Quick Note – 1 Chronicles 15:13 – Seek God Properly

1 Chronicles 15:13 – “Because you did not carry it the first time, the Lord our God broke out against us, because we did not seek him according to the rule.”

After David became king of Israel, he wanted to bring the Ark of God to Jerusalem, establishing it as the place of worship and symbolizing that Israel would seek God again.  At the time, it was located at Kiriath-Jearim, so he gathered the people of Israel together to transport the Ark with praise and celebration.  Unfortunately, this joyous occasion quickly became a time of sorrow, when Uzzah, one of the people transporting the Ark, stretched out his hand to steady the Ark, when the cart in which the Ark was sitting stumbled.  Although Uzzah was trying to do a good thing by making sure that the Ark wouldn’t fall over, it was forbidden to touch the Ark of God, for it was holy.  Uzzah was immediately struck down by God for breaking this command and died.  This brought fear into David’s heart, who then chose to leave the Ark in the town they had just reached, instead of bringing it all the way to Jerusalem. 

A few months later, after hearing about how the house of Obed-Edom, where the Ark was located now, was being blessed by God, David decided to try to transport the Ark of God again.  But this time rather than using a cart with oxen, he called the priests and the Levites to come and carry the Ark of God.  This may seem like a weird request and practically unreasonable, but according to the Law, this was the way it was supposed to be transported in the first place.  The Levitical priests were the only people who were allowed to touch the holy things of God, meaning they were the ones that were supposed to carry the Ark.  David now remembering that law, decided to follow the rule and seek God in the proper manner, because he knew that the first time they tried, they did not seek God according to the rule and were punished for it.  David knew the importance of seeking God in the proper manner.

In this day and age, we are told that there are many ways to get to heaven.  We are told that all religions are the same and equal and that all paths lead to God.  But this teaching is completely wrong.  According to the Bible, there is only one way to know God and that is to receive His Son Jesus Christ into your heart and life.  Acts 4:11-12 states, “This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone.  And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”  There are no other ways to know God.  There are no other ways to be saved from hell.  There are no other ways to receive the Holy Spirit into your life.  There is no way by which you can do enough good works to earn your salvation.  The only way was provided for us through the death of Jesus Christ His Son.  The Bible tells us that we must turn to Christ, repenting of our sin and trusting in Him as our Lord and Savior to be saved.  Jesus Christ is the only way, for He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and no one can come to the Father except through Him (John 14:6).  So do not be deceived by this world.  If you are seeking peace with God, then the only way to find it is to humble yourself at the cross.  Seek God today according to the rule.    

*The way to receive Christ into your life is to simply place your trust in Him.  You must admit that you are a sinner and in need of a Savior, for the penalty of your sins is death.  You must believe in your heart that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that He died to pay the penalty for your sins on that cross.  And finally, you must confess Him as your Lord and Savior, placing your faith and trust that He will save you.  There is no magic formula or special prayer, all you must do is call upon the name of the Lord, and you will be saved (Romans 10:13).