David again brought together all the able young men of Israel—thirty thousand. He and all his men went to Baalah in Judah to bring up from there the ark of God, which is called by the Name, the name of the Lord Almighty, who is enthroned between the cherubim on the ark. They set the ark of God on a new cart and brought it from the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill. Uzzah and Ahio, sons of Abinadab, were guiding the new cart with the ark of God on it, and Ahio was walking in front of it. David and all Israel were celebrating with all their might before the Lord, with castanets, harps, lyres, timbrels, sistrums and cymbals.
So David went to bring up the ark of God from the house of Obed-Edom to the City of David with rejoicing. When those who were carrying the ark of the Lord had taken six steps, he sacrificed a bull and a fattened calf. Wearing a linen ephod, David was dancing before the Lord with all his might, while he and all Israel were bringing up the ark of the Lord with shouts and the sound of trumpets.
As the ark of the Lord was entering the City of David, Michal daughter of Saul watched from a window. And when she saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord, she despised him in her heart.
They brought the ark of the Lord and set it in its place inside the tent that David had pitched for it, and David sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings before the Lord. After he had finished sacrificing the burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord Almighty. Then he gave a loaf of bread, a cake of dates and a cake of raisins to each person in the whole crowd of Israelites, both men and women. And all the people went to their homes.
Reflection
When I was growing up, my mom and grandma instilled in me lots of table manners. I learned to put my napkin in my lap and to not put my elbows on the table. I learned the difference between the salad fork and the entree fork and to chew with my mouth closed. I learned never to reach across the table or over someone else’s food to get something. I was a dignified young lady in the making.
In this story we see King David dancing, singing, shouting, and celebrating the praise of God. He’s basically stripped down to his undergarments in front of his whole kingdom celebrating the coming of the ark (the presence of God) in an unsightly way for a king. He had definitely lost all dignity in that moment in the eyes of his wife who was more interested in his image than his praise of God. David’s praise was from the heart. He was not ashamed to humble himself before God and lead the nation in praise. He had a heart of praise.
Reflection Questions
Morning: Do you care more about praising God or what other people might think of you? Afternoon: Do you think it’s appropriate to get a little “undignified” in your worship from time to time?
Night: Look back on the day or week. Where was the presence of God in your life during that time? Say a prayer of thanks and praise for God’s presence in your life.
4:08 PM (43 minutes ago)
No comments:
Post a Comment