Sometimes believers can fall into the trap of relating to God so much as our friend that we forget that he is also our master. I don’t know about you, but I cherish the fact that he allows, and even wants, us to feel comfortable around him. We can share with him our unfiltered thoughts and ideas. We can joke with him, let our hair down around him, and be ourselves with him. But God is also our master. He is holy in the greatest sense of the word. And even though he allows us to become comfortable with him, we should never forget that. David was reminded in second Samuel chapter 6, verses 6 and 7 where it says:
"When they came to the threshing floor of Nacon, Uzzah reached out and took hold of the ark of God, because the oxen stumbled. 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."
Even though God is our friend, we must also fear and revere him as a mighty and holy God. Just like fire can give us warmth and comfort, and can aid us and help us survive, it can also burn us. It can even kill us if we forget to respect it. Uzzah forgot to respect and revere God’s holiness. He forgot that God gave specific ground rules as to how to approach the ark; ground rules as to how to approach his holiness, and it cost him his life. I encourage you to heed this lesson; to know that God is your friend, but not to forget that he is also your master.
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Sometimes we need to be reminded that God is not just our friend, but that he is also our master. We are encouraged to be ourselves around him, but we also know that he is holy, sovereign and is to be reverently feared. David learned this the hard way. Uzzah didn’t set out to be irreverent. His act was an accident. And when he was killed, David became angry and afraid. He was immediately reminded of God’s holiness. In verse 13 it says that, “When those who were carrying the ark of the Lord had taken six steps, he sacrificed a bull and a fattened calf”. David was struck so powerfully with the fear for the Lord that after every six steps he sacrificed to the Lord. I encourage you to guard yourself from ever acting irreverently toward God. Because even though he is our close friend, he is also our master.