Delayed

 

At the baggage claim customer service area for United Airlines, hundreds of suitcases belonging to delayed or rerouted passengers.  Presumably at some point the owners will show up to claim their bags? I had to come back Friday morning to get my bag--it was still somewhere in the bowels of the airport Thursday night and I was told I wouldn't be able to get it for four to six hours. It's remarkable  how little it takes for our airline systems to get hopelessly snarled.  Our systems are much more fragile than one would expect.

I had a strong hunch I would end up delayed on my flight to Jordan.  Between the headlines about flight cancellations, the thunderstorms stalking Columbus and my connecting city of Washington D.C. and the tight one hour connection to catch my flight to Jordan, I knew the odds of missing my connection were high.  I even told Barbara as she dropped me off at the airport, that I fully expected to spend in one of the Leen sisters' homes (either Barbara Leen, my wife or Jennifer Leen, her sister who lives in D.C).

Well, I've been in D.C., staying with Jenny and her husband Matt, since Thursday night.  Sure enough, my flight out of Columbus was delayed and even thought my flight from Dulles to Amman was also delayed, it was still gone by the time I landed.  They couldn't get me on another flight to Jordan until today.  My flight leaves today at 5:05 PM.

I honestly wasn't that stressed.  Partly because I was expecting it, partly because I knew I had somewhere to stay.  But also because I needed this.

I arrived in Washington D.C. with a splitting headache, one I'd had all day.  It was strictly due to lack of sleep. I hadn't slept well since quite a bit before I left for Hawaii.  Hawaii was marvelous.  But it was not a vacation in any sense of the word.  And since I'd been home, I had been going nonstop.  There were things to do around the house, end-of-the-year tasks to complete at school, preparations for Jordan, and all-important family time to squeeze in.  I was going full tilt the entire week I was home.

When I got here, I had in mind a list of things I should do while I was here.  I should try to touch base with some friends that live in the area. I should catch up on my blog.  I should go out and see some sites in our nation's capital.  In the end, I decided that none of the things I "should" do, were things I needed to do. What I needed to do was nothing.  And so that's what I did.  I slept a lot--whenever I felt tired.  I slept late every morning, took naps in the afternoon.  This morning I even went back to sleep for an hour or two after I got up this morning--because I felt sleepy.  Instead of pushing myself to start blogging or do something else, I did what my body asked of me.  It felt really good

I realized I have not been in a position where I have had absolutely zero responsibilities in a very long time--and I took full advantage. I did some reading, watched a little TV, went out to eat a couple of times with Matt and Jenny, Zoomed, texted and talked with friends and my family back home, walked to the Safeway a few blocks away once. Yesterday I opened up the dig manual that had been emailed to me to start prepping myself for the archaeological work I'll be doing in Jordan.  But other than that, I mostly slept.  It's clear that what I needed was a delay.  Thank God, I got it.

A Scam Story

I had the most interesting experience with being scammed on my arrival in D.C. Thursday night.  I feel like God worked it out for me because I'm still amazed it turned out the way it did.  Here's the story (with the red flags that I missed indicated so you won't miss them should you end up in my shoes on your next flight):

•  As soon as I got in the long line for customer service snaking it's way through the C Gates at Dulles, I googled United Airlines and dialed their customer service number.  I was greeted with a message "Thank you for calling travel services," (First red flag: The message did not identify the company as United Airlines).  
• I was put through to a customer service rep almost right away (Second red flag: I did not have to battle a robot who keeps insisting in that smarmy voice "Before I connect you to representative, perhaps I can help you.  Why don't you tell me what your call is about". ) 
• And then, the third red flag, I wasn't on hold for 45 minutes listening to elevator music and little promo messages about United Airlines.  Holds on this call were always silent) I was connected with a Michael Clarke who did his best to get me rebooked on the soonest possible flight.  He informed me that the next available flights on United wouldn't be until between the 23rd and 26th of June.  
• I could get an earlier flight on a different airline but I would have to pay the fare difference (Fourth red flag: I have never had to pay a fare difference because of missed connection even when the new flight was on different airline).  The fare difference? $1020!  I was horrified.  But there was no way that I was going to arrive in Jordan possibly ten or more days late.  And just abandoning the trip was not an option either. I bit the bullet and gave Michael my card information.  
• Michael asked me to check for an email that I would need to reply to confirming that I gave permission for them to make the charge (Fifth red flag.  That has never happened either.  I've booked tickets over the phone before and never had to send an email to give the airline "approval to go ahead.").  
• I couldn't find the email at first, but eventually discovered it in my junk mail (Sixth red flag). 
•  Michael assured me he'd gotten me the lowest possible price and had even given me a "discount" on some of the taxes and fees to help me out (Seventh red flag. You can't give "discounts" on taxes and fees).  A couple of minutes later I got an email from United with the new itinerary Michael had set up for me.   I ended the phone call relieved to have a flight, but also annoyed to have spent two thirds the cost of my ticket on a "fare difference."

The next morning I determined to call United Airlines to get my money back. It just didn't seem right.  So I called the airline (not noting the number was different than the night before), was welcomed to United Airlines, argued with the robots for ten minutes until I got put on an interminable wait for a live human being.  When I finally reached a person, and was able to explain my situation, I was informed that United Airlines had no record of me being charged anything.  That was when the penny dropped and I realized I'd been duped.

And here's where things get amazing. My new itinerary was legitimate. Michael Clarke hadn't just taken my money--he had actually booked me a new flight.  Essentially he did what I would have done--contacted United, battled the robots, and arranged a new flight--and charged me for the trouble. 

I called my bank right away and explained the situation to them.  They said they couldn't do anything until the charge posted (it was still pending) but would flag it and reach out to me when it posted. I doubted they'd be able to do much.  After all, I willingly gave my card info to Michael and approved the charges.

Then I decided to call Michael back.  I had been scouring the internet for his company and couldn't find anything. The Google search didn't even turn up the number I'd called. I finally called the number back to find out the name of their company so that I could warn everyone away from them.  The lady who answered asked who I had dealt with and I told her.  She put me through to Michael and I chastised him for charging me when he shouldn't have. He put me on hold and was gone for maybe ten minutes.  When he returned he brusquely informed me that the charge had been cancelled.  He had never asked for my name or other identifying information.  I said thank you and he ended the call.

I thought, "No way."  But I checked my bank account and the charge was gone.  There was no sign of a refund.  It was just gone, as if it had never happened.  I still don't know if it was the bank or Michael Clarke and his vaguely named Flight Ticket Portal company that fixed it. I'm just glad it was fixed!

Coincidence

 My back to back class trips to Hawaii were marked by three coincidences.  Two didn't seem to have much "significance"--just kind of cool, and one was very meaningful.  But who knows?  As a person of faith, I tend to be less inclined to assign coincidence to random fate.  Who knows how God is at work and what a seeming chance encounter might actually mean?

Two of the coincidences happened on my last day in Hawaii, Wednesday, June 8, 2022.  In the morning for my final class trip activity before I left Hawaii, we went to see sharks in the wild in a cage diving adventure (well more like cage snorkel).  The tour was run by North Shore Shark Adventures (outstanding company by the way--I highly recommend them) and our captain was a woman named Tonya.  

In the cage with North Shore Shark Adventures.

Tonya overheard me talking about living in Saipan and mentioned that she used to live in Palau.  So after the tour was over, we chatted a bit and it turned out that she was living in Palau at the same time that Barbara was there as a student missionary--1992-1993.  Furthermore it turns out that she knew the principal of Barbara's school and had heard of the scandalous circumstances of his departure from the Adventist school there halfway through the school year.  I won't go into the details of that here, but the story is legend among anyone living in Micronesia at that time.  It further turns out that Tonya's stepmom had a business venture with the principal's wife and so knew them both pretty well. It's entirely possible she may have even met a young, 22-year old Barbara Leen! 

The second coincidence happened a little later that same morning.  We stopped off at the Aloha Stadium Swap Meet to pick up some souvenirs on the cheap.  While the kids and parents shopped, I stopped off at a food truck to get some tacos for lunch.  They had picnic tables set up and I chose to eat my lunch the closet one where a family was already seated.  I probably wouldn't have said two words to them except that a few minutes after I sat down we were approached by some street evangelists.  The lady that spoke to us was proselytizing for a church that believes in the Heavenly Mother (as well as the Heavenly Father).  Their denomination believes in the male Trinity and a female expression of God that they believe is identified as the "Bride" in Revelation.  Those of us at the table politely listened to her pitch, complete with scriptural evidence.  We had a little discussion at the end and I asked a few questions.  Though we were not converted, it was a nice exchange.  When the missionaries left, the father of the family seated at my table asked what church I belonged to.  When I told him I was Seventh-day Adventist, he said, "Listening to you talk, I knew it.  We are Adventists also."  Whoah!  How cool!

With the Adventist family from Dallas, TX, who I met by chance in Honolulu, Hawaii

But there's more.  They told me they were from Dallas and that their son attended North Dallas Adventist Academy.  That rung a bell with me, and I told them I had a former colleague who had just taken a job leading an Adventist school in Dallas.  They asked my colleague's name and we were all tickled to discover that my friend Wayna Gray is going to be the new head of school at NDAA.  Amazing that we could have that much in common, all discovered by accident in  a chance encounter in tropical paradise!

And Dallas brings me to my last coincidence.  This one, I've known about for a week or so.  My dear friend Chandra is buried not far from Dallas, in Granbury, Texas.  When I booked the flights for our trip to Hawaii in April, I didn't pay much attention to where we would layover or how long the layover would be.  With the trip running over $2000 per student, I just needed the cheapest flight.  So it wasn't until after the tickets were long booked that I realized that I was going to have a close to twelve hour layover not far from Chandra's resting place.  I also learned from Chandra's mom that Chandra's headstone was finally going to be installed at the cemetery.  The stone was placed Tuesday and two days later, with plenty of time to kill,  I was able to go and see it.  It was sad and beautiful and sweet and painful--all at once.  But I'm so glad I got to go and spend some time remembering my friend.  That coincidence was a blessing for sure.

At Chandra's resting place. 

Alone in Hawaii

 Tonight I sat on the crowded sands of Waikiki Beach as the sun set, ushering in another Sabbath. I was surrounded by people--frat bros and honeymooners and girls in swimsuits and older couples and little Asian kids and the occasional homeless person curled up on their belongings in the sand and the sad guy with dark beard and yellow shirt strumming original tunes on his guitar--and yet quite alone.

Strangely enough, I think I've been utterly alone in Hawaii more often than any other place in the world.  Granted their have been conferences--in Boston in 2019 and Las Vegas in 2015, but I was busy--learning and interacting.  But I can't think of any other place besides Hawaii where I've been completely by myself with nothing to do.

The first time was in March of 2004.  My grandfather had passed away and I'd returned to the U.S. Mainland for his memorial. The plan was to fly back to Guam, where I'd meet up with REAL Christian Theatre, my drama ministry team.  We'd do a series of shows and then return to Saipan together.  Well, a mechanical issue with the plane in Houston scuttled those plans.  By the time I finally landed at Daniel K. Inouye Airport on the island of Oahu, I'd missed my connecting flight to Guam and there was nothing available in the imminent future. Continental put me up in a hotel in Honolulu while they figured out how to get me home.  It took them two days and I would ended up taking the island hopper flight through Micronesia, arriving at Agana Heights SDA Church in Guam, Saturday evening during the final act of the play I was supposed to act in.

I don't remember much about those two days in Hawaii. I know I spent the bulk of the full day there at the airport trying to find a flight that would get me to Guam in time for the drama tour. But other than that I don't remember much. I didn't go to the beach, didn't leave the hotel, actually, except to go to the airport.  I was in paradise and completely alone.

And I find myself in that same place--paradise, and alone--today.  My class of 2022 left last night after an epic class trip in Hawaii. They had such a great time!  And I did too--despite the nonstop schedule and never ending to-do list. Just seeing the wonder and joy on my kids faces, to see their eyes opening to all that is possible for them was worth all the headaches of pulling this all together. This afternoon my class of 2020, now about to enter their junior year of high school, was supposed to arrive, and we'd begin the adventure all over again.  But their flight got canceled and now they aren't arriving until tomorrow afternoon.  I was gifted an extra day of peace, quiet, rest, vacation!  An extra day of being alone.

Like last time, I spent most of this day making arrangements. I was on three different phone calls for a total of five hours this morning into this afternoon.  The problem-solving left me drained and exhausted.  I was supposed to meet my cousin this afternoon, but I was so worn out, I couldn't think about driving. I ate a bento box lunch in my room and then went back to work. I managed to get some laundry done between tasks.  I never did make it to the beach until just before sunset.

Hawaii is wonderful. But it's so much better when you can share it with others.

This is me and our school secretary Mr. Fierro, with the some of our Aloha-shirted students from the 8th grade class of 2022

At the top of Diamond Head

At the Luau

Hawaii is not just where I've been lonely. It's also where I've spent at least a couple of anniversaries. Babs and I spent our nine year anniversary here on Oahu.

I'd love to have this pretty face sitting across from me (July 27, 2006)

We also spent our ten year anniversary here:

Our tenth wedding anniversary, July 27, 2007

One of my favorite pictures. I  miss my travel buddy!

I've been lost on the train
With a west found gold
Tossed and turned in the waves
Down a dead end road
Lost my mind on purpose
To my find soul
Found there's only so much
You wanna see alone

And I can picture your silhouette
In the summer of no regrets
It felt like a thousand breathes a thousand steps
I knew right then and there that

I'd go anywhere with you
I'd go anywhere with you
I know you feel the same thing that I do
'Cause I'd go anywhere, anywhere with you
Anywhere, anywhere
Anywhere with you
Anywhere, anywhere

I slept under the pines
And they sang your name (and they sang your name)
Stared at the stars in the night
And I saw your face (and I saw your face)

And I can picture your silhouette
I sway in the sunset
It feels like a thousand breathes a thousand steps
I know right here and now that

I'd go anywhere with you
I'd go anywhere with you
I know you feel the same thing that I do
'Cause I'd go anywhere, anywhere with you

We were humming out the window
Running where the wind blows
Puffing cigars under the stars on theatre rooftops
Til the cops came
And I know that I was changed
Playing jokes on the people below
And I know that we'll never be the same
No we'll never be the same

'Cause I'd go anywhere with you
I'd go anywhere with you
I know you feel the same thing that I do
'Cause I'd go anywhere, anywhere with you
I'd go anywhere with you
I'd go anywhere with you
I know you feel the same thing that I do
'Cause I'd go anywhere, anywhere with you
Anywhere, anywhere, anywhere with you
Anywhere, anywhere
Anywhere, anywhere
Anywhere, anywhere

            --Mat Kearney, "Anywhere With You"

92: The One in the End (And The Beginning)

 

And then we were at the end.  The end of our senior year.  The end of high school.  The end of childhood.  And the beginning of so much more. It was truly a bittersweet moment.

The graduation weekend events began on Thursday, May 14, 1992 with the year-end class party at Chandra Maloney's lakeside home.  I wrote:

"Fairly good day.  Tonight was the senior class party  at Chandra's house. It wasn't all that exciting but I had fun. . .Didn't do much else other than a War Pig strike with Joey [Gravell].  We snuck out in the middle of the party and 'shoe-shined' a bunch of people's cars. I had to do mine to avoid suspicion.  It was so hilarious. Everyone was talking about it. . ."

Later that night the War Pig had other plans for mischief--which did not pan out:

"12:38 AM. Actually Friday morning waiting to do a War Pig strike.  I'm getting really tired, but I'll survive. Mark Reams was supposed to spend the night but as yet, he hasn't shown up and I doubt he will. We kind of missed connections. Too bad, he really wanted this one."

Ah what a difference cell phones would have made. Or maybe not. Perhaps Mark realized it was time to put away childish pranks. Or more likely he was still working on that epic speech for Saturday night.

Friday, May 15 was the first event of graduation weekend, the consecration service.  I reflected on the evening in my journal:

"It's finally beginning to sink in. It didn't' really begin to hit home until J and I were strolling down that runway tonight in our black robes and hats, and our yellow honor cords.  Only then did I realize that my high school years are really just about over.  It's kind of weird and I still haven't fully accepted that it's me that's graduating.  Tonight was the first program of graduation weekend, the Friday night vespers.  It went well, and we got out amazingly early. We were done by about 9.  I walked down with J and tomorrow I will be walking down with Chandra."

The walking down thing was a big deal. At least for me. I put a lot of thought into who I wanted to walk with for the Friday and Sabbath morning ceremonies. I wanted to walk with people who meant something to me.  Of course, there were more than two people that meant something to me, but in the end I chose to walk with two people who I first befriended when we were all freshmen, who became my best friends then--and continue to be to this day.

J and me, Friday night, May 15, 1992

Chandra and me, Sabbath morning, May 16, 1992

Saturday, May 16, 1992 was The Big Day.  I took some time a little less than an hour before we headed over to the gym for the commencement to try to reflect on the momentous occasion:

"6:18 PM   Well, its finally here and I feel like I should have something profound to say and I don't.  In leas than two hours I will be marching down that aisle for the last time.  In less than five hours I will be a graduate of Forest Lake Academy.  My high school days will be over, a significant milestone will have been passed and a phase of my life will be ended.  It seems like I should be reflecting on these past four years but I can't seem to find any words.  I, maybe,  should be looking to the future, but for me the future is dark and uncertain; I hate to think about it. And yet it seems so close, I can hardly help it. . ."

Several hours later I picked up again, finding ample time to write amidst the "excitement" of Project Graduation. 

"Well, it's over. I am now officially alumni of Forest Lake Academy, a graduate and once again a freshman. It was an awesome ceremony from start to finish.  Admittedly, I am biased but to me it was the most awesome graduation I'd ever been to. It's really weird and kind of sad to think that there is no next year, no next semester, no Monday for academy. It's all over now, a piece of history now.  It was such a high though being on that stage, it was a high that lasted until first dull hours of project grad.

I got to the school around 7:15 or so and spend most of the time talking to my friends and glorying in the approaching moment.  Numerous pictures were taken etc. . .Finally a little after eight, we marched down the aisle. 

The ceremony was so awesome. Chandra played that piece that inspired me so much and she was sooo good. Rey gave a really awesome speech.  Linda  played and was also quite impressive.  Then they had the officers speeches, which were all very moving.  Ly, Chris , Jennifer [Everett], and Susan all broke down in the middle of theirs. For once, I felt satisfied with a speech I made and I think my friends were quite surprised to find themselves tributed in my speech.  

To see Sabbath morning baccalaureate marches (in and out) as well as the early parts of the commencement program including Rey's speech, parts of Chandra and Linda's performances, and snippets of the officers speeches  click on the link below (or copy and paste it into your browser):

http://share.imemories.com/pubshare/75da9543-e4f5-431a-ac6a-76dbbeaa5ae6

Mark was the last one and it was incredible, it was one of the best speeches I've ever heard.  I  say this especially because I know how hard it was for Mark to write that speech, he was so worried about it, he said it'd only be five minutes long but he worked hard and it paid off. It was the perfect length and had the perfect balance of humor and seriousness. It was so funny, he started out by taking pictures of the audience, the class, and himself.  It was a great speech.  After that we presented the class gift and then they had the principal's and college awards etc.  Chris was valedictorian, Jenny B [Burrill] was salutatorian, Matthew was Student of the Year, and Rey got the principal's award.  I collected two more scholarships, one from Oakwood and from Southern.  Finally we got our diplomas.  Then the class song and it was all over. . .I went home and changed, went to Chris C's house, and then to project grad which up to this point proved very, very dull."

To hear Mark's speech and segments of the later part of graduation, click on the link below (or copy and paste it into your browser).

http://share.imemories.com/pubshare/dafd4822-a13b-4628-979f-4102b317fbe2

Looking back at the video I don't think it's accurate to describe Chris Cotta's momentary "huskiness" of voice as "breaking down" in the middle of his speech. Not that there would be any shame in it, if he had.  

Mark seemed to have a prescient understanding of the importance of documenting the moment.  In those pre-social media times, his selfie and audience pics seemed so creative and original.  Little did we know that in 30 years this would be standard.  

I do not remember the class song.  Did we actually sing it? 

My criticism of Project Graduation was a bit harsh. I know the sponsors worked hard to provide a fun celebration for the graduates.  I don't think there's much more they could have done that didn't involve loud music and grown-up drinks.  As it was, we did have about a minute of loud rock n' roll before they shut us down.  I recapped the night on Monday, May 18, beginning with my assessment that Chris and Carissa had the right idea:

"My first days out of academy have been rather dull.  Project grad was kind of precursor to that.  Chris and Carissa had the right idea when they left at 2:00 AM, an hour after it started.  It was so damn boring, the most boring five hours of my life. I did win two tickets to Sea World and so did Chandra and J.  We're gonna get a group together and go. . .

The only interesting thing to happen was when they had "Funky Boy" Rey's band play. It consisted of Rey, Jason Lassell, Matt Crofton, Dale [Robertson], and Nathan Jones.  That was cool, but they were asked to cut it short because they were 'playing too loud', so they did one mellow song, then Eric Mullins took over drums from Dale and they went out guns blazing.  They kicked into a full volume, kick-ass, and damn good rendition of Metallica's 'Enter Sandman' and it was awesome. It was the best thing they played all night. It actually sounded like the real thing.  And Colin [Astwood], Mark Reams, Shane [Hamilton], Steward Eden, Tom McDonald, and a bunch of other guys started moshing.  Needless to say, this did NOT last very long. The sponsors quickly made them stop, much to everyone's disappointment and they played only a minute, maybe less.  After that it was back to 'pool games starting downstairs everyone. . .' As Jason [Lassell] said, 'Rock n' Roll is better than drinking & driving.' Particularly on grad night.

At the end of the project grad they had this great cry-fest manufactured by PT. I thought thing was really stupid and contrived, but everyone cried anyway.  I think it was because we were all so tired. I cried but for different reasons. . .

Yeah, sure. For different reasons.  Whatever.  I've been on the other side of that event for 24 years, trying to plan fun and meaningful events for cynical, too-cool-for-school teens who don't see how these old boomers can possibly "get it."  I may have felt our sponsors were "manipulating" us into an emotional moment.  But the fact was, the emotions were real.  And looking back, if I could have truly understood what I had been trying to articulate earlier in my journal--and if I could have known what the years ahead would bring--the passage of time and the distant miles, the growing apart and growing close again, the heartache and celebrations. If I could have known that for one of my best friends, the clock was ticking with 28 years left.  I think I would have appreciated those five hours so much more.  I'd gladly take those five hours back thirty years later from 2 AM to 7 AM tonight and happily spend them with the people who were in that rec center that night. One thing I'd change though. I'd let Rey and Co finish "Enter Sandman."  I'm really curious to see who would have taken on James Hetfield's roaring vocals.

So it ended. 

And so it began.

"And in the end
The love you take
Is equal to the love you make"

                                  --The Beatles, "The End"

The One Year Bible: "The Crime of Counting"

Don't do it David!

I've identified three major errors David made in his life.  The first, and perhaps the most famous, was his dalliance with Bathsheba and the murder of Uriah to cover it up. The second was his failure to manage his children.  We first suspect this is an issue with his failure to address his son, Amnon's rape of his daughter Tamar. The Bible later confirms his lax parenting when it states in regards to his son Adonijah, that "his father, King David, had never disciplined him at any time, even by asking him, 'Why are you doing that?'" (1 Kings 1:6).  It's counterintuitive,  but as often happens with spoiled kids, David's permissiveness emboldened Adonijah to rebel. Adonijah would end up leading  an attempt to take the throne that David had designated to Solomon.

The third error came in the twilight of David's reign, when he decided to conduct a census of Israel. I found this story difficult.  For starters, there's the statement 1 Samuel 24 that "the anger of the Lord burned against Israel, and he caused David to harm them by taking a census."  The first issue is that it appears the Lord caused David to do wrong and harm his people.  Granted in the version of the story told in 1 Chronicles 21, it says "Satan rose up against Israel and caused David to take a census of the people of Israel."  That creates a new question though.  Who really incited David to take the census?  God or Satan?  Naturally theologians over the years have come up with varying answers to that question.  For me, I think the difference in the two accounts could illustrate how the understanding of Bible writers changed over time. Perhaps the author of 2 Samuel didn't have a concept of an Adversary to God, and so attributed everything to God.  And maybe the author of 1 Chronicles had more refined understanding that allowed for a Satan to attack as well as God.  I can't say for sure--but what does seem clear to me is that just because a Bible writer said God did something--especially if it's "out of character"--doesn't necessarily mean He did it.

Another question is, what wrong did Israel do to deserve the punishment that came as a result of David's census?  Again, while 2 Samuel suggests God was angry with Israel and so caused David to conduct the census, 1 Chronicles simply states that Satan rose up against Israel and does not imply that Israel had done wrong.  David himself later describes Israel as "innocent as sheep" and claims full responsibility for the sin in ordering the census.  The fact that the nation suffered as result of David's mistake is consistent with the sad reality that often times it's the innocents who suffer when leaders do wrong.

Finally, I wondered why the census was wrong in the first place.  While once again many theologians have weighed in on this, the Bible gives no indication of why it was wrong.  But it is very clear that it was wrong. No less than Joab urged David not to conduct the census.  While he doesn't spell it out, Joab implies that to conduct the census implies a lack of trust in God: "May the Lord increase the number of His people a hundred times over" he says in the Chronicles' version, "But why, my lord the  king, do you want to do this? Are they not all your servants? Why must you cause Israel to sin?"  Listen, when Joab, a man not exactly renowned for his high moral standards, tells you you are doing wrong, you are really doing wrong.

But David begins the census anyway, and disaster befalls Israel as result.  David is given a choice between three punishments--a three year famine, a three month war, or three days of plague.  David opts for the plague, reasoning that it's always safer to be at the mercy of God's wrath than at the mercy of human beings.  While we might be inclined to question God's goodness in this story, David had no doubt about the heart of God.  He understood, as Rich Mullins sang, that "there's a wideness in God's mercy that I cannot find in my own."  For those of us reading this story thousands of years later, who maybe are scared to trust God fully, this story is perplexing.  But David, who lived it, who saw 70,000 of his people perish, knew God so well, that even in this desperate moment understood that God was still to be trusted.

Highlights of 2 Samuel 19:31-2 Samuel 24, Selections from 1 Chronicles, and the Psalms

• The Census

• Adonijah Tries to Take the Throne

• David's Twilight Years and Death

Fun Facts

• Do you know about the time David couldn't kill the giant?  While David was able to slay Goliath as a boy, in his later years, he was not as successful.  In his face-off with the Philistine giant Ishbi-benob, the king had to be rescued by one of his men (2 Samuel 21:16-17).  After that David's men insisted that his days of fighting giants were over.  When the battles against the Philistines and their warriors continued it was a guy named Elhanan that took out Goliath's lesser known brother.

• Do you know how you got on the praise and worship team at the Temple David commissioned? Music was a a major part of the worship at the new temple, and significant number of Levites were assigned the role of "praise team."  What's interesting is that there was no interview process or resumes needed to determine which musician would get which job.  Jobs were assigned by means of "sacred lots, without regard to whether they were young or old, teacher or student."  Basically, you got your assignment based on the roll of holy dice.

• Do you know how David kept the chill off in his old age?  Some old folks wrap up in a shawl or a comfy sweater, maybe a hot water bottle or an electric blanket.  But David being king and all got himself a human warmer.  Abishag is described  in 1 Kings 1: 1-4, as a beautiful young woman, who was hired to care for the king. Among her duties was to snuggle up with the elderly king in bed and keep him warm.  The Bible made it clear that there was no sex going on.  Just spooning, I guess.

• Did you know that David does not forget?  Man, in his last years as David was getting ready to hand over the throne to Solomon, he settled some scores.  After giving the usual admonitions to follow God and whatnot, David says "And there's something else..."(1 Kings 2:5-9).  "You know what Joab did to me."  David had taken note of Joab's murder of Abner, and more recently of Amasa, another one of David's commanders.  He instructed Solomon to make sure Joab, who lived by the sword died the same way.  David also had a little something for Shimei, the man who cursed David when he was on the run from his son Absalom. Shimei thought he was off the hook, but David, in true mob boss style says to Solomon "You are wise man and you will know how to arrange a bloody death for him."  Dang.  Dang!  David is not playing!  I think this was more than Mafia style vengeance.  David knew who would be a threat to his son's throne (after all, Joab had sided with Adonijah against Solomon) and wanted to be sure that Solomon took action preemptively against those threats.  Joab remains a fascinating character to me--a Biblical antihero if you will, a Batman-like figure who lived by his own coldly calculated code of justice. He was a loose cannon, a maverick who did what he thought was right regardless of his boss, who he undoubtedly viewed as a bit soft. In the end, David would let Joab know he chose the wrong one.

• Did you know who else does not play?  Bathsheba! After being somewhat of a cipher throughout the whole Uriah/David entanglement, she comes strong on the scene in David's final days to advocate for her son Solomon's place on the "Iron Throne" of Israel.  She is a major player in the quelling of Adonijah's attempted coup.

Psalms that Stood Out to Me

The final readings from this week moved fully into the Psalms, where I expect we'll spend the next couple weeks.  I thought I'd share a pair of Psalms that stood out for different reasons.

Psalms 8.  The book of Psalms is basically a book of song lyrics.  Each of the passages was a song. Most--but not all--were written by David.  Unsurprisingly, many of these lyrics have been put to new music by modern composers.  As I come across some of these Psalms, I'll share the songs that have been made out of them. Psalms 8 is the first of these, I'll share.  There are a couple of tunes to the eighth Psalm.  The first is Sandi Patti's high energy interpretation of vs 1, the first part.  And then there's one I just stumbled onto in church today. I was working in the sound booth when the praise team busted out this take on Psalms 8.  I have to admit it was pretty good, and we had "church" for a good 15 minutes on that song. But my personal favorite is a few years older. It's by Keith Green, one of the "Jesus Music" pioneers.  I could write a whole blog on Keith Green, who had a huge impact on my spiritual formation. You can read more about how here. For now, I'll just say that if you can get used to his distinctive voice, which I concede is an acquired taste, his interpretation of Psalm 8 is really quite nice. And unlike Sandi, he sang the whole Psalm!

Psalm 18. I don't have a song for this one, but I was struck by a theme that we'll see quite a bit in the Psalms--and elsewhere in Scripture:  God's might and power.  I think we tend to be a bit scared by God's power.  We prefer nice friendly Jesus, rather than a God with smoke pouring from his nostrils and fierce flames leaping from his mouth (Psalm 18:8).  But what David does is paint this awesome picture of God and then says, this God is my protector. That is how he reconciles a fearsome God with a God he trusts.  This is a God strong enough to reach down from heaven and rescue us, to draw us out of deep waters (vs 16) and in whose strength we can crush an army and scale any wall (vs. 29).  David reminds us that a God powerful enough to be enough in any circumstance is by necessity going to be a force to be reckoned with.  

The One Year Bible: "You Give Love a Bad Name"

 

This week's reading, which was all in 2 Samuel could have been ripped from the script of a steamy soap opera.  Lies, betrayal, murder, jealousy, sex. It's all there.  And of course, love.  It's what makes the world go round. It's what makes you do crazy things, as one Hollywood A-Lister recently insisted.  But what we like to call love--the actions (or inactions) we sometimes take an account of "love"--can have disastrous consequences.  In two stories we see the so-called love of a man for a woman causing tremendous harm, not least to the women the men were obsessed with.  There is the famous story of David and Bathsheba.  After David caught sight of Bathsheba bathing, he took advantage of his kingly power to sleep with her and then had her husband murdered to hide his sin.  Less well known, is the story of David's son Amnon who became obsessed with his half-sister Tamar and raped her.  While the Bible tells us nothing about Bathsheba's perspective on her liaison with David--whether she was a willing participant or, like her stepdaughter, was coerced, we know how Tamar felt.  She was devastated and her life was ruined.

According to some translations of the Bible, David did not punish his son Amnon "because he loved him, for he was his firstborn."  This time so-called "love" caused David not to act when he should have, allowing the crime against his daughter to go unaddressed.  It would fall to Tamar's brother, the handsome and charismatic Absalom to take matters into his own hands,  who out of  love for his sister, avenges his sister's honor by murdering Amnon.

Later on, Absalom foments a rebellion against his father and ends up being killed during the ensuing civil war.  David is crushed by his son's death and kind of falls apart, openly grieving over his death and casting a pall over the relief that rebellion had been crushed and the king's family and supporters spared certain death.  Joab had to pull David aside and give him the "pull yourself together, man" speech.  "You had a lot of people put their lives on the line for you, Your Majesty.  And for you to now conduct yourself this way is a slap in the face."  You know when the counsel of the ethically problematic Joab is on target, you've wandered pretty far off the path.

"Love" that cause you to do wrong, or that allows wrong to go unaddressed is unworthy of the name.

Highlights from 2 Samuel 6:12-2 Samuel 19:30 (with selections from 1 Chronicles and the Psalms)

• David and Bathsheba

• Amnon and Tamar

• Absalom's Rebellion

Fun Facts:

• Do you know about David's dirty dancing?  Okay, it wasn't dirty, exactly.  It's hard to tell what it was.  The best I can tell from the Biblical account is that his exuberant dancing as the Ark was returned to Jerusalem was undignified, unbefitting a king, and drew the inappropriate attentions of the servant girls of the kingdom.  At least that's how David's wife Michal saw it. She expressed her disgust and David clapped back essentially saying, "I'm more than happy to look like a fool to you, and even in my own eyes, but the servant girls are still going to think I'm pretty awesome."  The Bible tells us that after this testy spousal exchange Michal remained childless the rest of her life.  Whether that was some sort of consequence for her contempt for David, or simply because David chose to occupy himself with his other wives (and the wife of another man, in at least one instance) is unclear.

• Do you know how to get David mad?  You might try to kill him or steal his kingdom, but David's temper typically didn't flare when people came for him.  He trusted God to provide for him and didn't seem to feel a strong need to defend himself.  But, let someone mistreat one of his men and David got hot. We saw this is in the story of Nabal last week. We see it again this week when he sends envoys to the Ammonites to honor the passing of their King Nahash, who had been a friend to David during his years of exile.  Well, Nahash's son Hanun receives what turns out to be some deadly counsel from his advisors.  They tell the king not to trust the envoys and so he shaves off half their beards and cuts off their robes at the waist, and sends them home, exposed and humiliated.   David was furious and went to war with the Ammonites. It's too bad David's anger on behalf of his humiliated men couldn't have been extended to his poor daughter, Tamar!

• Do you know who the creep Jonadab is? This grimy guy was David's nephew, the son of his brother Shimea.   He was the one that came up with scheme to for his buddy Amnon to "hook up" with Tamar.  Then later on when Absalom kills Amnon, it's Jonadab that appears on the scene, acting all innocent, to set the record straight that only Amnon had been killed and not all of David's sons, as the king had initially been told.  Jonadab fails to mention that if he hadn't put Amnon up raping Tamar, Amnon would likely still be alive.

What Stood Out to Me

Joab

Almost every story in this week's reading was compelling.  The human drama is fascinating.  And not only are the stories interesting, but the people in the stories are among the most complex in the Bible. These are not one-dimensional heroes or villains, easily categorized saints or sinners.  In these stories good people do bad things, and bad people do good things.  One character in particular really stands out--Joab.  David's military commander and right hand man is a fascinating guy.  He is a cold, pragmatic man who on more than one occasion disregarded King David's commands when he felt they were too "soft."  Joab is rough man who lives by a violent code of honor.  He gets things done, does the dirty work he feels no one else will.  I'm sure if you were to ask Joab he'd say he has no regrets. He did things his way.  He did what he had to do. 

But as we'll see in upcoming readings, Joab's cold methods did not escape David's notice. In the end, David will hold him to account.  Tune in next week to see how. In the meantime, go check out the book of 2 Samuel. It's a page-turner.

92: The One in the Spring

 

No this isn't graduation. This is the awards ceremony at the end of the Spring Track & Field Meet and Picnic, Sunday, April 26, 1992. Our class claimed another moral victory (since we didn't have an an actual victory).  Many of my classmates donned their robes to remind everyone that we were out of there in a few weeks.

On Sunday, April 26, 1992, our senior class participated in the last competitive event of the school year. The mood of the spring picnic was very different from the fall. At least for me.  

Once again our class didn't win. (I don't recall if we were dead last again, or not. It would not surprise me if we were). Once again, I watched from the sidelines rather than participating. Once again those musclebound juniors took first place.  But the way we all approached the track and field meet, also known as the spring picnic appeared to have changed.  This time we let the juniors enjoy their victory. There was no petty flag stealing, no unsportsmanlike taunts. I was more positive, and more reflective. 

Instead of sneering at the whole event, I chose instead to ponder the beauty of the hard-won victory. I had forgotten until I read about it in my journal, how the girls of our class actually dropped the rope during tug of war, only to pick it back up again, and end up winning the contest.

More than any specific events of the day, I remember clearly how I felt. That sense of bittersweet peace and wonder was captured in the quiet of Maloney living room, late Sunday afternoon, when I left the picnic for awhile and went to Chandra's house and listened to her practice for graduation.

Here's my journal account of that day.  It was a long entry, mostly some thoughtful reflections on a couple of close friendships. I've left a lot of that out, to focus on the events of the day:

"Today was the picnic and we lost again, for the final time.  This is the very last picnic for the class of 1992.  Three weeks from today we will be alumni of F.L.A.  No one really felt bad that we lost; my thing when the juniors went crazy when they were announced the winners was 'What are they cheering for.  They're stuck here for another year.' But we played hard and placed in quite a few events.  Sipho Nkosi got Athlete of the Day.  It was awesome at the awards ceremony.  Half of our class showed up in their robes and they played 'Pomp & Circumstance'.  Seniors Rule. What can I say.

Athlete of the Day, Sipho Nkosi on the winners podium

We spent most of the day, or I did anyway, hanging out at my car with Greg, Chris, and Carissa and various other people, listening to my Beatles and Kings X tapes.

We had our barbeque and that was real good. Also wandered around the fields, talked to the War Pig (not us [by "us"  I meant the group of us that had been sowing mischief around campus for the past month or so--they included Joey Gravell, Mark Reams, Erik Wyand and a few others], but Lena and Tonya's crowd. I jokingly refer to them as the War Pig.  Little do they [except for Tonya] know. . .) [apparently, I told Tonya that I was part of the War Pig? So much for secrecy!] and also Chandra.  Went over to Chandra's for a little while this afternoon. . .

At the Barbeque

On the field. Unfortunately I didn't take any pictures of the events themselves

I was watching Chandra practice her piece that she's playing for graduation when I was at her house and it was so incredible.  I was absolutely awestruck.  That something of such awe and beauty and power could come from her.  As I watched her hands flying over those keys producing those gorgeous sounds, I can't describe how I felt.  It was just incredible.  I have gained so much respect and admiration for Chandra and other musicians because watching her play was like watching a small miracle.

You can watch Chandra's actual performance of "Malaguena" at graduation here.  Just fast foward to the 14:26 mark.

Another thing I found interesting was was watching people in competition today.  It was really fascinating to watch people I knew so well just pouring their hearts into something like that.  Watching the Tug of War and watching our girls drop the rope, pick it up and still win and watching the guys give everything they had, it was really something.  And no matter what they say there is something really nice about winning.  Watching the faces of my classmates when they won. It was just very interesting, to watch people give everything they have and watch it pay off.  That's what's so alluring about the winning team, particularly when the victory is hard won.  That is about all for today."

The One Year Bible: Five Things I Love About David

David is one of my favorite Bible characters-maybe my most favorite. There's just something about him that is so refreshing.  It's hard to put my finger on, but I love this guy.  After giving it some thought I've identified five reasons why I love David:

1. I love that David didn't reward murderous treachery--even when it was in his favor.  Okay, I know this seems kind of "obvious."  Of course any king (or mob boss) on the rise can't tolerate disloyalty.  But David seemed to understand that any one willing to kill (or take credited for killing) to ingratiate himself with the winning side was someone not to be trusted.  On more than one occasion men seeking to curry favor with the up and coming king eagerly reported their personal involvement in the destruction of David's enemies.  It did not end well for them. We have the Amalekite who rushed to report Saul's death to David and decided to embellish the story by taking credit for Saul's death.  David was horrified that this man was willing to kill the Lord's anointed (something David himself had been unwilling to do) and had him executed.  And when two brothers, Baanah and Recab murdered Saul's son Ishbosheth while he slept, clearing the way for David to claim the throne, they suffered the same fate.

2. I love that David trusts God to avenge him.  David never felt the need to take the kingdom.  He believed if it was his to have, God would work it out.  Even though Saul was out to kill him, twice David elected not to kill Saul when he had the chance.  David's philosophy wasn't "kill or be killed", and it was "Don't kill and trust God to handle my enemies."  One of the bonuses to this approach is that prevents a vicious cycle from starting. When we insist on exacting our own vengeance we make ourselves the target for the vengeance of those we have harmed.

3. I love that David isn't perfect and when confronted with his wrong doing, he owns up to it.  David definitely did wrong at times (His most famous wrongdoing is still to come in 2 Samuel).  But when confronted, David accepted correction and changed course.  David's ego wasn't so big that he couldn't see the error of his own ways when they were pointed out.  This is evident in the story of Nabal and Abigail, and how she was able to prevent from David from killing Nabal (1 Samuel 25).

4. I love that David is generous and kind. When David and his men had to go recover their families and property from a raiding band of Amalekites (2 Samuel 30), there were 200 of his men that were too tired to keep up the pursuit.  When the battle was won the men who did the fighting wanted to keep all the spoils for themselves. It seemed fair--after all they did the fighting, the 200 didn't.  But David insisted that the loot be shared equally with those that stayed behind.  "No, my brothers! Don't be selfish with what the Lord has given us," David said. "He has kept us safe and helped us defeat the band of raiders that attacked us. Who will listen when you talk like this? We share and share alike--those who go to battle, and those who guard the equipment."  David understood that when God gives you the victory you don't get to be greedy about the rewards of that victory.

5. I love that David loves God. One of the things I like about David is he is the first person I've come across in the Bible that seems to really, really love God. Noah was obedient. Abraham was faithful..  Joseph was good.  Moses was powerful (albeit also a little cranky).  Many people were blessed by God and used by Him in mighty ways.  But I never got the sense that any of these Bible heroes really liked God the way David does, really rejoiced just to be around Him.  Maybe David was just better at expressing it. I don't know.  It's no wonder that David was able to trust God with taking care of his enemies.  It's much easier to trust Someone you love, and to love Someone you trust.

The Highlights of 1 Samuel 22-2 Samuel (plus portions of the Psalms and 1 Chronicles)

• David and His Band on the Run

• David Spares Saul's Life More than Once

• The Fall of Saul and The Rise of David

• The Ark Returns (Sort of): The Unfortunate Uzzah's Undoing

Fun Facts

A few more pieces of movie trivia:

Did you know how we showed the development of David's army? 1 Samuel 22:1-2 says that David, on the run from Saul, was initially joined by members of his family. But "then others began coming--men who were in trouble or in debt or who were just discontented--until David was captain of about 400 men."  We illustrated this gathering through a music montage, showing petty criminals, people on the run, mistreated on the job and so on, taking off and joining up with David.  

Did you know how we showed the passage of time while David was on the run? Our actor Anson was only in the ninth grade and not able to grow a beard of any significance.  So to show the time passing, we started by using face paint to color in first scruff, then a short beard.  Finally we gave him Goliath's old full beard to show he'd been hiding out for quite some time.

Do you know why I hate that low down dirty Doeg?  Doeg is one of the most despicable people I've read about in the Bible.  He happened to be around when David came to the priest Ahimelech seeking food and supplies while on the run from Saul.  Now David lied to the priest saying that he was on an important top secret mission for Saul, so there was no reason for anyone to think Ahimelech had been disloyal to Saul.  But none of that mattered to Doeg.  Like a stool pigeon in a Mafia movie, he told it all to Saul when he had the opportunity.  Saul, by this time is really coming apart at the seams.  He is totally paranoid and unreasonable. And when he hauls in  the poor unsuspecting Ahimelech he immediately accuses him of treachery and demands that his soldiers kill him and his family.  The soldiers refused to kill the Lord's priests.  But you know who has no qualms at all about killing these innocents priests in order to please Saul?  That's right, Doeg.  He murdered 85 priests that day, then went back to the priests' town of Nob and killed all their families too, including the children and even the animals.  A real big man, that Doeg.  I hate that guy.

Did you know how we filmed the scene with Saul and the medium?  Saul finally hits rock bottom, when desperate for the Lord's guidance (but not for the Lord Himself--big difference between Saul and David), he seeks out a medium who can get him in touch with the now deceased Samuel.  Saul was now breaking his own law which had banned mediums in the land of Israel.  We filmed this scene in a dark, cramped, junk-filled storage container on campus.  Ninth grader Shoko played the part of the medium, complete with a glass fishing buoy to represent a crystal ball.  I reprised my role as Samuel one more time. I held up a scary looking demon-like mask in front of my face and then Aaron used a blurring function on the camera while I removed the mask to make it look as if the spirit was transforming into the appearance of Samuel.  I delivered the lines as written in the Bible (1 Samuel 28:16-19) but when I came to the line "The Lord will hand you and the army of Israel over to the Philistines tomorrow, and you and your sons will be here with me," I repeated the line "you will be with me " twice more in a crazy, maniacal voice, accompanied by some demonic laughter.

You know when you read the account in the Bible the famed "witch of Endor" doesn't seem such a bad sort. She gives Saul a little food, helps him calm down (as he is understandably freaked out by the message he has received), before sending him on his way. Nothing more is said about her.

Do you know why there wasn't a sequel  to our movie Saul and David?  Our film ends with the deaths of Saul and Jonathan, with both Danny as Saul and Manny as Jonathan pulling off great death scenes.  Saul's is a dramatic suicide and Jonathan's a slow-motion battle scene.  We end with a long shot of David receiving news of the battle's outcome amidst swelling music. At first I thought it would be fun to film a sequel based on 2 Samuel. But it quickly became apparent that making a family-friendly film of 2 Samuel would be very difficult.  The violence starts early on with the slaying of Amalekite who claimed credit for killing Saul. It gets worse by chapter 2 with Saul's general, Abner's gruesome killing of Abishai, the brother of David's main general Joab.  While I'm sure 8th grader Cory would have relished pretending to run someone through with butt end of a spear, I think we would have gotten in trouble for such a gory scene, even if it was strictly Biblical.  Likewise with Joab's revenge killing of Abner who had recently defected to David's side.

And one non-movie trivia fun fact:

Did you know about the Strange Love Triangle of Michal, David, and Palti?  After David went on the run, Saul married off his daughter Michal (who was already married to David and had helped him escape, the worthless wrench!), to another guy named Palti.  Well, when Abner defected to David's side in the war for the throne after Saul's death, part of the deal was that David would get his wife back.  In an unusual tale of marital love in the Bible, her husband Palti follows after Abner as he is returning Michal to David, "weeping as he went."  This guy was really broken up about losing Michal!  Abner finally had to tell him to go home.  "Listen man, it's over. Let her go. She ain't gonna be your wife no mo'!" The Bible says "So Palti returned." Poor guy.  This would not be the first time David helped himself to another man's wife. However at least in this case, David had been married to her first.  Michal is an interesting one, by the way.  We'll talk more about her next week.

What Stood Out to Me

Abigail

I always notice the level-headed, strong women of the Bible.  There's no shortage of them.  For a Book coming out of a patriarchal time when women were supposedly of little value, over and over we see a pattern of smart, independent women stuck with loser guys. Abigail is one of those awesome women. Nabal, Abigail's husband is known to be a jerk. The community knows it, people who work for him know it, his wife knows it.  In fact, his name Nabal means "fool".  When David politely asks if he'd be willing to share any extra provisions he might have, Nabal responds with a rude and insulting no.  David is incensed by this reply and in the heat of anger vows to kill Nabal.   Meanwhile one of the servants (who clearly knows who the reasonable person in the family is regardless of who holds the "head of the house" title) runs to tell it all to Abigail.  She quickly intervenes, meeting David on the way and humbly taking responsibility for her husband's shenanigans.  Essentially she says, "Listen, everyone knows that guy is in idiot. It's my bad. I didn't even see your guys come in. They should have talked to me."  Then she goes on to reprimand David for his rush to take revenge, and reminds him of who he is and who God is. David is calmed by her words and decides not to kill anyone. (Nabal ends up stroking out the next day anyway and eventually Abigail becomes David's wife. Well, one of them anyway. Along with Ahinoam and Michal--and more to come. This is still the patriarchy after all!)

Kudos to my students, ninth graders Nei and Jimmy, that played the roles of Abigail and Nabal in our movie.  Jimmy is such a nice guy, but also a great actor, so he really played up the baddie Nabal.  And for Nei the acting was easy as she's just as smart and kind in real life as Abigail was.

Uzzah

Uzzah's always been a puzzlah.  David was in the process of bringing the Ark to Jersualem, and Uzzah was one of the priests tending the cart the Ark was being drawn on.  The oxen pulling the ark stumbled and Uzzah reached out to steady the Ark.  The Ark was fine.  Uzzah was not.  He dropped dead on the spot.  The Bible says that "Lord's anger was aroused against Uzzah, and He struck him dead."  It seems so harsh right? He was only trying to help.  Was God really so petty as all that?  Does God strike us down, regardless of the intentions of our hearts, just because we did the wrong thing.  There are plenty of think pieces out there that will insist that if God wants to be petty, He can because He's God. I suppose that argument is technically true--but it's not very helpful. When we insist that the moral rules God expects us to abide by don't apply to Him because He's God, it makes the whole notion of a "good" God pointless. Good is whatever He says is good. 

I take a different approach to the story of Uzzah.  As in other stories,  I tend to think that was the Biblical writer's understanding of what happened.  Uzzah touches the Ark, Uzzah dies, the Lord must have struck Him down. It's notable to that nowhere in this story does God Himself speak on what He purportedly did. There's no reprimand of Uzzah or David or anyone else in the story.  The celebration dies as quickly as Uzzah did, and the Ark is left on the property of Obed-Edom while David figures out what to do next. This entire episode as well as what follows (which we'll catch next week) happened without any input or guidance from God. My conclusion is that the Ark still contained some live electrical current of God's Holiness and when Uzzah reached out, he was "electrocuted" so to speak just as if he'd touched a live wire.  There's a significant difference between a man being "struck down" arbitrarily by God and a man "struck down" by accidental contact with His Power.