David's Dance
David’s Dance
Recently we celebrated Independence Day here in America. I had some great times of fireworks with my kids, amazing presentations in the sky. This holiday is meant to remind us of the freedoms we have in this great nation. One specific freedom is worship. There is nothing more important than for a nation to put the presence of God front and center within their society. When we as people begin to allow the presence of God to transform our behavior, we can create a better world to live in.
Today’s passage in 2 Samuel chapter 6 tells of how David attempts to bring the ark of the covenant which symbolizes God’s presence back to Israel and place it in the city of Jerusalem, so that the worship of God might become the center of the nation once again. Unfortunately surrounding this national moment in Israel’s history, there are two storylines that have tragic endings. But before we reflect on those stories, let’s talk about why David wanted the ark of the covenant back in Jerusalem.
The ark was made during the time of Moses, as part of the pattern described by God for the tabernacle, the ark was made as a piece of furniture , a religious symbol that represented the physical manifestation of God. It was meant to be respected not worshipped.
This sacred box overlaid with gold, would contain the ten commandments, Aaron’s budded staff, and some manna. There would be two angels with their wings stretched out over the top symbolizing the “mercy seat” which is where God would meet with man. And we cannot miss an important detail that the ark was to be built with handles so that when it was transported it would be carried by the Koathites, who were the priests. And nobody could touch the ark. (Numbers 4:15)
At a very dark time of Israel’s history, during the reign of King Saul, the ark was captured by the Philistine army. When brought into the temple of their god Dagon, the idolatrous statue of the philistines fell and was crushed into pieces. Furthermore, the entire community of the Philistines were getting sick, from what many believe was the bubonic plague. The Philistines assumed that the ark was cursing them and to appease the God of Israel, they placed the ark on a cart carried by two milking cows, and sent it back to Israel. The final landing place would be the house of Abinidab, and it was there for 30 years, quietly placed, well-taken care of by Abinidab and his two sons Uzzah and Ahio.
During those 30 years, Israel would face some really dark days, and that’s the point here…
A nation who no longer places worship at the center of their existence, creates opportunities for darkness and evil to reign in its society.
But David would have no desire to lead a nation where worship was not at the center. So, David gathers 30000 of Israel’s finest men, all the musicians, singers, dancers, and finally he takes the ark from abinidab’s house and places it on a cart to be transported. It was meant to be a time of celebration, but something happens that no one would have expected. The ark began to stumble and fall, but Uzzah reached out his hand to steady the ark, immediately in that moment God strikes Uzzah dead. This was definitely a show stopping moment and David is filled with anger and fear. Perplexed by the presence of God, he decides to give the ark a 90 day sabbatical and places it in the house of Obed-Edom.
What we have here is a story that incites the fear of God. David asks the question, How can the presence of God come to me? Maybe you are perplexed like David or wondering why this happened when it seems that David was being sincere. Sincerity of heart is not the only thing required in worshipping God, obedience and the fear of the Lord is equally important. The ark of the covenant was not designed to be transported on a cart and God was clear that no one should ever touch the ark. David did not follow these two requirements when moving the ark of the covenant. And tragically Uzzah loses his life.
Even though this passage is not prescriptive, it is definitely descriptive of what’s required in our worship of God. This moment describes for us the much needed reverence that is demanded from a holy, righteous and “awe”some God. Our society is full of fear, afraid of everything but God Himself. We are afraid of cancer, covid, terror and disease. We fear the climate, our government, and inflation, yet we don’t fear God. The Bible is clear the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. We should be careful to think that we can toy with God, as though He does not see what is hidden, or that to think we could manipulate a most holy God with our man made efforts to demand blessing and favor. Psalm 89:7 says God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the Saints, and to be held in reverence of all them that are around Him. So what’s the point the scriptures are making in telling of this story? Well, God is not moved by mechanical carts that we control but rather by human hearts that are fully surrendered, The fear of the Lord will affect your activity, approach and adoration of God Himself. We cannot manipulate God to move Him in our favor, yet the presence of God jis what moves us towards transformation in our behavior.
So back to the text. After 90 days, David establishes a military and political base in Jersusalem. Then he attempts to bring the ark back to Jerusalem again, this time consulting God first. David tells the priests consecrate yourselves and be ready to carry the ark. AS the ark moves, David demands a sacrifice to be made and offerings to please God before any celebration, music or dancing would take place. Then David would dance before the Lord and bless all the people with food and drink, celebrating this national moment with joy and thanksgiving that God has returned to Israel!
After an amazing day in the city celebrating the goodness of God, he heads back home to bless his household. Yet he is met with indignation and despise from his wife Michal. She watched David’s spectacle of praise from her window and was not pleased with how he handled himself. See, David took off his royal robes and danced before the Lord in a linen ephod, which was a common piece of clothing that the priests wore. Michal makes the point, this is not how a king handles himself and they have a few choice words towards each other, and then scripture tells us that Michal is barren for the rest of her life.
To fully understand the context of this narrative between David and Michal, we need to understand the back story of these two. Michal enters the biblical narrative when there becomes a power struggle between her father and a young shepherd boy named David. Saul was losing ground, David was gaining power. Saul gives Michal his daughter away to David the Goliath slayer, only in hopes to trip him up. I truly believe these two fell in love, in fact Michal remains loyal to David in a time when her father was seeking to kill him and she helps David escape. While David is on the run, Michal would be given to marriage to another man named Paltiel and David would take multiple wives for himself. Then after some time, David walks back into her life trying to pick up where they left off. Everything else is left to speculation.
What happened to Michal, why did she despise David in her heart? I think it is worth while to reflect on this from Michal’s perspective, a woman with a wounded soul, used by her father and forsaken by the one she loves. Michal has every reason to feel like a victim. However you spin the story, the principle remains the same, a critical spirit that thrives on a “victim” mentality will never lead to health and healing.
So, among two tragic endings, we see the worship of God return back to the center of Israel. We need to remember that these stories are only a part of the greater narrative found in Jesus Christ. The ark of the covenant is fulfilled through Jesus, instead of the blood of bulls and goats on the mercy seat, it is the blood of Jesus that gives man access to God once again.
So, how are these tragedies viewed in light of Christ? Could it be that throughout Michal’s life she would be moved by God? Jewish history would tell us, that Michal gave birth on her deathbed. I would encourage you to read Isaiah 54 where the prophet speaks of a word of healing and redemption to those who are barren at the coming of the Messiah.
How about Uzzah? If he grew up with the ark, didn’t he know not to touch it? So why? Maybe he gave his life so that the ark would be protected? Isn’t this what Jesus did, he became sin, only to be crucified on a cross, so that man could be reconciled to God once again.
These are only speculations, but let me leave you with two things. Keep the worship of God front and center in your life, don’t toy with God. Let the sincerity of your heart be matched by your whole-hearted obedience. And secondly, no matter how wounded, betrayed, or victimized you may feel, Jesus wants to bring redemption to your story and that means health and healing to your body and soul, so accept His forgiveness and mercy today!