Tagged: holiness

The LORD was so furious with Uzzah, he killed him on the spot for his negligence. 2 Samuel 6:7 To read more of my reflections on 2 Samuel 6, click here. The word ḥârâ used for furious in this passage not only means to grow angry, but also to be grieved. This word has stuck with me in recent days.  What if our helping grieves the Lord? I recently stood with two dear African friends from two different nations as they recounted one way Western help has hurt. Historically, some helpers brought the Gospel to Africa wrapped in prosperity. In the process, suffering was omitted from the message of faith in the One who suffered to save humanity. Allured by illusions of quick solutions and… Read More

To read more in my series of reflections on 2 Samuel 6:;1-18, click here and here. David was afraid of the Lord that day and said, “How will the Ark of the Lord ever come to me?” 2 Samuel 6:10 When the day started, David was full of hope. After a long road of battle and loss, grief and sorrow, he was finally taking his place as king in Jerusalem. But he wanted his reign to be religious as well as political. So he gathered 30,000 of the best men of Israel and showed up at the house of Abinadab to collect the ark. With much celebration, the king would take it into Jerusalem. In his zeal for the Lord, David overlooked the Lord’s holiness.… Read More

To read the first in my series of reflections on 2 Samuel 6:1-18, click here.   He died right there beside the ark of God. 2 Samuel 6:7 When holiness is ignored loss is inevitable. The ark of God represented the very presence of God among His people. He gave careful instructions in Numbers 7:9 about its transport. It was to be carried on poles, supported on the shoulders of the Kohathites. Not even the priests were permitted to touch it (Numbers 4:15). It is difficult for us modern readers to comprehend the gravity of Uzzah’s story. Holiness has become archaic, a concept associated with ceremony and gilded altars beneath domed, elaborately painted ceilings. But holiness is worth revisiting. Without it, there is no hope.… Read More

This popular post has been updated from its original publication on audreyfrank.org  in March 2018. But the Israelites were unfaithful in regard to the devoted things; Achan son of Karmi, the son of Zimri, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took some of them. Joshua 7:1 At times reading the Bible, beholding it, is like staring into a burning book. The words lick with flames like a ravenous fire, determined to burn away the perishable in my heart and soul. The text of Joshua 7 is searing, its flames rising ever higher, burning my gaze and drawing me in. The story of Achan’s sin. [bctt tweet="Achan acted unfaithfully in regard to the devoted things. He took some of them. Achan took God’s glory for… Read More

But the Israelites were unfaithful in regard to the devoted things; Achan son of Karmi, the son of Zimri, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took some of them. -Joshua 7:1, NIV Sometimes opening the Bible, beholding it, is like staring into a burning book. The words lick with flames like a ravenous fire, determined to burn away the perishable in my heart and soul. Right now is like that. I am revising and editing my manuscript, and the chapter lying next to my focal text is searing, its flames rising ever higher, burning my gaze and drawing me in. Joshua 7 is the passage today. The story of Achan’s sin. Achan acted unfaithfully in regard to the devoted things. He took… Read More