Can we sometimes be too Busy doing God’s Work, so that we then miss His words?

This might sound like a bit of a nonsense title to some (or a lot), but is there something to it?

I have recently read 2 Samuel 6 1-11 It’s the account about when David first tried to bring the ark to Jerusalem. The time when it went wrong.

They put the ark on a new cart, verse 3. This was a mistake.
The ark was meant to be carried by the Levites using wooden poles which where placed through rings on the side of the ark. This is how God instructed the people to move the ark.

Exodus 25:13-15
¹³ Then make poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold. ¹⁴ Insert the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark to carry it. ¹⁵ The poles are to remain in the rings of this ark; they are not to be removed.

Joshua 3:3
giving orders to the people: “When you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, and the Levitical priests carrying it, you are to move out from your positions and follow it.

Yet in verse 3 of 2 Samuel 6, it was placed on a new cart. In verses 6 and 7, it goes very wrong.

⁶ When they came to the threshing floor of Nakon, Uzzah reached out and took hold of the ark of God, because the oxen stumbled. ⁷ The Lord’s anger burned against Uzzah because of his irreverent act; therefore God struck him down, and he died there beside the ark of God.

Where was David at this moment. We have the answer in verse 5.

⁵ David and all Israel were celebrating with all their might before the Lord, with castanets, harps, lyres, timbrels, sistrums and cymbals.

So David was doing the Lord’s work, praising God.

But while doing this, they failed to listen to His instructions for how the ark should be moved.

How was The Lord feeling as David and all Israel danced before Him?
Was He pleased with them, …. or was His anger burning against them, all the while, because they didn’t listen to His instruction of how the ark should be carried?
Was The Lords anger slowly burning all the time they were singing and dancing?

Can we sometimes find ourselves in David’s position? Doing work for Him, whilst not Hearing His words to us?
Can we sometimes get too caught up in what we are doing, so that we miss, that which matters most?
Hearing His voice and what He has to say to us?

Saul knew something about this. Saul lost the position of King of Israel, because he continued to not hear and follow the Lords instructions.
1 Samuel 15 is where The Lord rejects Saul as king.

Where do we want to be, when it comes to hearing what The Lord Our God is saying to us?

Are we willing to hear what He is saying to us, even when it is inconvenient to us?

Are we willing to hear what He is saying to us, even if it is different to what we want to hear?

Did anyone say to David, “Shouldn’t we use the poles, rather than a new cart?”

Did Uzzah pay the price for everyone getting it wrong?

Was Uzzah just the one who was in the wrong place at the wrong time?
Was Uzzah the sacrificial lamb, that meant that everyone else got your go home on that day?

In verse 8 we can then see that David was angry because the Lord’s wrath had broken out against Uzzah.
But what caused David’s anger?
Is it because things didn’t work out to how he had planned for them to go?

Verse 8 states that “the Lords wrath had broken out against Uzzah”, but did David get this bit wrong as well?
Was it that The Lord’s wrath had broken out against all of Israel, and not just Uzzah?
All because the ark was placed on a cart, instead of being carried as it should have been?

In verses 9 and 10, we can then also see that David effectively walked away from God. He was afraid of the Lord that day, and was not willing to take the ark of the Lord with him, to where he was.
Are all these consequences of David and the people not following God’s instructions in the first place?

So, what could we learn from this?

Are we willing to hear Our Lord God’s way for how to do all things?
Will we try to not put the ark on the cart?
Will we endeavour to not say, “Lord, we’ve got this, we know what we are doing here. You just rest on the cart and let us do our thing.” ?
Instead, will we try to hear His words and follow His prompting’s so that we can then remain in step with His Ways and His Purposes?
Remaining in His ways and His purposes will always be the best option for us, if we can just hear and follow His voice and His steps.