Skip to main content

Does the End Justify the Means?

Ask King David does the end justify the means? I believe that across the river of time he would shout emphatically, "NO!" Look at II Samuel 6. Here is the story of David's plan to bring back God's symbol,the Ark of the Covenant. David went with
30,000 men to retrieve the Ark of the Covenant from Gibeah. David had just come from a victory over the Philistines where God showed His mighty power. Maybe David was feeling too certain of himself.

One thing I've seen over and over to watch is, after a great victory one must be prayerful and hide under the protection of God's wings. It seems to be the place where one is the most vulnerable to Satanic attacks or moral failings

David had the Ark of the Covenant put on a new cart to transport it back to Jerusalem. Can anyone tell me why there was a place among God's people called Baale of Judah? I think they had gotten a little too close to the idol worship to have named an Israeli town Baale. A sign of callousness and carelessness. It makes this recounting of the move of God even more important.

Priest Abinadab's sons Ahio and Uzzah accompanied the ark. In fact it states that they drave the cart. My there was a grand parade. David leading the band. They were blowing horns, flutes. What a grand parade. Royalty and military might plus their religious icon. I'm sure it was quite the sight.

They got to the threshing floor of Nachon, on the journey, perhaps to rest. Up to this point everything looked great. The ark was being brought back with great fanfare to Jerusalem. It had a proper escort. It had two priest sons taking care of it. All looked well from a certain vantage point. What's not to like from the human perspective?

What's not right is that they are not doing this as God told them to do it. The Ark of God was to be born on priests' shoulders with the Staves. It was to be carried by sanctified individuals - Not by dumb beasts, incapable of thinking creatures, not those animals brought up in a stable, devoid of the possibility of receiving God's Love. David could argue, the point is to get the Ark back to Jerusalem. I don't know why God wouldn't bless our efforts. After all the end justifies the means.

Carrying the Ark the way God told them to do it was symbolic of Christ's love for us. Christ, our Grace, carried the cross on himself. Bearing the word of God is an intimate experience not some remote on a cart activity

Follow the story. When the procession got to Nachon's threshing floor the animals stumbled and the ark looked like it was going to fall. In a human attempt to help God, in a rash moment, Uzzah touched the ark. God in swift judgment took his life on the spot for this sin. Had they carried the Ark the way God told them to do it in the first place this situation would not have happened. Because man wanted to do it their own way one person lost his life. No ask, "Does the end justify the means?"

Create a clean heart in me oh God and renew a right spirit within me.
Psalm 51:10
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Ants, God's Little Educators

From time to time I'll start reading something that starts to fascinate me. This time it was ants. They are in just about every corner of the earth, but we barely take tme to notice them. They are industrious creatures that don't care if you notice them. They just keep going about their duties living out their lives with purpose. I'd ;like to sgare with you the lessons I've learned form God's little instructors. Ten Lessons from the Ants Interesting the Scripture states that the ants are not just wise they are extremely wise. 1. Ants look at the job they have to do and keep busy. They start early on the monumental task of storing food for the winter. Start early on big tasks and keep at it. 2. In the summer ants are preparing for the winter. In times of abundance don’t neglect preparing for the future. 3. Ants build a storehouse of food even though they may not be the ones who will eat it because their life expectancy is only 45 to 60 days. Prepare for future g...
Post a Comment
Read more

Lip Enhancement

Some women have achieved today’s’ fashionable pouty look by receiving silicone injections in their lips. They pay and endure the pain to keep up with the Hollywood trend setters. Isn’t it amazing that Proverbs enjoins us to also enhance the look of our mouths. Listen to Solomon’s words written thousands of years ago, “The lips of knowledge are a precious thing.” In order to have truly beautiful lips we should speak with the knowledge of God in or hearts and minds. Now that type of lip operation would have God’s stamp of approval.
Post a Comment
Read more

Songs in the Night

This week marks eight years since the sudden and unexpected passing of my late husband Winston. That was a strange land for me. The land of loss and death. At first I needed to hear others sing because the song in my heart was frozen with grief and I was traumatized. I’d sing God’s song later with help from others. There were tapes I listened to that reminded me of the Lord’s song. It was the voice on the radio or the television that told me God would bring me out of these trials. It was the voice of my mother telling me and reminding me of God’s faithfulness to me in the past. How could I sing the Lord’s song in a strange land? In the next phase on my journey through grief after the sudden death of my husband I tried to sing along with those who were on the journey with me At first I’d only get a few words out before the tears started to flow. I kept trying day after day to sing along. I was reminded of God’s word. I was strengthened by constantly hearing the words of faith and ...
1 comment
Read more