Not by Any Means
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On a snowy Sabbath, we headed to church for the morning service.
I was pleased to learn that Pastor Ron Nickerson, who is now retired, would be the speaker. As he started to speak, I realized he was talking about Uzzah, the Israelite who was struck down after reaching out to steady the ark of the covenant when the cart of oxen stumbled while carrying it (2 Samuel 6:1–7; 1 Chronicles 13:9–12).
I thought Pastor Nickerson was brave to preach about this particular story. I had heard this story since I was a little girl in Sabbath School, and it always made me feel uncomfortable. After all, it seemed Uzzah was doing something good by trying to keep the ark from falling, so why would a loving God, who was full of grace and mercy, not accept that? The preacher mentioned the common ethics platitude that the end justifies the means.
I was certainly familiar with this philosophy.
I had seen it in action a number of times. I remember a supervisor telling me that he justified his mistreatment of workers because the end result was “for the best.” However, I had witnessed the consequences of this practice and had lost a treasured coworker to suicide as a result. I wholeheartedly agreed that “the end justifies the means” was not a mantra for Christians and certainly not a directive from God. Then the preacher drew a conclusion that changed the way I view the story of Uzzah. He said this story is an example that the end does not justify the means. God’s will is never accomplished by disobeying Him.
While it was God’s will for the ark to arrive at its destination, disobeying Him to get it there was not. As Christians, we must seek to follow God’s will in all things. So these days I am not only comfortable with the story of Uzzah but also find a certain sense of relief after having witnessed the “ways of man” far too many times (Proverbs 5:21, NKJV).
Today, Lord, let Your Spirit work in me that Your will may be accomplished through the means that You choose.
Marsha Hammond-Brummel
