Is fairness everyone getting an equal portion or what he or she needs? Was it fair that Uzzah died trying to steady the ark (1 Chronicles 13-15) or should the priests have stepped up to do what was only their job?
I. Numbers 18:20-23. God made the Levites priests and said that He would be their portion and inheritance in this life, and so as they served Him–which included carrying the ark of the Lord, He would care for them. A treasured possession the whole nation were priests (Exodus 19:5-6, Lamentations 3:21-26), and thus in the New Testament so are Christians (1 Peter 2:4-5). Thus, God is our portion too.
II. Joshua 21:41-42. God scattered his priests of the Old Testament and New Testament (Acts 8:1-4) so they could capture souls and keep others connected to Him. So, seeking and saving the lost (Luke 19:10) is our work (1 Corinthians 15:58). When we bury the talent with which we were entrusted (Matthew 25:24-29), then the Uzzahs around us touch the ark we should be carrying and die.
III. Jonah 4:9-11. When we don’t invest what God has entrusted us with to yield interest for Him, He tells us that even what we do have He’ll take away. Many times we justify not investing because we’ve judged others as unworthy of salvation. That’s what Jonah did. Rather, we must help others (Galatians 6:1-2) out of sincere love for them (1 John 4:20). Then we can run our race with perseverance (Hebrews 12:1).
We’ve been entrusted with the gospel message. How many Uzzahs are steadying arks on carts around us while we remain silent? Is the Lord your portion?