Uzzah’s Touch: Familiarity Can Be Fatal
Listen to:
“When Uzzah reached out and took hold of the Ark of God, because the oxen stumbled, the Lord was angry with him and killed him. Uzzah died there in God’s presence because of his mistake.”
— 2 Samuel 6:6–7 (NCV)
Uzzah’s Story
Uzzah wasn’t a wicked man—he was a familiar man.
He grew up in the house where the Ark of the Covenant was kept. What was once holy had become… common. Familiarity dulled his sense of awe.
So when the Ark began to tilt, Uzzah reached out instinctively to steady it.
Logical? Absolutely.
Reverent? Not at all.
God’s judgment didn’t fall on Uzzah because he was evil—it fell because he bypassed a clear boundary. God had given specific instructions: don’t touch the Ark.
Here’s why that mattered:
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God’s instructions were clear.
The Ark was never meant to ride on a cart. It was to be carried on poles by the Kohathite Levites—never touched directly. Uzzah, being a Levite, should’ve known that. But they chose convenience over obedience and copied the way the Philistines transported it. Good intentions never override God’s commands. -
Holiness isn’t casual.
The Ark represented God’s very presence among His people. Touching it—even to “help”—violated the sanctity of what was holy. Scripture had warned clearly: if anyone touches the holy things, they must die. Reverence was never optional. -
Familiarity can breed presumption.
Uzzah had lived near the Ark for years. Maybe that’s why he reached out so casually—as if it needed his help. But the moment we assume God needs us to protect what’s sacred, we’ve already lost our fear of the Lord.
Uzzah’s story is a wake-up call. God is holy. His commands are not suggestions.
And when we lose our reverence, we start to take liberties.
That’s a warning for all of us.
Are there sacred things in your life that have become too familiar?
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Worship?
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Scripture?
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Communion?
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Leadership?
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Your time alone with God?
When holy things feel ordinary, we get careless.
And when we get careless, we drift toward disobedience.
Experience doesn’t excuse disobedience.
Familiarity doesn’t replace reverence.
Maybe it’s time we return to the awe—
To handle holy things with holy hands and humble hearts.
Curtis’s Story: When the Hedge Is Breached
Why did I get run over?
Yes, it was physical. But the deeper answer? It was spiritual.
“Our fight is not against people on earth but against the rulers and authorities and the powers of this world’s darkness, against the spiritual powers of evil in the heavenly world.”
— Ephesians 6:12 (NCV)
As I lay in that hospital bed—ribs shattered, lungs bruised, soul shaken—I asked God:
“Why? Why did You save me?”
I thought back over my life. I had been a youth pastor. I’d gone to Bible school. I had served as an associate pastor. I had led many to salvation. I had given decades of my life to ministry.
Surely that must be why God spared me.
But in the stillness of that sterile hospital room, Holy Spirit whispered:
“No, Curtis. I saved you for the same reason I saved you in the beginning—
not because of what you’ve done, but because of what My Son did.”
It wasn’t my résumé. It was His crucifixion.
It wasn’t my ministry. It was His mercy.
It wasn’t my faithfulness. It was His finished work.
And then the voice of truth burned into my heart:
“The day Jesus hung on that tree, died, descended into the depths of hell, rose again, and ascended to sit at My right hand—that is why you’re alive.” —Holy Spirit
That moment shattered me. Because I realized I had drifted.
My prayer life was thin.
Yes, I prayed with customers from time to time… but my personal devotion had cooled.
I wasn’t studying the Word like I used to—I told myself I already “knew all that stuff.”
But by neglecting the basics, I left a hole in my hedge.
And what was the hole? I was angry. I had argued with the vehicle’s owner over the phone about the job. Frustrated, I handed the phone to my boss and walked away in bitterness.
That breach of attitude was all it took.
Why did it happen? Because just like Job, I needed to learn something I wouldn’t learn any other way.
The hedge had to drop for a moment—
Not as punishment, but as preparation.
Not to destroy me, but to deepen me.
Not to shame me, but to awaken me.
“The Lord said to Satan, ‘Have you considered my servant Job?’” (Job 1:8)
Satan noticed the hedge… and asked for access.
And God, in His sovereign wisdom, allowed it—
Not because He was finished with me…
But because He was just getting started.
Reflection Questions
Closing Prayer
Father, You are holy, and Your ways are perfect. Forgive me for the times I’ve treated what is sacred as common, when I’ve rushed through worship, skimmed over Your Word, or prayed only out of habit. Lord, I don’t want familiarity to steal my reverence.
Tear down the pride that assumes You need my help, and build up the humility that remembers I need Yours every moment. Where I’ve grown careless, awaken me. Where I’ve grown cold, rekindle the fire. Where my hedge has holes, repair them with obedience, repentance, and devotion.
Thank You, Jesus, that my safety, my salvation, and my purpose are not rooted in what I have done, but in what You finished at the cross. Keep me near to Your presence, guarding my heart with awe, my steps with reverence, and my life with Your grace.
In Jesus’ mighty name, Amen.