Following Instructions

When they came to the threshing floor of Nacon, Uzzah reached out and took hold of the ark of God, because the oxen stumbled. The Lord’s anger burned against Uzzah because of his irreverent act; therefore, God struck him down and he died there beside the ark of God. 2 Samuel: 6 -7

After David had constructed buildings for himself in the City of David, he prepared a place for the ark of God and pitched a tent for it. Then David said, “no one but the Levites may carry the ark of God, because the Lord chose them to carry the ark of the Lord and to minister before him forever.” 1 Chronicles 15: 1-2

Recently I read Charles Swindoll’s book “David, A Man of Passion & Destiny.” When David moved the ark the first time, he didn’t think about what he was doing and just moved the ark. This resulted in the death of Uzzah. David learned from his previous mistake. When David moved the ark the next time, he followed God’s instructions.  

This made me reflect on a cabinet I bought to put together several years ago. I am sometimes not very good at spending the time reading the instructions contained in a box. This was one of those times. When I was all done with the cabinet, I had discovered that one of the shelves was upside down. It was a very noticeable mistake, but it was still a usable cabinet. If I had taken the time to follow all the instructions, the cabinet would have had all the shelves going in the same direction.

Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for being my guide. Help me to follow as you direct my path. In your name I pray. Amen

Dee Ann Dilley (reprinted from the 2008 Daily Devotional book)