One of the most disastrous airplane accidents in history is the tragedy that occurred at Tenerife Airport (then called Los Rodeos Airport) in the Canary Islands on March 27, 1977. There were several contributing factors to this accident which I will briefly summarize. First of all, many additional flights were diverted to this airport that day due to a terrorist bombing at a nearby island airport. To help speed up the process of getting planes in and out, the airport traffic control was sending planes up the runway facing planes that were preparing for takeoff. To complicate matters even more, there was dense fog that day at the airport. It was the perfect storm, however, there was one more detail that triggered this specific accident.
At one point, the airport control tower was communicating with two planes; instructing one plane to finish taxing up the runway and exit while telling the other plane to wait for final clearance for takeoff. The controller had given instructions to the pilot in the plane which was ready for takeoff to turn right after takeoff but to standby for takeoff. The pilot in the plane only heard the word “takeoff” and assumed that he was clear for takeoff and this is exactly what he tried to do.
The dense fog at the airport that day kept both pilots from seeing one another and the control tower was also blinded by the fog. Radio communication was their only means of clarity but unfortunately, their communication also became blurred. The plane attempting to take off started down the runway at full throttle and began to liftoff from the ground but then struck the other plane which was still on the runway and great tragedy stuck. This collision on the runway resulted in the death of 583 people. This horrific accident occurred as a result of miscommunication and misunderstanding.
Words matter! The way in which we communicate with one another is important. We can do great good and prevent much harm when we communicate accurately or we can do great evil and cause harm to others when we fail to properly communicate, listen, and respond. We are ultimately responsible for both the words that we speak and the manner in which we respond to that which we hear and know.
The most valuable printed communication on earth is the Bible and every word contained in it is there for a reason. We see a great example of this in this week’s Torah Portion reading in the book of Numbers. Before we examine this text however, I want to begin with the account of King David’s desire to bring the ark of the covenant to Jerusalem.
Transporting The Ark Of The Covenant
After King David had firmly established the kingdom with all of the tribes of Israel and Judah supporting him, he decided to move the ark of the covenant into Jerusalem. The first time that King David attempted to move the ark of the covenant a great tragedy occurred:
Now David again gathered all the chosen men of Israel, thirty thousand. And David arose and went with all the people who were with him to Baale-judah, to bring up from there the ark of God which is called by the Name, the very name of the LORD of hosts who is enthroned above the cherubim. They placed the ark of God on a new cart that they might bring it from the house of Abinadab which was on the hill; and Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, were leading the new cart. So they brought it with the ark of God from the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill; and Ahio was walking ahead of the ark. Meanwhile, David and all the house of Israel were celebrating before the LORD with all kinds of instruments made of fir wood, and with lyres, harps, tambourines, castanets and cymbals.
But when they came to the threshing floor of Nacon, Uzzah reached out toward the ark of God and took hold of it, for the oxen nearly upset it. And the anger of the LORD burned against Uzzah, and God struck him down there for his irreverence; and he died there by the ark of God. David became angry because of the LORD’s outburst against Uzzah, and that place is called Perez-uzzah to this day. So David was afraid of the LORD that day; and he said, “How can the ark of the LORD come to me?” And David was unwilling to move the ark of the LORD into the city of David with him; but David took it aside to the house of Obed-edom the Gittite. Thus the ark of the LORD remained in the house of Obed-edom the Gittite three months, and the LORD blessed Obed-edom and all his household. – 2 Samuel 6:1-11
The transfer of the ark of the covenant to Jerusalem seems to have started well, however, when the cart on which the ark sat became unsettled, the situation quickly turned deadly. One of the two men who were leading the cart, Uzzah, tried to steady the ark when it began to rock back and forth and then God struck him down for his irreverence.
Why Did God Judge Uzzah?
On the surface it seems that the most obvious reason that God immediately judged Uzzah is for his lack of reverence for the ark of the covenant. As we read in last week’s Torah Portion reading, touching the ark or any of the Tabernacle furniture was forbidden for everyone except for the priests:
When Aaron and his sons have finished covering the holy objects and all the furnishings of the sanctuary, when the camp is to set out, after that the sons of Kohath shall come to carry them, so that they will not touch the holy objects and die. These are the things in the tent of meeting which the sons of Kohath are to carry. – Numbers 4:15
It was the priests (who began with Aaron and his sons) who were to first go into the Tabernacle and cover all of the furniture and utensils. It was then the responsibility of the Kohathites, a family division of the tribe of Levi, to carry the holy items. However as clearly stated in the above verse, touching the holy objects would result in death.
As if the restriction to not touch the holy items was not enough, the LORD even went as far as to say that the Kohathites should not even look upon the holy items:
Then the LORD spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying, “Do not let the tribe of the families of the Kohathites be cut off from among the Levites. But do this to them that they may live and not die when they approach the most holy objects: Aaron and his sons shall go in and assign each of them to his work and to his load; but they shall not go in to see the holy objects even for a moment, or they will die.” – Numbers 4:17-20
The Tabernacle and all of the items in it were sanctified by the holiness of the LORD. For this reason, the LORD put strict boundaries on the Tabernacle and permitted limited access to the inside of the Tabernacle and its furnishings. Only the priests were permitted to touch and look upon the Tabernacle furnishings. Anyone else who touched or even looked upon the Tabernacle furnishings would die. Therefore, when Uzzah reached out his hand to steady the ark of the covenant he breached this boundary and was struck dead.
The Threshing Floor of Nachon
The place where Uzzah touched the ark of the covenant and was struck by God is called “…the threshing floor of Nacon,…” The word “Nacon” in Hebrew is נכון – Nachon and literally means established, firm, right, or correct. It is a word commonly used in the Bible as well as in Modern Hebrew. This name is very fitting for the place where God’s judgment broke out against Uzzah in that God was establishing that which was clearly a violation of His written Law.
A threshing floor is known as a place for separating the grain from the stalk and symbolically a place for separating the bad from the good. With the added emphasis of the name of the threshing floor being “Nachon,” the Bible seems to be clearly communicating the establishment of that which was right and good in God’s eyes. God could not ignore the manner in which the ark of the covenant was being handled and therefore acted in accordance with His holiness. God did that which was right in His eyes in accordance to the ordinances which He had given to His people.
Transporting The Holy Items
It is clear that Uzzah acted in a way that was strictly forbidden by the Law of the LORD regarding the ark of the covenant, however, this was not the only breach of God’s Law regarding the holy items. There is further instruction in this week’s Torah Portion reading regarding the manner in which the furnishings of the Tabernacle were to be transported.
In reading this week’s Torah Portion, we see that after the Tabernacle was erected and the three major families of the Levites were given their respective duties for assisting the priests in maintaining the Tabernacle, the heads of the twelve tribes of Israel gave the LORD a gift to be used for the service of the Tabernacle:
When they brought their offering before the LORD, six covered carts and twelve oxen, a cart for every two of the leaders and an ox for each one, then they presented them before the tabernacle. Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Accept these things from them, that they may be used in the service of the tent of meeting, and you shall give them to the Levites, to each man according to his service.” So Moses took the carts and the oxen and gave them to the Levites. Two carts and four oxen he gave to the sons of Gershon, according to their service, and four carts and eight oxen he gave to the sons of Merari, according to their service, under the direction of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest. But he did not give any to the sons of Kohath because theirs was the service of the holy objects, which they carried on the shoulder. – Numbers 7:3-9
The carts and oxen were divided up among the families of the Levites as they had need; two carts and four oxen for the sons of Gershon and four carts and eight oxen for the songs of Merari. The sons of Kohath received neither cart nor oxen! Why did the sons of Kohath fail to receive a cart and an oxen?
The Responsibility Of The Kohathites
Whereas the Gershonites and the Merarites were responsible for transporting the physical structure of the Tabernacle and the curtains, the Kohathites were given the unique and privileged responsibility of transporting the holy furnishings of the inside of the Tabernacle along with the holy items like the altar used in the courtyard. In order to elevate and show the holiness of the Tabernacle items, the Kohathites were ordered to literally carry these items upon their shoulders:
…But he did not give any to the sons of Kohath because theirs was the service of the holy objects, which they carried on the shoulder. – Numbers 7:9
The holy objects were to be handled differently from the physical structure of the Tabernacle.
Before the Kohathites could even come near these items, the priests had to properly prepare them:
- All of the holy objects were to be covered with a blue or purple cloth
- The ark of the covenant was to be covered with the veil of the screen
- Poles were to be inserted for each object to be carried
It was only after this meticulous preparation of the priests that the Kohathites were able to come and carry all of these holy objects upon their shoulders (Num. 4:1-20). Since the Kohathites were instructed to personally carry these holy objects, they would have no use for carts or oxen to transport them.
Transporting The Ark
Despite the clear instruction for the ark of the covenant and the other holy objects to be carried on the shoulders of the Kohathites, David and his men did not transport the ark of the covenant according to this instruction. Instead, David and his men transported the ark of the covenant on a new cart:
They placed the ark of God on a new cart that they might bring it from the house of Abinadab which was on the hill; and Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, were leading the new cart. – 2 Samuel 6:3
Although this act of placing the ark of the covenant on a new cart was more than likely filled with good intentions, it was a violation of God’s Law and His instructions. The ark of the covenant was only to be carried with poles and placed upon the shoulders of men from the family of Kohath. Why did David and his men transport the ark of the covenant by putting it on a new cart?
The Concept Of The New Cart
It appears that David and his men were imitating the Philistines by placing the ark of the covenant on a new cart. When the Philistines had defeated the Israelites in a battle approximately 60 years earlier, the ark of the covenant was taken by the Philistines and brought into their lands. The Philistines sent the ark of the covenant from city to city in their territory and in whichever city the ark of the covenant remained it only brought death and judgment (1 Samuel 5).
As a result of the ensuing death and judgment that the ark of the covenant brought about in the land of the Philistines, the lords of the Philistines eventually decided that it was best to send the ark of the covenant back to the land and people of Israel:
“Now therefore, take and prepare a new cart and two milch cows on which there has never been a yoke; and hitch the cows to the cart and take their calves home, away from them. Take the ark of the LORD and place it on the cart; and put the articles of gold which you return to Him as a guilt offering in a box by its side. Then send it away that it may go. Watch, if it goes up by the way of its own territory to Beth-shemesh, then He has done us this great evil. But if not, then we will know that it was not His hand that struck us; it happened to us by chance.” – 1 Samuel 6:7-9
The Philistines rightly determined that possession of the ark of the covenant had brought judgment upon their lands and their people. In order to send the ark of the covenant back to the land of Israel, they placed the ark of the covenant on a new cart.
Of course, when the Philistines placed the ark of the covenant on a new cart this was contrary to how it should be transported but the Philistines were not the people of Israel and they did not know the Law of the LORD. They were simply making every effort to rid themselves of the ark of the LORD and the cows brought the ark of the Covenant to Beth-Shemesh in the Land of Israel. The ark of the covenant was later taken to Baale-judah.
It should have been known to David and his men to not place the ark of the covenant on a new cart when they attempted to transport it to Jerusalem. We know from other Scriptures regarding this incident that David had sought the counsel of the leaders of the people and had invited all of the Levites and priests to come together to bring up the ark of the covenant from Baale-judah to Jerusalem (1 Chronicles 13:1-8). For whatever reason the priest and Levites either failed to inform King David and the others regarding the proper manner in which the ark of the covenant was to be transported or possibly David and his men didn’t listen. The Scriptures are silent about this particular detail.
Don’t Imitate The Nations
What we are certain of regarding the details of how the ark was to be properly transported is that after the period of three months David decided to try again to bring up the ark of the covenant to Jerusalem, however, this time David followed the instructions of the LORD:
Now it was told King David, saying, “The LORD has blessed the house of Obed-edom and all that belongs to him, on account of the ark of God.” David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-edom into the city of David with gladness. And so it was, that when the bearers of the ark of the LORD had gone six paces, he sacrificed an ox and a fatling. And David was dancing before the LORD with all his might, and David was wearing a linen ephod. So David and all the house of Israel were bringing up the ark of the LORD with shouting and the sound of the trumpet. – 2 Samuel 6:12-15
We know that King David and his men succeeded this time to bring the ark of the covenant into Jerusalem, the City of David, and the transport of the ark was completed without incident.
Lifting Up The Ark
This second occasion of transporting the ark was clearly handled differently from the first occasion. There is no cart mentioned in the above verses but instead we read about “…the bearers of the ark of the LORD…” In the Hebrew text this phrase reads as follows: נושאי ארון יהוה – No’sei Aron Adonai and is literally translated “those who lift up the ark of the LORD.” The text clearly states that men carried the ark of the LORD this time and that it was not placed on a cart. We also know from other Scriptures that King David specifically instructed that only the Levites were to carry the ark of the LORD:
Then David said, “No one is to carry the ark of God but the Levites; for the LORD chose them to carry the ark of God and to minister to Him forever.” And David assembled all Israel at Jerusalem to bring up the ark of the LORD to its place which he had prepared for it. David gathered together the sons of Aaron and the Levites: of the sons of Kohath, Uriel the chief, and 120 of his relatives; – 1 Chronicles 15:2-5
The ark of the covenant literally carried with it the Name and presence of the LORD demanding that it be handled in a holy manner. On this second occasion of transporting the ark of the covenant King David followed all of the instructions of the LORD and was granted success and blessing.
God’s Word is meant to provide instructions for loving and serving the Creator of the universe. The Bible is not filled with good suggestions but holy ordinances from Almighty God and we need to learn how to apply His Word to the circumstances of life on a daily basis. One important lesson that we can all learn from this particular account of how to transport the ark of the covenant is to follow the instructions of the LORD and not to be influenced by the ways of the nations.
It seems that David and his men were influenced by the actions of the Philistines when they first tried to transport the ark of the covenant on a new cart. It may have seemed like a good and practical idea, however, it directly violated the Word of God. We must never compromise God’s Word for the sake of practicality. We must also be careful to not attempt to serve the LORD by imitating the nations. It is God who sets the guidelines for honoring and worshiping Him and not the nations around us.
One Way
Before Yeshua went to the cross He had many heart to heart conversations with His disciples. One of the last conversations that Yeshua had with His disciples centered on the reality of knowing the way to the Father:
“Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also. And you know the way where I am going.” Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, how do we know the way?” Yeshua said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me. If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; from now on you know Him, and have seen Him.” – John 4:19-26
The disciples were constantly trying to figure out this unique relationship between Yeshua and the Father in heaven. The mystery of God becoming flesh through the Messiah and the reality of the Father in heaven and the Son being One entity was a challenge for the disciples to comprehend. In the above verses, Yeshua emphasized to His disciples that He Himself is the only way to the Father in heaven.
Throughout the words of the pages of the Bible God has laid out a plan for humankind to know Him and walk in unison with Him. As we have learned from the account of King David and the transportation of the ark of the covenant, God alone makes the rules and we are to walk in step with Him. Today there is only one way to the Father in heaven and this is through His Son, Yeshua the Messiah. He is the only Way to the Father!
Shabbat Shalom!
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Torah Portion: Num. 4:21 – Num. 7:89
Haftara: Judges 13:2-25
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