Of course, it was a great plan to retrieve the ark of the covenant. David and the leaders of Israel were so convinced of this that they did not think it necessary to consult the Lord: He would surely agree!
Are we any different? We too make all kinds of plans and then add the phrase, ‘If it seems good to you and if it is the will of the Lord our God, let us…’ and insert here your own plans. If the majority agrees, God will surely approve.
David and the people of Israel celebrated with all their might; they even built a new cart to transport the ark on. And on both sides of the cart walked the sons of the man who had neatly taken care of the ark for the past twenty years. David and all the Israelites were dancing before the Lord with songs and with harps, lyres, timbrels, cymbals and trumpets. It was a most enthusiastic and cheerful event; God would surely appreciate it all… But God does not want to trade obedience for enthusiasm and cheerfulness.
Nobody asked what the rings on the sides of the ark were for, they had just ‘historical value’…
Whoever wants to accept God in his life cannot do as he sees fit, but he has to act according to the word of God. God is king and whoever recognizes Him, must submit to His laws. And God had ordered the Gershonites and Merarites to carry the ark (Numbers 10:17).
It is dangerous to dance and celebrate before God when we are used to act as we see fit. Therefore Uzzah had to die, but through his death the people of Israel feared God again.
If through faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus we learn to have this childlike awe for Father, we too will - perhaps - learn to truly obey Him.