Dancing in Worship Leads To Death - 1 Chronicles 10-14

 1 Chronicles 13:9-14 (ESV)

And when they came to the threshing floor of Chidon, Uzzah put out his hand to take hold of the ark, for the oxen stumbled. And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Uzzah, and he struck him down because he put out his hand to the ark, and he died there before God. And David was angry because the LORD had broken out against Uzzah. And that place is called Perez-uzza to this day. And David was afraid of God that day, and he said, “How can I bring the ark of God home to me?” So David did not take the ark home into the city of David, but took it aside to the house of Obed-edom the Gittite. And the ark of God remained with the household of Obed-edom in his house three months. And the LORD blessed the household of Obed-edom and all that he had.

The above verses come on the heals of the previous celebration by David about bringing the Ark back to Jerusalem:

1 Chronicles 13:8 (ESV)

And David and all Israel were celebrating before God with all their might, with song and lyres and harps and tambourines and cymbals and trumpets.

David quickly went from joy to anger about the death of Uzzah.   At one moment David is dancing before the Lord in praise and adoration and the next moment he is furious with God.   God is good and then God is bad, according to David’s reaction.   We need to understand the circumstances to understand the emotion.   In David’s mind he framed the first situation (bringing the Ark back) as a great thing and that produced the feelings of joy and excitement and enthusiasm.  To the extent that he literally danced.   But, then he viewed the sticking of Uzzah dead with the mindset that God was cruel and unkind and unfair.    That produced the emotion of anger.   What David failed to see in this case is that God was acting consistent with His character.   The Ark was not just a piece of furniture being transported in the the back of a wagon.   The Ark was the place where God manifests His presence.   Instead of being in awe of God being holy and untouchable, David became angry.  The Ark was not to be carried on a cart.  It was supposed to have two poles (overlaid with gold) what they carried the Ark with on their shoulders.   But, David choose a wagon and oxen.   He had the right o dance in worship but he was wrong in his methods.   He forgot about the holiness of God and made his worship casual with his feelings and not based on conviction of God’s character.   David was not wrong to dance, but no matter what your worship looks like it is to still align with God’s word.  We can worship all we want, but we are to do so in a way that obeys God as we worship God.