King David had a great desire.  He wanted to move the ark of God, which had been captured by the Philistines, back to Jerusalem.  He took counsel from his leaders, and an opinion poll from the people.  All agreed; they too wanted the ark back home.  With a procession of music, laughter, and jubilation, David and his large company began making the journey with the ark of God.  The ark rested upon a new cart and was being carried by a team of oxen, led by Uzza and Ahio. 

     During the transportation, the oxen stumbled and Uzza put his hand upon the ark to secure it.  The Bible says that God was angered at the occurrence and smote Uzza for touching the ark.  The death of Uzza may seem harsh and unfair, but God had strict orders on handling the ark of God; and David failed to comply.  Only the priests were to bear the ark, and they were to carry it with staves, not on a cart. The death of Uzza was an indictment upon the camp of Israel and their handling of things divine. 

     There is a great lesson in this story for believers as well.  Our methods should coincide with our motives.  David had a good motive, but followed through with ungodly methods.  Remember: How we do something is just as important as why we do something.