THE PROBLEM WITH PRAGMATISM

“David again assembled all the choice men in Israel, 30,000.  He and all his troops set out to bring the ark of God from Baale-judah.  The ark is called by the Name, the name of Yahweh of Hosts who dwells between the cherubim.  They set the ark of God on a new cart and transported it from Abinadab’s house, which was on the hill. Uzzah and Ahio,  sons of Abinadab, were guiding the cart and brought it with the ark of God from Abinadab’s house on the hill. Ahio walked in front of the ark.  David and the whole house of Israel were celebrating before the LORD with all kinds of fir wood instruments, lyres, harps, tambourines, sistrums, and cymbals.  When they came to Nacon’s threshing floor, Uzzah reached out to the ark of God and took hold of it because the oxen had stumbled.  Then the LORD’s anger burned against Uzzah, and God struck him dead on the spot for his irreverence, and he died there next to the ark of God.” (2 Samuel 6:1-7 HCSB)

All of us would like to draw a crowd to church, but not all means glorify God. All of us would like to see a large response to the invitation, but not all means produce genuine conversion. All of us would like to see people use their gifts, but means that exalt the flesh rather than God cannot be justified. In the church, we always want to do what others are doing. We reason that if it’s successful there, it will be here. Ours is a result-oriented society. That is the problem of pragmatism. 

Pragmatism is the belief that the end justifies the means.  It is the idea that if something is practical, then it is proper.  As a result, someone has well said that some churches look more like, “Six Flags Over Jesus” than a church filled with holy people seeking the Holy God.

Now we shouldn’t reject new methods because they are new, but we need to test them and see if they violate Scripture. There are churches that have taken down the cross, that have wrung references to the blood from the hymnbook, that deal with self-esteem instead of sin, that don’t mention judgment, hell and holiness, so as not to offend the crowd. It may smell like sweet success to the world, but it is an offensive stench to the Lord. The end doesn’t justify the means as David learned. Our text today dramatically presents the problem of pragmatism.

There was A MEANS THAT WAS REJECTED.

“David again assembled all the choice men in Israel, 30,000.  He and all his troops set out to bring the ark of God from Baale-judah.  The ark is called by the Name, the name of Yahweh of Hosts who dwells between the cherubim.  They set the ark of God on a new cart and transported it from Abinadab’s house, which was on the hill. Uzzah and Ahio,  sons of Abinadab, were guiding the cart and brought it with the ark of God from Abinadab’s house on the hill. Ahio walked in front of the ark.  David and the whole house of Israel were celebrating before the LORD with all kinds of fir wood instruments, lyres, harps, tambourines, sistrums, and cymbals.  When they came to Nacon’s threshing floor, Uzzah reached out to the ark of God and took hold of it because the oxen had stumbled.  Then the LORD’s anger burned against Uzzah, and God struck him dead on the spot for his irreverence, and he died there next to the ark of God.  Then the LORD’s anger burned against Uzzah, and God struck him dead on the spot for his irreverence, and he died there next to the ark of God.   David was angry because of the LORD’s outburst against Uzzah, so he named that place an Outburst Against Uzzah, as it is today.  David feared the LORD that day and said, ‘How can the ark of the LORD ever come to me?’ So he was not willing to move the ark of the LORD to the city of David; instead, he took it to the house of Obed-edom the Gittite.  The ark of the LORD remained in his house three months, and the LORD blessed Obed-edom and his whole family.”  (2 Samuel 6:1-11 HCSB)

David had a tremendous desire. He wanted to make Jerusalem not only the political capital, but religious center of Israel. So, he determined to bring the ark to the city.

The ark symbolized the presence of God among His people. It was a chest made of acacia wood, covered in gold with a golden crown around its rim—a lid called the mercy seat made of pure gold, with two cherubim their wings outstretched.  Inside the ark, was a pot of manna, Aaron’s staff that budded and the stone tables of the Ten Commandments. Gold rings were fixed to the corners where gold poles could be inserted. The priests were to carry the ark by this method,on their shoulders, and never touch the sacred chest.

David was known as a man after God’s own heart. He had a zeal for God, but in this case, zeal without knowledge. He loads the ark on an oxcart. It was a very pragmatic thing to do.

Where did he get that idea? Not from heavenly precepts, but heathen practices. It’s how the Philistines had transported it (read 1 Samuel 6).

David had previously inquired of the Lord before going to battle against the Philistines (see the prior chapter), but now leans on his own understanding. When we act on our own impulse, rather than Divine instruction, and when we follow the world’s pattern instead of Biblical principles, it leads to spiritual death. It will be “hay, wood and stubble” at the judgment seat.

Samuel told Saul, “to obey is better than sacrifice.”  Saul fell prey to pragmatism and lost his crown.

Pilate followed the way of expedience, but Jesus the way of obedience. Which one, in the end, found true success?

When the ox stumbles, and the wagon lurches, the ark wobbles and Uzzah instinctively reaches out to steady the ark.  This was expressly forbidden.  Judgment falls and so does Uzzah. 

David thought God too harsh and became angry. Instead of accepting responsibility, his pride was wounded and he blamed God. “God, if you’re going to treat me like this when I try to do the right thing, then forget it!”

He became afraid of God—not a reverential fear, but a slavish fear. The former fear comes from respecting God as our Father, the latter fear views Him as a cruel master.

David ceases his effort to transport the ark and abandons it in Obed-edom’s house.  David’s loss was Obed-edom’s gain. Here was a pagan, who became a child of God while a child of God acted like a pagan.  

God’s presence is what fills a life and a church with power, joy and blessing.  Pragmatism may pack a place with people, but only the presence of God will pervade a place with power!  So, we have these mega-buildings filled with folks, yet empty of God’s glory.

Don’t miss the point.  There are mega-churches that are faithful to God’s Word and experiencing great grace and expressing God’s glory.  There are also small congregations that are graveyard dead.  There are contemporary churches that are spiritually alive and traditional churches that are like tombs.  Size and style are not necessarily the issue.  The issue is—are we using God-honoring, Christ-exalting, Spirit-empowered means—or are we doing God’s work in our way and for our preference rather than His pleasure?  That is pragmatism—and that is a problem.

Thank God, there is a prescription for this deadly disease of pragmatism.  The cure is A METHOD THAT WAS REVIVED.

“It was reported to King David: ‘The LORD has blessed Obed-edom’s family and all that belongs to him because of the ark of God.’ So David went and had the ark of God brought up from Obed-edom’s house to the city of David with rejoicing.” (2 Samuel 6:12 HCSB).

The first time they did the right thing the wrong way and it brought death, but, this time they did it the right way and it produced delight. David studied and submitted himself to Scripture. Repentance is not just remorse over the wrong, but taking right action.

We will all fail, but will we learn to fail forward? Peter did, Judas didn’t—their perception of, and response to, failure made the difference. Were the sins of Peter and Judas that dramatically different?  Not really.  But, their follow-up to the failure was drastically divergent.  Both men were sorry, but Peter was manifestly repentant, while Judas was merely remorseful.  Judas will, consequently, be eternally remorseful, while Peter will be everlastingly rejoicing.  It is best to get it right the first time, but if we don’t, we can get it right the next time.

Obedience and God’s presence are linked. There would be an experience of God’s powerful majesty when David led the people in the proper manner.  Jesus said, “The one who has My commands and keeps them is the one who loves Me.  And the one who loves Me will be loved by My Father.  I also will love him and will reveal Myself to him.’ (John 14:21 HCSB)  

Many Bible scholars think that Psalm 24 was composed at this time.

“The earth and everything in it, the world and its inhabitants,  belong to the LORD; for He laid its foundation on the seas  and established it on the rivers.

Who may ascend the mountain of the LORD?  Who may stand in His holy place?  The one who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not set his mind on what is false,  and who has not sworn deceitfully.  He will receive blessing from the LORD,  and righteousness from the God of his salvation. Such is the generation of those who seek Him, who seek the face of the God of Jacob.  Selah

Lift up your heads, you gates!  Rise up, ancient doors! Then the King of glory will come in.

Who is this King of glory?  The LORD, strong and mighty, the LORD, mighty in battle.  Lift up your heads, you gates!  Rise up, ancient doors! Then the King of glory will come in.  Who is He, this King of glory? The LORD of Hosts, He is the King of glory.  Selah”

The result of this was A MAN THAT WAS REJOICING.

“When those carrying the ark of the LORD advanced six steps, he sacrificed an ox and a fattened calf.  David was dancing with all his might before the LORD wearing a linen ephod.  He and the whole house of Israel were bringing up the ark of the LORD with shouts and the sound of the ram’s horn.” (2 Samuel 6:13-15 HCSB) 

When God is enthroned in our hearts, there will be ecstasy. Paul wrote in Ephesians 5:18-19 that the result of the Spirit’s fullness is to speak in psalms, hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in our heart to the Lord.

David put aside his royal robes and put on the garment of the priest, an ephod showing his special service to the Lord.  It was the garment of praise that had been exchanged for the garb of mourning (see Isa.61:3). 

God is seeking after worshippers. When we give ourselves wholly to Him in obedience and faith, then there will be great freedom and joy.  We see that here.  This is the result of the right thing done the right way.

But, not everyone will be happy.  This story concludes on a bitter note.  We see A MATE THAT WAS REPROVED.

“As the ark of the LORD was entering the city of David, Saul’s daughter Michal looked down from the window and saw King David leaping and dancing before the LORD, and she despised him in her heart.

They brought the ark of the LORD and set it in its place inside the tent David had set up for it. Then David offered burnt offerings and fellowship offerings in the LORD’s presence.  When David had finished offering the burnt offering and the fellowship offerings, he blessed the people in the name of Yahweh of Hosts.  Then he distributed a loaf of bread, a date cake, and a raisin cake to each one in the entire Israelite community, both men and women. Then all the people left, each to his own home.

When David returned home to bless his household, Saul’s daughter Michal came out to meet him. ‘How the king of Israel honored himself today!’ she said. ‘He exposed himself today in the sight of the slave girls of his subjects like a vulgar person would expose himself.’

David replied to Michal, ‘I was dancing before the LORD who chose me over your father and his whole family to appoint me ruler over the LORD’s people Israel. I will celebrate before the LORD,  and I will humble myself even more and humiliate myself.   I will be honored by the slave girls you spoke about.’ And Saul’s daughter Michal had no child to the day of her death.” (2 Samuel 6:16-23 HCSB)

Someone will always try to steal your joy and bring you into bondage. Wet blankets try to smother you by branding you a fanatic. The praise of God and pursuit of holiness is scorned as extremism by the pragmatic and carnally minded.  Those who go deep with God are often judged as jumping off the deep end.  Well—they wanted to lock Jesus away in a lunatic asylum and labeled Paul as insane.  So, the passionate praising man or woman is still viewed today.

God delighted in David.  On the other hand, Michal was disciplined. She would be forever fruitless.  One needs to be careful about attacking God’s servants.  Take caution before you judge another concerning their devotion.  Leave that with God.  Let us busy ourselves with Him—seeking Him and serving Him.  That is enough to occupy us now, and will be the business of eternity.

But, above all learn this lesson today: let us honor Him by doing His work in His way.  Let us ever avoid the pitfall of pragmatism.