David was ANGRY because the LORD had broken out against Uzzah

[TonyChanYT]

David tried to bring the ark of God from Baale-judah to Jerusalem in 2 Samuel 6:

5 David and all the house of Israel were celebrating before the LORD, with songs and lyres and harps and tambourines and castanets and cymbals.

Everyone was in a happy mood.

6 When they came to the threshing floor of Nacon, Uzzah put out his hand to the ark of God and took hold of it, for the oxen stumbled. 7 And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Uzzah, and God struck him down there because of his error, and he died there beside the ark of God. 8 And David was angry because the LORD had broken out against Uzzah. And that place is called Perez-uzzahd to this day.

Was David angry with God?

Ellicott did not think so:

(8) Was displeased.—More exactly, was angry. The cause of his vexation was the Divine judgment upon Uzzah; yet it does not follow that he was angry with God, but rather was simply vexed and disturbed at this most untoward interruption of his plans.

Similarly Barnes:

Displeased - Grief allied to anger seems to be intended. Compare 1 Samuel 15:11 note.

Benson also:

2 Samuel 6:8. David was displeased — Or rather, grieved, both for the sin, and for God’s heavy judgment; whereby their hopes were dashed, and their joys interrupted.

Keil and Delitzsch:

The burning of David's anger was not directed against God, but referred to the calamity which had befallen Uzzah, or speaking more correctly, to the cause of this calamity, which David attributed to himself or to his undertaking. As he had not only resolved upon the removal of the ark, but had also planned the way in which it should be taken to Jerusalem, he could not trace the occasion of Uzzah's death to any other cause than his own plans. He was therefore angry that such misfortune had attended his undertaking.

I don't know of any commentaries saying David was angry at God.

9 And David was afraid of the LORD that day, and he said, “How can the ark of the LORD come to me?”

 

[Lambano]

I don't know of any commentaries saying David was angry at God.

These commentators seem to be reluctant to come right out and say that a couple of heroes of the faith like David and Jonah could and did get angry with God. That's bulls***. The text says what it says.

David was angry - but he saw what happened to Uzzah and was scared too. Angry and scared.

Are people just afraid to admit they get angry with God, because God is so big, and we are so small?

Doesn't it take the faith of a child to just say what they honestly feel? Why not be honest, because God already knows?

 

[Aunty Jane]

David tried to bring the ark of God from Baale-judah to Jerusalem in 2 Samuel 6:5 David and all the house of Israel were celebrating before the LORD, with songs and lyres and harps and tambourines and castanets and cymbals.


Everyone was in a happy mood.

David’s desire to have the Ark brought to Jerusalem was a good one, but the method he first used led to disaster. Instead of having it carried by the poles on the shoulders of the Kohathite Levites as Jehovah instructed, David let it be placed on a wagon. This caused a near upset, and Uzzah’s death, because he reached out and to steady it, contrary to God’s law.

David's decision to transport the ark contrary to God's instructions caused the death of Uzzah.

Was David angry with God?

Did David have a right to be angry, when it was in fact his fault the Uzzah died? Had the ark been transported correctly, Uzza would not have lost his life.

I don't know of any commentaries saying David was angry at God.

He was upset naturally, but if he was angry, it should have been with himself for his disobedience had caused an unnecessary tragedy.

No one was to look upon the ark and no one was to touch it...death was the penalty, and God had his reasons.

 

[Lambano]

Did David have a right to be angry, when it was in fact his fault the Uzzah died? Had the ark been transported correctly, Uzza would not have lost his life.

Until one of the bearers trips over a stumbling stone and Uzzah heroically tries to save the Ark... Stuff happens.

But this isn't about whether David's anger at God was justified.

13 Now on that very occasion there were some present who reported to Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. 2 And Jesus responded and said to them, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans just because they have suffered this fate?.... 4 Or do you think that those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them were worse offenders than all the other people who live in Jerusalem?

The problem of Theodicy, God's active and permissive allowance of evil in this world, is a real issue to some people. Humans get cancer or get into circumstances outside of their control and suffer and die through no fault of their own. If God is sovereign over all things, then He is ultimately responsible for their suffering, and who else is there to get angry with? And if he's not sovereign over all things, then why call him "god"?

 

[TonyChanYT]

The text says what it says.

Do you know of any scholar who interprets it the way you do?

 

[Lambano]

Do you know of any scholar who interprets it the way you do?

Such affirmation would be nice. Can you add a poll at the top of this thread,

"Who or what was David angry at?"

A. God
B. Himself
C. Uzzah
D. The Ox
E. The Cart
F. The overall circumstances
G. Satan
H. The Ark itself
I. Other

 

[TonyChanYT]

Such affirmation would be nice. Can you add a poll at the top of this thread,

"Who or what was David angry at?"

A. God
B. Himself
C. Uzzah
D. The Ox
E. The Cart
F. The overall circumstances
G. Satan
H. The Ark itself
I. Other

I prefer to use probabilities. See If you think that David was angry at the LORD when he killed Uzzah and wish to wager on it,

 

[Cassandra]

David tried to bring the ark of God from Baale-judah to Jerusalem in 2 Samuel 6:


Everyone was in a happy mood.


Was David angry with God?

Ellicott did not think so:


Similarly Barnes:


Benson also:


Keil and Delitzsch:


I don't know of any commentaries saying David was angry at God.

Where is your wager?

Let proposition P1 = The commentators were correct in their assessment that David was not angry with God.
P2 = Commentators were wrong when saying that David was not angry with God.

"Between 0 and 10, how much weight do you put on each of the above propositions? The stronger your belief in a proposition, the higher the weight. Your weighting scheme will determine the betting odds."

 

[Aunty Jane]

Until one of the bearers trips over a stumbling stone and Uzzah heroically tries to save the Ark... Stuff happens.

But this isn't about whether David's anger at God was justified.

It’s actually about obedience, and the reality of what disobedience leads to.....it always has been, right from the beginning.
It’s about the value of doing as our Sovereign instructs.....not going to the left or the right, because WE think that is what we should, or wish to do....for whatever reason......it’s about staying on the narrow road and allowing God to be our guide in all that we do. This is what guarantees his blessing. Stepping away from his instructions to carry out our own will, has always been the bane of man’s life.....have we learned the lesson yet?

The problem of Theodicy, God's active and permissive allowance of evil in this world, is a real issue to some people.

And yet if we understood why the Creator stepped back to allow humans to experience the full consequences of their disobedient acts, without him preventing those consequences, there would be no issue. If fact, if he intervened in this life lesson....there would be no life lesson....satan would seem like the good guy.

What we have learned (some of us at least) is that Jehovah never does anything for no good reason.
Consequences teach us so much more tangibly, the folly of our own ill conceived actions. If something is painful, as correction often is, then we are less likely to repeat that action...we know first hand what caused the pain.

Humans get cancer or get into circumstances outside of their control and suffer and die through no fault of their own. If God is sovereign over all things, then He is ultimately responsible for their suffering, and who else is there to get angry with? And if he's not sovereign over all things, then why call him "god"?

And this is the kind of thinking that plays right into the devil’s hand......God is not responsible for suffering simply because he permits it. There are very important reasons WHY he permits it, and why it is taking so long to bring it to its natural cataclysmic end......It is for the overall future benefit of man and the angels, that this lesson seems to be dragging on indefinitely. We are involved in it, but we have to remember that the first rebel was not human. We are his hostages in a ‘tug of war’ between God and his powerful adversary....he was the one who wanted to “be like God” and have these lower life forms worship him. God has allowed us to see where that would take us....and here we are, almost at “the end” now.....not the end of the world, but the end of all wickedness and those who willfully practice it.

Free will is the issue because God wanted his children to serve him out of love and loyalty...not because they had no choice, (like mindless robots). We alone are made in God’s image and one of his attributes is free will, or freedom of choice. It was a precious gift until it was abused....then it became a curse to all of us, because we inherited this defect of sin from Adam. (Rom 5:12) All evil perpetrated on this earth, is the caused by the abuse of free will.

God could have snuffed those rebels out, right at the beginning, but instead he chose to make them all an example of the consequences of their actions....not only for us humans but also because God’s spirit sons were observing this life lesson as well. It is carried out in universal time, not earth time, which to the human race with a short lifespan seems to be taking forever. (2 Peter 3:8)

Relief will come when the lesson is over (soon now)......those who have had a hard life in this world will be resurrected after a peaceful “sleep” in their graves. They will awaken refreshed as if awoken from a good night’s sleep, unaware of the passage of time....like they closed their eyes but a moment ago. No bad memories will plague them.

Isa 65:16-17...
“.....For the former distresses will be forgotten;
They will be concealed from my eyes.
17 For look! I am creating new heavens and a new earth;
And the former things will not be called to mind,
Nor will they come up into the heart.”

It is not for nothing that the distresses of this life are hard to deal with, but the end justifies the means.
If God can erase the memory of all the awful things we have had to endure, then we have assurance that no trial or experience will come back to cause us insecurity or lasting trauma. No evil thing will ever exist again in the “new earth”. (2 Peter 3:13; Rev 21:2-4)

God’s Sovereignty will be vindicated, (his right to govern how we use our freedom of choice by willing obedience to his commands).....his reputation will be restored (which the devil has trashed by getting people to blame God instead of him for all their hardships and tragedies)....and the tried and tested human race can get on with the life God originally planned for us....nothing will impeded God’s will for our safe and happy life here on this carefully and lovingly prepared planet again.

By allowing the devil to have a relatively free hand in testing out the human race, God will eliminate all those who want to do their own thing, rather than learn the value of obedience to their Sovereign Creator....all who come out of this life lesson with their faith intact, will get to enjoy all the good things that God originally had in store for his obedient children....forever. Compare eternity in peace and happiness with the short life we have had to endure under satan’s rule. (1 John 5:19) It is a mere blip on the radar. Having a sure hope for the future, we will “endure to the end”. (Matt 24:13)

If we have the right attitude and can see the big picture......it all makes sense. No one will ever want to go back to this life because we know who and what caused it.....precedents are now set so that no rebel who wants to abuse their free will in the future, will ever be allowed to start......neither angel or human.

 

[Jim C]

David can get mad all he wants, but when God says, "NO TOUCHIE" He means exactly that, no ifs, ands or buts.

This is a prime example of the folly of placing good intentions over following God's commands to the letter. Yes, Uzzah meant well and thought he was doing right in preventing the Ark from falling, however God had clearly and explicitly forbade anyone but the Levites from touching the Ark on pain of death. Unfortunate for Uzzah, but a pointed lesson for all on doing exactly as the Lord commands.
If you do that, you will always be in the right, no matter what else happens.

 

[O'Darby]

Weirdest thread ever?

David can get mad all he wants, but when God says, "NO TOUCHIE" He means exactly that, no ifs, ands or buts.

Yep, the ox stumbles, Uzzah puts his hand on the ark to keep it from falling, God strikes him dead, David is understandably angry at the sheer unfairness of it, and 19th Century commentators and 21st Century internet "experts" are compelled to tap-dance around what the passage is obviously saying. Pretty much OT theology in a nutshell. My guess is, Jesus would've been angry. My guess is, if Old Uzzo had been your father or brother you'd be singing a very different tune.

And this is the kind of thinking that plays right into the devil’s hand

You're in good company, @Lambano. Kindly Aunty ascribes most of what I say to debbils and demons. In fact, it appears to me that in Aunty's theology the very act of thinking is demonic.

 

[Aunty Jane]

Weirdest thread ever?

Yep, the ox stumbles, Uzzah puts his hand on the ark to keep it from falling, God strikes him dead, David is understandably angry at the sheer unfairness of it, and 19th Century commentators and 21st Century internet "experts" are compelled to tap-dance around what the passage is obviously saying. Pretty much OT theology in a nutshell. My guess is, Jesus would've been angry. My guess is, if Old Uzzo had been your father or brother you'd be singing a very different tune.

Are you going to tell God how to conduct his business? Are you going to tell him about justice when it is one of his cardinal qualities? Who do you think you are? Who appointed you as God’s judge?

I think we are seeing exactly who you want to be....God’s judge and jury, because you know better than the Creator what should, and should not be done.....where is the law according to O’Darby written?

You appear to be a prime example of one whose intellectual abilities govern his thinking more that the humble obedience that God requires of his servants......yes, like it or not, we are his servants, as children often were in Israel. If a man got into debt, his children could work to pay it off even though they were not the ones who incurred it. God sent his son (who was also his servant. Acts 4:27) to pay off the debt that Adam left for all of us. He didn’t have to do that.....but in a bigger scheme than you can apparently imagine, (judging by your short sighted approach to the things God has done in the past).....hopefully you can lose your arrogance and find some humility in your future statements. God is listening, but will not force himself on anyone.....
He is giving us all “enough rope”......to show him who we really are.....a rope can be used to rescue someone.....or to hang them.....we decide how the rope is used in our own life.

You're in good company, @Lambano. Kindly Aunty ascribes most of what I say to debbils and demons. In fact, it appears to me that in Aunty's theology the very act of thinking is demonic.

One day you will see with your own eyes, the power of God who has been dealing with his rebellious children both in heaven and on earth for around 6,000 years....it will be brought to a finish with the destruction of all who do not respect their rightful Sovereign and obediently follow his commands....period.

Jesus never once complained about God’s justice......why do you? What did Jesus know about God that you do not? Possibly more than you realize.

 

[Lambano]

Weirdest thread ever?

 

[MA2444]

Yep, the ox stumbles, Uzzah puts his hand on the ark to keep it from falling, God strikes him dead, David is understandably angry at the sheer unfairness of it, and 19th Century commentators and 21st Century internet "experts" are compelled to tap-dance around what the passage is obviously saying. Pretty much OT theology in a nutshell. My guess is, Jesus would've been angry. My guess is, if Old Uzzo had been your father or brother you'd be singing a very different tune.

So David got angry because his buddy died and was only trying to help. That's a pretty natural reaction if you ask me. And Jesus got mad too! I don't think Jesus was angry over the disobedience, because surely He knew that Uzziah was trying to help. He was angry at what He had to do because of it.

If the Lord let him slide on touching it...where would that have gone? Would the people have taken that knowledge home with them and thought, God said no one touches the ark or they die, but Uzziah didnt die. This realization may have led them into further disobedience and the loss of the fear of God within them, leading to further disobedience?

So Jesus had to kill him for touching the ark so that the peoples fear of God would be enhanced rather than dismissed. The Lord wanted those people to tip toe around the ark rather than have a lackadaisical attitude towards it. So he spoke death upon whoever touched it. Then when Uzziah touched it with good intent, He was bound by His words, and so that made David angry with the Lord.

David's lack of understanding about the reason for the mans death made him angry at the Lord about it. This was a natural reaction and was a sort of righteous anger so I don't think David sinned by being angry at God. God understood that but still needed their respect and obedience.

Plenty of people get angry at God. I recall a Pastors testimony that he got angry with God and insolent in his prayers about it, is this how you treat your pastors? (His son had appensicitis I think and was near death? But the man loves his son and lacked understanding that God was doing something....The Lord wants to hear from you even if you are angry at Him. Pour your heart out to Him.

 

[Jim C]

Weirdest thread ever?

Yep, the ox stumbles, Uzzah puts his hand on the ark to keep it from falling, God strikes him dead, David is understandably angry at the sheer unfairness of it, and 19th Century commentators and 21st Century internet "experts" are compelled to tap-dance around what the passage is obviously saying. Pretty much OT theology in a nutshell. My guess is, Jesus would've been angry. My guess is, if Old Uzzo had been your father or brother you'd be singing a very different tune.


You're in good company, @Lambano. Kindly Aunty ascribes most of what I say to debbils and demons. In fact, it appears to me that in Aunty's theology the very act of thinking is demonic.

God's universe, God's rules. Deal with it.

 

[MA2444]

God's universe, God's rules. Deal with it.

That's what God said!