Uzzah's death

[steve]

I received a question in my regular email from a listener who had been unhappy with my answer to a question on the April 1st broadcast (perhaps I could have claimed I deliberately gave a wrong answer because it was "April Fool's Day"). He felt that I had too cavalierly dismissed the death of Uzzah (who was struck dead by God because of his steadying the wobbly ark of the covenant—2 Sam.6:3-7). Though I have not had the time to go back and listen to my answer, and I don't know exactly what I said, he felt that I had said that, since all men die, it doesn't matter when a given man dies, so long as he dies in the will of God. The correspondent was concerned that I had not expressed adequate sympathy for the bereaved family members, etc. Since the matter of Uzzah's death comes up from time to time—particularly in the "Was God really justified here?" department, I thought that I would post my response for others who may share similar sentiments with this brother:


As for Uzzah's death, my position is that God never has to excuse Himself for ending someone's life prematurely, because, if the person has eternal life, he loses nothing by checking-in to heaven early. On the other hand, if he is lost, a few more months or years on this planet will be of little value to him in the long run (unless the extension results in his repentance, but I believe that God knows whether or not a person will eventually do that, and will never prevent it). I also believe that God's making an example of someone in this severe way does not necessarily tell us whether or not the man is ultimately "saved"—since even saved individuals will all die, and some of them prematurely.

All have sinned and are under sentence of death. It is God's prerogative at what specific moment he may choose to execute that sentence. Many "innocent" people die prematurely for no obvious reason. Others die in circumstances where the "stroke of God" may clearly be seen as a response to some sacrilege or crimes committed by them. What is immaterial is the fact that they died one day and not another. In eternity, they will have no wishes to have lived on this sorry rock in space for a few more days before going to their eternally happy or sad destinies.

As for the bereft wives, children, etc., of the deceased, this is truly a sad side of human mortality—presenting both grief and hardships to loved ones—no matter in what circumstances people die. The loved ones are almost never happy about losing a family member—yet every one of us will eventually lose every family member to death, and we will not be happy about it when it occurs. Is this unfair? Must God justify Himself in executing the sentence of which He Himself warned mankind?

To those who are Christians, the important question is not how admirably one's death fits into our plans—such deaths rarely fit well into our plans, no matter how or when they happen. For some strange reason, death is the one inevitability that too few people include in their plans. The important matter is how one's death may fit into God's plans. That is the Christian's only concern anyway, isn't it? And the rebel's concern hardly figures into God's agenda.

If my death serves God's purpose—whether as a martyr, inspiring others and bringing others to Christ, or as a man under God's just judgment, to provide a warning to others against presumption—it really turns my death into something meaningful in God's program. This is the best anyone can hope for in their death, if they recognize that nothing matters so much as that God be glorified in one's life or in one's death, and that God's will is done on earth as in heaven. God rightfully holds all the prerogatives in such matters, and I would not wish to rob Him of them.

If we are going to begin defending Uzzah's interests against God's, then next we will have to start defending Nadab and Abihu's, Ananias and Saphira's and Herod's "right to life" as well (Lev.10:1-2; Acts 5:1-11; 12:23). Ultimately, our choice (every man's choice) is whether our sympathies will lie with the righteous God or with His rebellious creatures. The fact that we ourselves belong to the latter group may incline us to put our sympathies on the wrong side.

Thanks for sharing your concerns and for seeking clarification about my opinions on these things.