{"id":14242,"date":"2026-05-24T08:10:56","date_gmt":"2026-05-24T12:10:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/?post_type=oyb&p=14242"},"modified":"2026-05-24T08:10:59","modified_gmt":"2026-05-24T12:10:59","slug":"familiarity-breeds-contempt","status":"publish","type":"oyb","link":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/oyb\/familiarity-breeds-contempt","title":{"rendered":"FAMILIARITY BREEDS CONTEMPT"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\u201cAnd the anger of the LORD was kindled against Uzzah, and God struck him down there because of his error, and he died there beside the ark of God\u201d (2 Samuel 6:7 ESV).<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

The author of Samuel described David bringing the ark of the covenant toward Jerusalem. By that time, Israel\u2019s worship life had long been fragmented since the Philistines captured the ark and later returned it on a cart (cf. 1 Sam. 6). After its return, the ark had been taken to the house of Abinadab in Kiriath-jearim, while the tabernacle that once stood at Shiloh had been moved and later resettled at Gibeon, leaving Israel with divided worship centers. In this setting, Uzzah, likely raised around the ark in Abinadab\u2019s household, reached out his hand to steady it when the oxen stumbled. His familiarity with the sacred object may have led either to ignorance of or disregard for the law that the ark was not to be touched and was to be carried only by Levites on poles according to Exodus 25 and Numbers 4. In that moment, God revealed that He valued obedience over sacrifice, and that well intentioned disobedience was still disobedience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We are reminded that we can live close to holy things and still lose holy fear. We can handle Scripture, worship, and ministry language regularly and still begin to treat God as ordinary. We may assume that good intentions can replace careful obedience, but they cannot. God has not changed His character, and He still calls us to worship Him on His terms, not ours. We must guard our hearts so that what is familiar does not become casual, and what is sacred does not become routine. When we allow familiarity to replace reverence and obedience, we risk displeasing the Lord as Uzzah did.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

PRAYER<\/strong>: Dear Father, we confess that we can become so accustomed to holy things that we lose reverence for You. Forgive us for treating Your Word lightly or assuming that our intentions can replace Your commands. Teach us to honor You in obedience and humility. Keep our hearts tender, our worship pure, and our lives aligned with Your truth. In Jesus\u2019 name, amen.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cAnd the anger of the LORD was kindled against Uzzah, and God struck him down there because of his error, and he died there beside the ark of God\u201d (2 Samuel 6:7 ESV). The author of Samuel described David bringing the ark of the covenant toward Jerusalem. By that time, Israel\u2019s worship life had long<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","meta":[],"categories":[],"tags":[],"scripture-book":[1277],"scripture-chapter":[1339],"oyb_day":[1671],"location":[],"class_list":["post-14242","oyb","type-oyb","status-publish","hentry","scripture-book-2-samuel","scripture-chapter-1339","oyb_day-may-24"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/oyb\/14242","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/oyb"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/oyb"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14242"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14242"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14242"},{"taxonomy":"scripture-book","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/scripture-book?post=14242"},{"taxonomy":"scripture-chapter","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/scripture-chapter?post=14242"},{"taxonomy":"oyb_day","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/oyb_day?post=14242"},{"taxonomy":"location","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/location?post=14242"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}