Purify Your Mind Series (Part 3) by Joe KirbySample

Above and Beyond

"And so it was, when those bearing the ark of the Lord had gone six paces, that he sacrificed oxen and fatted sheep." (2 Samuel 6:13)

This is a well-known passage where a man called Uzzah—which means “strong”—was struck down by the Lord for putting his hands on the ark to keep it steady. The Lord wanted the ark to be carried on the shoulders by Levite priests, but the men of Israel chose a more “efficient” method, a superior method guided by Mr. Strong, who was not a Levite. So when David went to collect the ark a second time and bring it into Jerusalem, he came with humility and was meticulous not to get it wrong again. Some commentators believe that David literally stopped every six steps to offer a sacrifice to the Lord. Suppose they’re right—what does that mean? It means David was willing to go above and beyond to live consecrated to the Lord. He was not commanded to stop every six steps, but he did it to make sure he killed the flesh. Your other Christian friends may be content to watch unclean movies, to listen to ungodly music, to stay up late, and live out a comfortable Christianity. But if you want to reach another level, you’ve got to go to the next level of sacrifice like David. Discipline equals freedom. Yes, it might be inefficient; yes, people will think you’re crazy; but instead of being led by the flesh (which, by the way, is represented in the Bible as the number six) we need to stop, keep short accounts all day, and keep coming back to God in confession and prayer. For without Him we can do nothing.