I think you must be right Greg that the ark is not physically in itself dangerous but was in some way a tool maybe as Paul said to show his power. There are a lot of interesting ways that God shows his power in the OT. We put a lot of value on an individual's life today. I have to wonder if back then they really didn't see it like that. For 70 men to just poof be dead, and for that to be okay and a punishment for peeking at God's glory. It's almost unfathomable today, yet it's just a few sentences here.

Sometimes when I think too hard about God my brain feels like it's about to explode. For seventy men they got a little too curious to know God's power. God give me peace with the understanding I have and that you have given.