Gospel Reflections #1051: Prone to trying to follow God in our own way

2 Samuel 6:13 ‘When those carrying the ark of the Lord had taken six paces, David sacrificed a fattened bull.’

This is a significant verse marking a turning point in King David’s life, when he learnt the importance of obeying God’s commands and welcomed the Ark of the Covenant into Jerusalem with deep gratitude and reverence.

David had previously attempted to transport the Ark of God on a ‘new cart’, but a tragedy ensued when the oxen bolted and Uzzah, who tried to steady the Ark, was struck down by God and died. This occurred because he had disregarded God’s law—which stipulated that ‘the Ark of God must be carried on the shoulders of the Levites with poles’—and instead imitated the practices of pagans.

The reference in verse 13 to ‘those who carried the Ark’ indicates that David had deeply reflected on his past failure and returned to the correct method (discipline) prescribed by God, rather than acting according to human convenience.

When the bearers had taken ‘six paces’, they stopped and offered a sacrifice.

As disaster had struck immediately during the previous move, the mere fact that they were able to take the first few paces safely this time brought David and his men great relief and a conviction that ‘God has forgiven this move’.

It is evident that David’s heart was filled with such deep reverence and caution towards God that he stopped to offer worship after every six paces.

David offered a ‘fattened ox’ both to seek forgiveness for his own sin and to express the utmost gratitude.

This was not merely a formal ritual, but a manifestation of David’s pure faith, humbling his own kingship before God’s sovereignty and placing God first.

This passage still conveys to us the lessons that ‘when serving God’s zeal, it is essential to follow God’s Word (the Bible) rather than our own human ways’, and that ‘it is important to pause regularly to offer thanks for God’s grace’.

We, too, are prone to trying to follow God in our own way, but we are reminded that this is, after all, self-centred.

I believe that God is surely showing us His way, so I wish to continue asking Him to help me recognise it.

AUTHOR'S BIO: This Gospel Reflections page is written by Masae San, who resides in Hiroshima, Japan. Masae is a dedicated student of the Bible with a deep passion for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. She shares her daily reflections on Gospel perspectives to reach out to others and spread the message of God's true love through a Christ-centered approach. We are sharing her insights here so that you, too, can experience the joy that comes from knowing and understanding the true Gospel and the love of God through Jesus Christ.