I searched the definition of this proverb and found this
meaning: “Extensive knowledge of or close association with someone or something
leads to a loss of respect for them or it.” Anyone who has siblings, is
married, have roommates or has worked in a dangerous industry such as a
laboratory, construction or as an electrician can attest to this saying. There
are thoughtless things that you would do to someone with whom you’re close that
you would never do to a stranger or someone you’re just getting to know. Those
with dangerous jobs, how many times have you eaten, put on lotion or worn
sandals into your lab, or manipulated live wires without full protection or
drivers using one hand on the steering wheel. It is human nature. We get
comfortable with a situation and with that comfort we get careless.
This also happens in our spiritual lives. Some of us were
born and raised hearing scripture, we know the dos and the don’ts, the rights
and the wrongs backwards and forwards and sometimes we become careless. The
account of Uzza in 2 Samuel 6 and 1 Chronicles 13 illustrates this very well.
Following various military incidents, the Ark of the Covenant was in the house
of a man called Abinadab, who had two sons: Uzza and Ahio. Following a military
victory King David decided that the Ark needed to be returned to the Sanctuary.
He had a brand new cart built and placed the Ark in the cart and had a
procession to bring the Ark back to the Sanctuary. The oxen that were pulling
the cart had a misstep and Uzza put out his hand and touched the Ark to stop it
from falling. This action angered God and Uzza died instantly.
There were multiple failings in this event, the means David
set up to carry the Ark was improper – The priests were to carry the ark with
the staves made specifically for it (Exodus 37:1-9). The other was Uzza’s
action. The Ark was in his house for a long period of time. All that time he
was aware that he should not touch it, God’s presence is in the Ark and sinful
man was not to touch the Ark. Then in a moment of absentmindedness Uzza let his
reflexes take control, over his understanding – resulting in his death.
We as Christians do the same thing all the time. We have all
this knowledge and understanding and in a moment of inattentiveness we try to “help
God” by disobeying His clear commands. We try to make the church services or
activities better by doing things through human methods, somehow convincing
ourselves that the ends will justify the means. Believing that, because God
wants to save people and we know how to attract people, our methods will be
acceptable. Abraham made the same mistake of “assisting God” – leaving the
world in crisis. The early Christian church did the same thing “baptizing”
pagan practices sinking the world into 1260 years of darkness – from which know
we are barely recovering.
We are now living in a time that requires absolute vigilance
(1 Peter 5:8). Our natural propensity for sin requires that we always be on
guard, we cannot for one moment trust our reflex responses. God has given clear
specific instructions on how His work is to be done and from this we cannot
deviate. We cannot allow ourselves to be made complacent by the knowledge we
have. That knowledge must be put into practice and must be our only guide. Our
senses, feelings and reflexes cannot be trusted (Proverbs 16:25). Human senses
will be flawed until we are caught up and transformed at Jesus’ second coming (1
Corinthians 15:50-54, 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18).
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