise God for his mercy that has saved us from the death we deserve. And so we pray… God, help us to live in awe of your holiness, in awe of your mercy, in awe of your grace, in awe of your glory.

God, help us to pray in ways that honor and glorify your name just as you taught us to pray, Lord Jesus. Help us to obey your commands and to take them seriously. God, we pray that you would keep us from treating your commands lightly. Lord, we pray that you would expose any areas of our lives where we have grown casual, comfortable with sin, and accustomed to sin.

God, we pray, purify us. Help us to be holy as you are holy. Make us more like you, Jesus, knowing this is where life is found. Oh God, we praise you for making that life possible for us through Jesus’s death on a cross in our place, his resurrection from the grave, and your Spirit inside us now. God, help us to live in the fullness of your Holy Spirit today. And God, we pray that you’d help us to spread your glory today through the way we live.

Prayer for the Tai Kao People

We pray for the spread of your glory among all the nations. We pray for the Tai Kao people of Laos and Vietnam. God, we pray that the half million Tai Kao would be reached with the good news of your grace and your love and your glory, reconciliation to you. That they would be saved. God, we pray for the salvation of the Tai Kao people from death through the proclamation of the gospel.

Please bless all who are working among the Tai Kao. God, please cause workers to go to the Tai Kao. Please use our resources, including our prayers right now. God, we pray for the spread of your glory among the Tai Kao people of Laos and Vietnam. That they might know the glory of Jesus’ name. We pray all this according to your Word in 1 Chronicles 13:10.

Oh God, keep us from living in any way like Uzzah Today. Amen.