The Holiness of God

Weekly Update – September 28th, 2023

Last Sunday we looked at 2 Samuel 5-6 in our study through 1^st and 2^nd Samuel.  In many ways, we saw a picture here of God’s kingdom coming, as victory is achieved, holiness is displayed and joy results for those who have been brought near to God.  It is a wonderful time for Israel as they are now united under God’s “prince” (5:2) with God leading them as their king.  But amid all the celebration, we have the account of Uzzah and his death (6:4).  For many on that day, this would have been a time of anger (6:8) and fear (6:9), but also confusion over what the Lord was doing.  The thought process may have been, “God destroyed our enemies, yet he lashed out against a man who was seeking to serve him.”  Even so, what we see here is a clear picture of God’s holiness that does not discriminate.

In 2 Samuel 5, the Philistines are defeated, twice.  Their defeat is anything but normal though.  In fact, their defeat is supernatural as God tells David to wait until he hears “the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees” (5:24).  This is not the wind that God is telling David to wait for, but instead it is God’s army coming against the giants of the land (Valley of Rephaim) to destroy them.  From here, the tone is set for the rest of David’s life.  The Philistines will not be the snare for him as they were for Saul.  God truly brought victory for his “prince” as well as for his people.

At the same time, as David is trying to honor the Lord after this victory, he begins the process of bringing the ark into Jerusalem.  God had also given David victory over this city, and now it was time to have God’s presence be central among his people.  This is a good desire too.  Yet David loads the ark on a “new cart” (6:3), the same way that the Philistines did when they sent the ark back to Israel after having captured it (1 Sam. 6:7).  When the cart begins to slip, Uzzah, who has been tasked to watch the ark from behind the cart, simply reaches out his hand to steady it, but God broke out (6:8) just as he broke out (5:20) against the Philistines. 

The question that remains is, “Why was God’s reaction the same for Uzzah as it was for the Philistines?”  Uzzah was part of the people of God; the Philistines were the enemies of God.  The Philistines were working to destroy God’s people and reign over God himself, whereas Uzzah was acting in sincerity towards God.  Shouldn’t Uzzah have been cut some slack since his heart was in the right place?  Before we answer this question, we must first acknowledge that David’s response is actually correct.  The holiness of God should elicit fear in all who stand before him (6:9).

If we are questioning what God did to Uzzah, then to put it bluntly, we don’t understand the holiness of God and the gravity of our sinfulness.  God is separate from his creation due to his perfect righteousness.  He is, what we call, transcendent.  On the other hand, we, as men and women are condemned due to our rebellion against this perfect righteousness.  Simply because we come before God with sincerity or with good intentions does not bridge this gap that exists between us.  The penalty for our rebellion is death and all who seek to draw near to God apart from what is required, God will necessarily “break out” against them.  So, what does God require?

Well, here is what David does before Israel.  He returns to God’s word.  In accordance with Numbers 7:6-9 he finds the right men to properly carry the ark as he has it covered the proper way (Num. 4).  Even more importantly, David realizes that no one can approach the presence of God apart from a sacrifice (6:13).  What the presence of a sacrifice shows us is that to approach this holy God, there must be blood shed on our behalf.   As Hebrews 9:22 says, “without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sins.”  This is what not only David and all Israel need to approach a holy God, but this is what we need to come into his presence.  Here is where we must look to Jesus.  Through his perfect life, he achieved the righteousness that is required to stand before a holy God.  Yet, to allow us into this holy God’s presence, he died as a perfect sacrifice for us, paying the penalty of our sin.  Then, in rising again, he proves that he achieved full and final victory over our separation from God, if we will come to him in faith.

When we get a full picture of our God, who in his holiness has every right to “break out” against anyone who comes into his presence, no matter how much sincerity they show, we ought to tremble in fear.  But when we see that this holy God longs to come near to us and has provided a way through the sacrifice of his son, then our fear is turned to joy (6:12).  Then, as we continue to rest in this perfect sacrifice given for us, our joy becomes unshaken (Jn. 15:11) as we find that God’s presence brings to us the fullness of joy (Ps. 16:11). 

Is our God “safe”?  No, he isn’t.  But he is good and through Christ, all are welcomed before him. 

Serving Him with You,
Pastor Michael Nelson

Written by Pastor
Michael Nelson

Fighter Verse for the Week

"Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. ⁷Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things."
- 1 Corinthians 13:4-7

Announcements:

Men’s Retreat: Men, mark your calendars for Friday, September 29th-Saturday, September 30th for our 1st annual men’s retreat. We will head to Rushville, MO., to God’s Mountain Camp. We will have times of teaching, recreation and lots of good food. The price is $40.

Ladies’ Bible Study: The Ladies’ Bible Study for the fall will be held in the Fellowship Hall at 6:30pm on Tuesdays, for the next 4 weeks. Sheryl Nelson will lead through Kelly Minter’s study on the book of Ruth.

Missouri Missions Offering: Every year, along with nearly 1,800 other churches, our church partners to pray and give concerning the Lord’s work in our state. The statewide goal is $750,000 this year. Our church goal is $4500. I hope that you will consider praying and giving to this effort throughout this month. As with your normal offering, you can give in person, by mail or online. Just mark MMO when you do give. Check out more information about this effort HERE.

Members’ Meeting: Our regular quarterly members’ meeting will be held on Sunday, October 8th. Following the morning service, we will head to the Faith Center for a potluck lunch and then back into the sanctuary for the meeting.

Clothes Closet: The clothes closet will be open to the public 8am-11am on Saturday, October 14th. Please do not drop off clothes between October 8th and October 14th. If you are interested in helping with this event, please see Fran Bowman or Pat Stewart.

Fall Festival:  On Sunday, October 29th from 5:00-7:00pm, we will host a fall festival at the church. More details will be available soon. For now though, there will be a barrel out in the Welcome Center to collect candy.

Befriend a Student: If you are interested in befriending a student from Longview Community College this semester, connect with Matthew Klika. You can find more information about befriend a student HERE.

Food Pantry: We are in need of pop-top and ready to eat items for our food pantry. These items are needed specifically for the homeless in our community that stop by the church building throughout the week looking for a meal.

Volunteers Needed: Volunteers are still needed during the 10:30am nursery time. Check the update or email the office for more information on how you can serve.

Equipping Hour

We have three classes held at 9:15am on Sunday mornings. “Firm Foundations” will meet in the Sanctuary, a biblical exposition of the minor prophets will meet in the Fellowship Hall, and a Ladies’ class studying the New Testament will meet in the classroom next to the nursery. You can find more information HERE.

Giving

To Give Online, Go HERE. 

You can also mail your offering to: 1416 Main Street, Grandview, MO. 64030

Home Groups

Home Groups typically meet on the first and third Sunday of each month. Please contact Pastor Michael if you would like to join a Home Group. You can find more information HERE.

Prayer

An updated Prayer Guide can be accessed HERE. 

Prepare for Sunday

Guide for Worship can be found HERE. 

Wednesday Evening Activities

Awana, Youth Group, and Biblical Counseling are on Wednesday evenings. We will share a meal in the Faith Center Gym at 6:00pm before heading to classes at 6:30pm.