Uzzah

“When they came to the threshing floor of Nacon, Uzzah reached out and took hold of the ark of God, because the oxen stumbled. The Lord’s anger burned against Uzzah because of his irreverent act; therefore God struck him down and he died there beside the ark of God.” 2 Samuel 6:6-7
In 2 Samuel 6 we read of how David desired to bring the ark of God up to Jerusalem from the house of Abinadab at Kiriath Jearim, where it had been since the days of Samuel, after the Philistines captured it in the battle that saw Eli’s sons killed, but subsequently returned it after it brough plagues upon them (1 Sam. 4-6). Uzzah and his brother Ahio were sons of Abinadab. They were not Levites, yet they obviously saw themselves as being entrusted to keep the ark safe (as Eleazar was, 1 Sam. 7:1).
The primary error that was made in this event was to put the ark on a cart. God intended the ark to be carried by the priests (Ex. 37:5, see Num. 7:6-9). The Israelites here were copying what the Philistines had done years earlier, by putting the ark on a cart. But the Philistines had acted in ignorance, since they did not know the requirements of God concerning the ark; nor were there any Levitical priests among them to carry it. But Israel had no such excuse.
Uzzah too was also at fault. He saw himself as being responsible for the ark, so when the oxen stumbled and the ark looked like it was going to fall, he reached out his hand to steady it. But it was not his job to do this, since he was not a priest. “His irreverent act” here was one of negligence, to recognise the separation that existed at that time between the holy things of God, and those God had chosen to be responsible for them (i.e. the Levitical priests).
David himself learnt a lot through this episode – namely, to treat the things of God with greater respect than he had been doing. How much do we respect the things of God?