A Behold picture book
Catch!
Ozzie only wanted to keep it from falling.
The whole town had a parade. They were bringing home the Voice's Golden Box, the most special thing they owned.
They put the Golden Box on a brand-new trailer. Ozzie and his brother drove it. Mayor Dave danced and played music with everyone.
Then the oxen stumbled. The trailer tipped. The Golden Box started to slide!
Ozzie reached out and grabbed it, so it wouldn't fall.
The Voice was angry at Ozzie. Right there, next to the Golden Box, Ozzie died.
Mayor Dave was angry. Angry at the Voice. And he was scared. "How can I ever bring the Golden Box home now?" he said.
So Dave left the Golden Box at a neighbor's house. It stayed there for three months. And the Voice blessed that neighbor's whole family.
Later, Dave said, "Only the right helpers can carry the Golden Box, on poles on their shoulders. We didn't do it the right way the first time." This time, they carried it the right way, and everyone cheered.
The End.
The source, revealed
The Fine Print
2 Samuel 6:1–12; 1 Chronicles 13:9–12; 15:2, 13–15
Read it yourself (opens in a new tab)Where it's from
2 Samuel 6 and 1 Chronicles 13 and 15. The Golden Box is the Ark of the Covenant, the gold chest that held the Ten Commandments.
Who's who
| In our story | In the Bible |
|---|---|
| The Golden Box | The Ark of the Covenant |
| Ozzie | Uzzah |
| Ozzie's brother | Ahio |
| Mayor Dave | King David |
| The neighbor | Obed-edom the Gittite |
| The right helpers | The Levites |
| The Voice | God (the LORD) |
What the text says
Plain words: Uzzah grabbed the ark because the oxen shook it. God was angry, struck him, and he died.
KJV (2 Samuel 6:6-7): "Uzzah put forth his hand to the ark of God, and took hold of it; for the oxen shook it. And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Uzzah; and God smote him there for his error; and there he died by the ark of God."
Plain words: David was upset with what God did.
KJV (2 Samuel 6:8): "And David was displeased, because the LORD had made a breach upon Uzzah"
Plain words: Later David said only the Levites should carry the ark, because they hadn't done it the right way.
KJV (1 Chronicles 15:2): "None ought to carry the ark of God but the Levites"
What we kept
- A huge celebration with music, bringing the ark on a new cart.
- Uzzah and Ahio drive the cart.
- The oxen stumble, and Uzzah takes hold of the ark.
- God's anger, and Uzzah dies right there.
- David is displeased with God, and afraid.
- The ark stays with Obed-edom for three months, and God blesses his household.
- David later says only the Levites may carry it, with poles on their shoulders, as Moses commanded.
What we changed
- Names, and today's world: a mayor, a trailer, a marching band.
- The Bible lists harps, psalteries, timbrels, cornets and cymbals. We said a marching band.
Look closely
The Law said the people who carry holy things "shall not touch any holy thing, lest they die" (Numbers 4:15). But the Bible never says putting the ark on a cart was Uzzah's idea. David led the whole parade.
How it's usually taught
Many teachers say God had given clear rules: the ark was to be carried on poles by Levites, never touched. Moving it on a cart, the way the Philistines had (1 Samuel 6), was already wrong. They say the story teaches that God is holy and must be approached his way, not ours, even with good intentions.
What the story doesn't say
The story calls it Uzzah's "error" (in Hebrew, a word some translate as "irreverence"). It never says he meant harm. He was keeping the ark from falling.
Talk about it
- Ozzie was trying to help. Does that matter?
- Mayor Dave was angry at the Voice. Was he right to be?
- Whose idea was the trailer? Who got punished?
- Is it ever okay to break a rule to keep something from getting hurt?
- Do you believe this is good advice?
One last question
If your friend caught a falling trophy and got in trouble for touching it, what would you say?
Read 2 Samuel 6:1–12; 1 Chronicles 13:9–12; 15:2, 13–15 yourself (opens in a new tab)