by Helen Jesze
“So they set the ark of God on a new cart, and brought it out of the house of
Abinadab, which was on the hill; and Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab,
drove the new cart … accompanying the ark of God; and Ahio went before the
ark. Then David and all the house of Israel played music before the LORD on all
kinds of instruments of fir wood, on harps, on stringed instruments, on
tambourines, on sistrums, and on cymbals.” 2 Samuel 6
When I was 6 years old, my father took over a pioneer church in Guildford, Surrey.
We often had visiting preachers and one favourite was an Assemblies of God
Evangelist, Henry Shave. He often gave prophecies, and one was: “The Cart is
coming into the Church!”
This morning when I woke up, this was strong in my spirit, and so I am writing
about this for our devotional. I cannot remember what Henry prophesied, but I will
write as the Lord leads me.
The Philistines had captured the Ark of God and taken it into their country (1
Samuel 4:11), and placed it in the temple of their god Dagon. But next day they saw that Dagon had fallen down, They placed him up again but he fell again and was broken in pieces. The Presence of the God of Israel was in the Ark of the Covenant, which was stronger than the demonic presence of Dagon! Then people and children were afflicted with a plague brought by rats and tumours, and death was rife in eth city. So the people demanded that the rulers should return the Ark.
So the Philistines returned the Ark, setting it on a cart drawn by oxen, with gold
offerings and sent it into the land of Israel. It stayed there 20 years in Kiriath Jearim, but when David became king he wanted to bring the Ark back to Jerusalem, so he took 30,000 chosen men and the instrumentalists and they set out. The Ark had been placed on a new cart and there was great rejoicing, singing and playing of music. But when they reached the threshing floor of Nacon, the oxen stumbled and Uzzah put out his hand to steady the Ark of God. The Lord was angry because of this and he died beside the Ark. David was angry but also afraid, and did not know how they could continue, so the Ark was left at the house of Obed-Edom.
At first sight, it might seem strange that God would punish Uzzah, when he was
only trying to help. However, we must look even further back. In Exodus 25:12-15
we read that the Ark of God should be carried by the Levites, not placed on a cart.
The Philistines had carried the Ark on a cart, but they got away with it, as they knew no better. So how was King David wrong, when he instructed the Ark to be brought in this way?
The King should have asked the priests or asked the Lord how the Ark should be
brought. Although his purpose was good, he was careless and disobedient to the
Word of the Lord. He considered his own wisdom adequate, rather than submitting to God’s instruction. While Uzzah was wrong to touch the Ark, for which he lost his life, it would not have happened, if King David had not instructed them to put it on a cart.
But what does all this have to do with “The Cart coming into the Church” in
2026?! Let’s unpack this a little. The Ark was symbolic of the Presence of God. In
our church-meetings, we should be fostering His Presence. But how can we do this? One way is by lifting up His Name in praise and worship, for the “Lord dwells in the praises of His people”. As we endeavour to glorify Him, the Holy Spirit’s anointing increases and people are blessed.
When we hear the Word of God preached in a Scriptural way, the Lord is in our
midst; souls are saved, bodies healed and people set free. But sad to say, there are thousands of churches in many denominations and countries who are seeking to usher in the Presence of God on a “new cart”. Instead of preaching the pure Gospel, the victory of the Cross, the Blood of Jesus and His Resurrection, mere human ideas and religious platitudes are preached. How can this be otherwise, if the preacher himself, is often not born-again?!
Another “new cart” is us believing in a cultural Gospel, with many changing the
“Word of God to a lie”, watering it down until it has no power to help or change the individual. Or many churches accepting what is done nowadays, e.g. agreeing with abortions, same-sex marriage, assisted suicide. These ‘new carts’ will never usher in the Presence of God, as they are directly opposed to what God has said in His Word.
Then there is the AI (Artificial Intelligence) ‘new cart’. What do I mean by that?
While AI can be a great help in many things, yet it can also be a temptation or bring harm. I have heard of ministers asking AI to write their sermons for them, and there have already been AI services in churches. President Trump talks about S.I. (Super Intelligence), and last Sunday my pastor spoke about HSI – Holy Spirit Intelligence!
That is the kind we need!!
Then there are the ‘new carts’ of substituting God’s Word with men’s ideas and
philosophies, and considering head knowledge to be more important than a personal relationship with Jesus.
Well, you can probably think of many more, but how is it with our own personal
life today? Are we letting some ‘new carts’ come into our lives, which we would
definitely not have done before?
Prayer: Heavenly Father, forgive us where we have welcomed ‘new
carts’ into our lives with you. Show us by your Spirit where we have
done this. Help us to value your Word and your instruction more than
the opinions of men. In these ‘last days’, teach us to hear and discern
your voice, that the Ark of your Presence – the anointing of your Holy
Spirit might bring glory to the Father and dwell in our midst. We ask
it in the Name of your Son, Jesus, Amen.