Think about this question before reading any further: What do cars, armies, corporations, courtrooms, and the solar system all have in common? Seriously, think about it for a minute and see what answers you come up with. Perhaps you’re thinking, they all have something to do with people, but that’s not the answer. Maybe you’re thinking, each one must be moving in order for it to work. That’s true, and closer to the right answer, but it’s not quite what I’m looking for. Here’s the answer: in order for each to run successfully, they must operate according to the proper order.
I recently attended a conference at which a successful church official presented a multi-part seminar on leadership. While many lessons stuck out to me, the part that most captured my attention was his statement about order: “organize” he said, “or you die as a leader.”
King David understood the importance of following the proper order. For years, the ark of the covenant had remained outside of Jerusalem, and brought many blessings to those who possessed it.[1] In order that Jerusalem might also experience the full blessing of God, David rallied the children of Israel together[2] and formulated a plan to return the ark to its designated place in the tabernacle. Spirits were high! The multitudes were excitedly singing and playing their musical instruments in praise to God. David was “aglow with holy zeal.”[3] Then the unthinkable happened.
“When they came to Childon’s threshing floor, Uzza put out his hand to hold the ark, for the oxen stumbled.”[4] In a flash of divine wrath, the presumptuous Uzza is struck dead, shocking the tens of thousands en route to Israel’s capital and grinding the procession to a sudden halt. The king of Israel, angered by this unprecedented turn of events, tremblingly cries out before God and the confused mass of citizens, “how can I bring the ark of God to me?”[5] Unwilling to risk another mistake perhaps, he leads the ark away from the likely scattering crowd, and quietly places the ark in the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite.
David understood the death of Uzza to be largely his own responsibility. Perhaps as he reflected, he realized that his consulting with “the captains of thousands and hundreds”[6] was a poor replacement for counseling with the Lord. When faced with two battles against the Philistines just following this incident, he was determined not to make the same mistake. The Bible records David inquiring of God on these two occasions whether he should go up against the Philistines.[7] In neither occasion does the now-humbled king seek the counsel of man, but God alone. Some time later, David again attempts to bring the ark into Jerusalem, but this time, he is determined to do things differently.
Calling the priests to himself, King David solemnly instructs them to sanctify themselves, and to have those under them do the same thing. A grave look precedes his words as he warns the Levites about the terrible consequences that will befall them should they fail to sanctify themselves and follow the prescribed methods of God. “For because you did not do it the first time, the Lord our God broke out against us, because we did not consult Him about the proper order.”[8]
Uzza was ultimately responsible for his sin of touching the ark, for he knew the divine instruction that none were to touch the ark of the covenant “lest they die.”[9] However, he cannot be held solely liable for the judgment executed upon him, because the priests were also instructed clearly that the ark was to be both covered up and carried on poles. Neither of those instructions were followed the first time. Hence, David’s stern instruction to the Levites in charge that this time the proper order should be followed.
Recently, I had the privilege of rebuilding an engine for the first time. As my friend and I assembled each part, carefully referencing the manual and inspecting every part for dust or imperfections, I was reminded of the importance of following the proper order. Had we made one mistake, the entire engine could have blown up when the driver turned the ignition switch. Armies that lack proper order and discipline are sure to lose nearly every battle, and corporations that lack good protocol and organization will soon tank or become a one-man show. Imagine a judge without his gavel and forbidden to say his oft-repeated “order in the court!” Even the simplest cases would descend into mayhem. Or take another example, the solar system. If the earth were just a few degrees off its axis, thousands would instantly perish from cold or heat.
In Ezekiel’s first vision, he beheld four living creatures, and wheels within wheels. Each living creature running “back and forth, in appearance like a flash of lightning,”[10] but all moving in perfect harmony. In this issue of Prisoners of Hope we explore God’s order for harmonious ministry. This is the ultimate goal of true education: to equip a generation of youth to serve as a well-disciplined army, following God’s order and reaching the world with the Three Angels’ Messages before Jesus comes. Apostate protestantism teaches that pastors are to do most of the work for the churches, but in God’s order we all must awake from our slumber and fight (Hold). If we expect revival in our churches, we must not mix the sacred and profane; our own order with God’s order (Anderson). Companies of Christian workers, not merely clergy, must be organized to labor in Christ’s lines, blending the ministry of the word with that of healing the body (Azelton). Finally, in all our labor to follow God’s proper order, let us always keep in mind that it is Christ who is our Example of humility and sacrifice (White). It is Christ alone who will bring unity out of division, and through His Spirit abiding in our hearts we can truly be one. Then, and only then, when of one accord we stand blameless before the throne of God, will God’s proper order have been followed, and Christ’s prayer answered at last, “that they may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.”[11]
[1] 1 Chr. 13:14
[2] 1 Chr. 13:5
[3] Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1890), 704.
[4] 1 Chr. 13:9
[5] 1 Chr. 13:12
[6] 1 Chr. 13:1
[7] 1 Chr. 14:10,14
[8] 1 Chr. 15:13, emphasis supplied.
[9] Num. 4:15
[10] Ezek. 1:14
[11] John 17:21