It had been a rocky ride for David…
with
little more than a prayer, he had slain Goliath,
but he had also been a victim of Saul’s
madness,
He had experienced great highs and some deep lows,
but now, he was dancing with
all his might,
because he was bringing the ark
home.
The ark was a sacred thing- a very sacred thing-
which signified nothing less
than the presence of God.
So … it was a day of celebration-
a day for songs and harps
and sistrums-
a day to let go of one’s
inhibitions-
a
day to” let it all hang out.”
It was a day to dance if there ever was such a day,
and that’s exactly what the
great king did.
He danced, and he danced, and he danced.
He danced with all of his might, wearing little more than
an apron (ephod).
He danced like a fool, giving everyone in the crowd
a loaf
of bread and a couple of cakes.
Then, he went home, where he encountered an angry wife!
Michal (Saul’s daughter) was waiting for him and she had
a thing or two to say.
She had been watching him from her window, and
she was
offended by David’s “vulgar” display of enthusiasm.
According to God’s word (2 Samuel 6:1-19),
David
and Michal had a verbal exchange that
permanently damaged their
relationship.
Michal told David to act like a king, and
David told Michal that she
hadn’t seen anything yet.
He told her that he would dance like a fool
every time God showed up.
When God blessed him, he had to respond with utter joy
as God’s people always had.
When Sarah gave birth,
Abraham
called the boy “Isaac,” which means “laughter;”
when God’s people made it across the Red Sea,
Miriam led
them in praise and song;
when the prodigal son came stumbling home,
his
father threw the party of all parties;
when a homemaker found a single coin,
she
invited her neighbors to come and rejoice with her,
and…they gave one another
“high-fives” and hugged
because unfettered joy is the only
appropriate
response to God’s grace!
Friends, as people of faith,
we ought to be dancing fools
because we’ve been blessed beyond
David’s dreams
David was king, but we reign with Christ.
David had the ark, but we are filled with the Holy
Spirit.
David has a scepter, but we have a cross…
so… let’s
dance as if we know ourselves to be saved!
As Presbyterians,
we know that decency & order have their place.
Michal
was right about that,
but
David had the greater truth:
God’s people must dance with unbridled
joy!
As Christians, our dance ought to be a dance
of freedom, and grace, and
inclusion, and hope.
It ought to be a dance where every note sung off-key
and
every clumsy dance step is forgiven.
There are other dances, of course-
dances of power and dances
of pleasure,
dances of addiction and
fear,
dances of death.
But we dance for the Lord of the dance,
and His
dance is THE dance of life!
Someone said that many Christians dance as if
they
have an instruction manual, but no music.
They move mechanically from place to place,
stiffly
and without joy, hoping not to make a mistake.
They are disciplined, but they are not dancing.
Michal would’ve liked that,
but
according to Scripture,
she
never did feel the music.
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