2 Samuel 6: 1 –23
But can you dance?
6 Again David gathered all the choice men of Israel, thirty thousand. 2 And David arose and went with all the people who were with him from Baale Judah to bring up from there the ark of God, whose name is called by the Name, the LORD of Hosts, who dwells between the cherubim. 3 So they set the ark of God on a new cart, and brought it out of the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill; and Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, drove the new cart. 4 And they brought it out of the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill, accompanying the ark of God; and Ahio went before the ark. 5 Then David and all the house of Israel played music before the LORD on all kinds of instruments of fir wood, on harps, on stringed instruments, on tambourines, on sistrums, and on cymbals. 6 And when they came to Nachon’s threshing floor, Uzzah put out his hand to the ark of God and took hold of it, for the oxen stumbled. 7 Then the anger of the LORD was aroused against Uzzah, and God struck him there for his error; and he died there by the ark of God. 8 And David became angry because of the LORD’s outbreak against Uzzah; and he called the name of the place Perez Uzzah to this day. 9 David was afraid of the LORD that day; and he said, “How can the ark of the LORD come to me?” 10 So David would not move the ark of the LORD with him into the City of David; but David took it aside into the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite. 11 The ark of the LORD remained in the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite three months. And the LORD blessed Obed-Edom and all his household. 12 Now it was told King David, saying, “The LORD has blessed the house of Obed-Edom and all that belongs to him, because of the ark of God.” So David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-Edom to the City of David with gladness. 13 And so it was, when those bearing the ark of the LORD had gone six paces, that he sacrificed oxen and fatted sheep. 14 Then David dancedbefore the LORD with all his might; and David was wearing a linen ephod. 15 So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the LORD with shouting and with the sound of the trumpet. 16 Now as the ark of the LORD came into the City of David, Michal, Saul’s daughter, looked through a window and saw King David leaping and whirling before the LORD; and she despised him in her heart. 17 So they brought the ark of the LORD AND set it in its place in the midst of the tabernacle that David had erected for it. Then David offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the LORD. 18 And when David had finished offering burnt offerings and peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the LORD of hosts. 19 Then he distributed among all the people, among the whole multitude of Israel, both the women and the men, to everyone a loaf of bread, a piece of meat, and a cake of raisins. So all the people departed, everyone to his house. 20 Then David returned to bless his household. And Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David, and said, “How glorious was the king of Israel today, uncovering himself today in the eyes of the maids of his servants, as one of the base fellows shamelessly uncovers himself!” 21 So David said to Michal, “It was before the LORD, who chose me instead of your father and all his house, to appoint me ruler over the people of the LORD, over Israel. Therefore, I will play music before the LORD. 22 And I will be even more undignified than this and will be humble in my own sight. But as for the maidservants of whom you have spoken, by them I will be held in honor.” 23 Therefore Michal the daughter of Saul had no children to the day of her death.
Some years back I had the opportunity to serve in the Billy Graham Crusade to New York City in the borough of Queens. We had a small team of ten people that took to the streets during the day time and conducted some street outreaches using puppets and a variety of other fun evangelistic programs. In the evening we joined thousands of other people who gathered for the Crusade.
During this week we stayed in Manhattan. An interesting addition to all our experiences was that we stayed during the film shooting of the movie Hitch. We were right near to a lot of the scenes that were included in the movie. In the beginning for instance the fire house was right near our hotel. Around the corner was the yogurt place that was included in the movie. All in all, there were quite a lot of places the film producers used that we were able to witness.
Alex "Hitch" Hitchens (Will Smith) is a professional matchmaker. His clients are men with almost zero self-esteem and do not seem to have their way with good-looking women. These men come to him seeking help, and he makes an opportunity for a relationship arise. His latest client, Albert Brennaman, is a bumbling accountant with a huge inferiority complex and an even bigger crush on a corporate millionaire, Allegra Cole (Amber Valletta). Hitch manages to set him up with the glamorous celebrity and while working on his client's love life, he bumps into a gossip-columnist Sara Melas (Eva Mendes) with whom he falls in love with.
The scene that really influenced me was when Hitch was advising Albert had to conduct his first date with Allegra.
HITCH: Now generally, I have a firm no-dancing policy, but if she asks, you cannot say no.
ALBERT: I'm not worried about dancing. But if there are people there...
HITCH: I'm sorry, I hate to be a stickler, but I need to be thorough. Show me what you mean by you're not worried about it.
ALBERT: (starts to do his version of dancing) Trust me. You know what I'm gonna do. That's what it's all about, right there. See how it gets bigger? Now I'm gonna start the fire. But the feet are going. I start the fire, I make the pizza. Hips are always going. Can't get enough hip. From there, the Q-Tip. Q-Tip. Throw it away. That's not working, hit them with this.
HITCH: Don't ever do that again. Do you hear me?
ALBERT: Just expressing myself.
HITCH: No. Not like that, you're not, all right? (Hitch shows Albert the right way to dance) This is where you live. Right here. You live right here, okay? This is home. (Hitch imitates Albert’s style of dancing) None of this. I don't wanna see none of that. Don't need no pizza. They got food there. Elbows, inches from the waist, -degree angles. Don't you bite your lip. Stop it. Even a great dancer can lose it with one of these.
ALBERT: Okay, now that's what I need to be learning. Can't stop it. You cannot stop it. Next subject.
HITCH: (lightly slaps Albert on both sides of his face) Get out.
ALBERT: Thanks.
HITCH: Does this even look like dancing to you?
ALBERT: That's just a little bit of me being me.
HITCH: No, that's you being a lot of something you don't need to ever be again.
ALBERT: It's just one dance.
HITCH: No. One dance, one look, one kiss. That's all we get, Albert. Just one shot to make the difference between happily ever after and: "Oh, he's just some guy I went to something with once." All right?
Sometimes people have asked me if Christians can dance. In other words, they are asking me if it is okay for Christians to dance at weddings, etc. I tell them, ‘Some can and some can’t.’ (like Albert the way they attempt to dance should be denied).
In today’s scripture verses we come across another reference in helping with my response to the question of dancing. I tell people well if David can do it so can we.
The reinstatement of the Ark was a hugely important, almost incalculable, moment in Israel’s history. It represented the reinstatement of the very invisible presence of Yahweh among His people. At last His kingdom was being set up in accordance with His promises. Anything that detracted from that had to be severely dealt with because it affected how Israel would see things far into their future. Had Uzzah been able to touch the Ark and escape unharmed it would no longer have been what it was. It would have lost its most important element, the fact that it was genuinely representing the untouchable ‘other’ world, the fact that God was really involved with His people. But when Uzzah was struck down it provided the lesson to all that the Ark was indeed wholly untouchable and did indeed represent the living presence of Yahweh, the eternal God. It revealed that that was not just a symbolic presence, but that there was there among them, through the Ark, the very real if invisible presence of the living God.
6 Again David gathered all the choice men of Israel, thirty thousand.
The bringing of the Ark up to Jerusalem was such a special event that David ‘again’ gathered together the ‘thirty thousand’ chosen men of Israel.
2 And David arose and went with all the people who were with him from Baale Judah to bring up from there the ark of God, whose name is called by the Name, the LORD of Hosts, who dwells between the cherubim.
Then David went with the chief men of Israel from Baale-judah (to which they had made their way) in order to bring the Ark up to Jerusalem. In doing so the absolute holiness of the Ark is described, because of the One Who was invisibly present on it, and to prepare for what follows. It was ‘the Ark of God which is called by ‘the Name’, that is, ‘by the Name of Yahweh of hosts’. To be called by ‘the Name’ was to have imputed to it the whole character and nature of the One Whose Name it bore. In other words, it was to be seen as the place where the invisible God could be met with, because His Name was there, His invisible presence. And that Name was the Name of Yahweh of hosts who sits between the cherubim, and thus on the Mercy Seat. Yahweh ‘of Hosts’ is called that because He Is Lord of all the host of Heaven and earth, and Lord of the host of His people. In other words, He is the Creator and Lord of Heaven, and the God Who causes His people to triumph in battle.
Baale-judah is another name for Kiriath-jearim (‘city of the woods’) which was where the Ark had been kept (1 Samuel 7.1-2). In Joshua 15.9-10 In Joshua 15.60 it is called Kiriath-baal (‘city of the Lord’). The gradual tendency to get rid of or change names containing the name of Baal may help to explain the gradual change of name.
3 So they set the ark of God on a new cart, and brought it out of the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill; and Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, drove the new cart.
The Ark of God was then set on a new cart. The bearing of the Ark on a cart was an idea first conceived by the Philistines. They may well have borne their own gods on such carts. It was on such a ‘new cart’ that it had been returned to Israel (1 Samuel 6.7). So, this was treating God in accordance with Philistine ideas. Note that any such cart had to be new so that it had not been soiled by any earthly activity. No cart that had been used for earthly purposes was acceptable. To use a second-hand cart would have been an insult, even blasphemy, for such a cart would have been seen as defiled. But the way that Yahweh had prescribed for the bearing of the Ark was not by such a cart but by Levites using long travelling poles which slotted through rings on the Ark. We should therefore remember that had the correct method been used in obedience to God, all that followed would have been avoided. It stresses the need to obey God in all things.
4 And they brought it out of the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill, accompanying the ark of God; and Ahio went before the ark.
Once the journey had begun Ahio went before the Ark as a kind of herald and forerunner, in order to prepare people for the coming of that sacred object.
5 Then David and all the house of Israel played music before the LORD on all kinds of instruments of fir wood, on harps, on stringed instruments, on tambourines, on sistrums, and on cymbals.
While the cart was making its journey, it was accompanied by the ecstatic crowds, who played on all kinds of musical instruments before Yahweh. It was the celebration of a great occasion, and there would be much singing and dancing. All would be filled with joy at the thought that Yahweh’s throne would once more be among them. David never forgot Who the real King was.
6 And when they came to Nachon’s threshing floor, Uzzah put out his hand to the ark of God and took hold of it, for the oxen stumbled.
As they were coming to the threshing-floor of Nacon (or ‘a certain threshing-floor’) a misfortune occurred. The oxen stumbled.
Uzzah’s act was almost proprietary, as though God needed him to look after Him. It seems clear that through familiarity he had lost his awe of the Ark, and probably had the same attitude towards God, for he reached out, possibly to set it back in its place, as though it had just been a common object. He was treating it as if it was his own possession. And that was his undoing. What he should have done, of course, if the Ark needed adjusting, was to call for the travelling poles which were normally used for bearing the Ark (which must have been used in order to put the Ark on the cart and would be required at the end of the journey). But everyone without exception knew that it was forbidden to touch the holy furnishings of the Tabernacle, including the Ark. Thus, he was without excuse.
It is difficult in modern times to even begin to appreciate what his action must have meant to all who saw it. Touching the Ark was, and had always been, strictly forbidden. No priest or Levite would ever have dared to touch it (Numbers 4.15). Even the act of curiously and sacrilegiously gazing on it while uncovered had brought great suffering on those who did so (1 Samuel 16.19). Yet this was an even greater act of sacrilege. Indeed, it was so great an act of sacrilege, that all who saw it must have been stunned to silence at what they saw. They would have considered that it was treating the Holy One of Israel with undue familiarity. And apart from everything else it suggested that the living God could not look after Himself. It was to treat Him like a helpless image. But even worse it was to desecrate the most holy object of Israelite worship with the defiled fingers of man and behave towards it as though it was a common thing. It was to trivialize God.
God had clearly seen it as of great importance that man should recognize the barrier between man and Himself. He had demonstrated this at Mount Sinai (Exodus 19.12, 24). To trespass on the holy meant death. It was a vital lesson. Man has always been too prone to think that God can be treated lightly, and at such an important moment the lesson had to be taught that God had to be feared as well as loved. This was why such a thing as this happened. It made clear to all the absolute holiness and ‘otherness’ of God. It is a reminder that there are times in history when what could at other times be treated more leniently must be treated with the utmost severity. For this was not just some private mistake. It had occurred openly before all the people, and to an object seen as so holy that none apart from the High Priest would ever look on it again, and even he only in a darkened room. As Yahweh’s ‘mercy seat’ (His propitiatory) it represented the presence of God Himself. It was as close as man could ever physically get to physically approaching the living God. It bore the holy Name of Yahweh.
7 Then the anger of the LORD was aroused against Uzzah, and God struck him there for his error; and he died there by the ark of God.
What happened would have surprised no one who saw what he had done. In fact they would have expected it. Had it not happened it could have caused great harm and confusion to them in their inner thinking. It would have decreased the significance of the Ark. (We must remember that this was in a day when to approach a king incorrectly could lead to the death penalty, and when to touch the king’s person could be treason). There are some things the effects of which are so enormous that they must be prevented at all costs, and this was one of them. In fact, we can truly say that for God not to have acted would probably have debased the whole religion of Israel in the eyes of Israel and have reduced it to idolatry. For the Ark bore the Name, and thus bore the One Who invisibly sat on it between the cherubim. So, for there to be no reaction to its being touched would have debased the idea of the true fear of God and the reality of His invisible presence. It would have been a barrier in the future to man’s true appreciation of the ‘otherness’ and holiness of God, and yet of His closeness to His people. It would have contradicted the idea that in some unique way God was present where His Ark was. Idolatrous images could be touched precisely because of the nature of their gods. So, by his action Uzzah was simply demoting God to having the same nature as an idol.
Yahweh’s action here may appear extreme to us but it settled in men’s hearts from this moment on the recognition that He was not in any way of this world, that no priest or other personage, not even the ‘keeper of the Ark’, could fully act in His Name, or usurp His rights, or claim special privilege in dealings with Him. All must forever be obedient, and subservient to His will, and act as He revealed, and not the other way round, and it emphasized that He stood alone because He was ‘wholly other’. The dead body lying sprawled on the cart thus became a permanent warning for the future that God was such that He was not to be trifled with, and of what happened to any who ignored His strict requirements. As a result of this incident, the holiness of the Ark was enhanced, and its continuing significance emphasized. Indeed, had Israel learned the lesson that was taught here the new kingdom would have progressed and grown and all that followed would never have happened. That was how important the lesson was. They were to recognize that the Holy One of Israel was truly among them.
8 And David became angry because of the LORD’s outbreak against Uzzah; and he called the name of the place Perez Uzzah to this day.
Understandably David was ‘deeply upset’ We must see the anger as directed against Uzzah for daring to touch the Ark, or against those who had failed to inform him of the special arrangements necessary for bearing the Ark. For in his religious soul he would have been as appalled as anyone else at what Uzzah had done. He certainly would not have blamed Yahweh, (Whose instructions, when looked into, were perfectly clear). The thought here is rather of the deep, overwhelming effect that what had happened had on him. He was so deeply troubled and perplexed that he was unsure of what to do next. The priests were found wanting in their own personal knowledge of scripture. David was at a standstill in his thoughts. What other things could he do that was wrong in the directions of the Almighty God?
9 David was afraid of the LORD that day; and he said, “How can the ark of the LORD come to me?”
It gave David a deeper recognition of what he himself was doing. It made him recognize that even he had been treating the coming of Yahweh in a new way to Jerusalem too lightly, failing to consider the fact of what the arrival of the Ark in Jerusalem would undoubtedly have as it transformed people’s views about Jerusalem from then on. And he had not asked, was that what Yahweh really wanted? Now he could no longer be sure. Perhaps Yahweh did not want the Ark carried into Jerusalem? The result was that he was filled with ‘the fear of YHWH’. He began to realize exactly what he had been doing. He began to recognize that he had been manipulating Yahweh and bringing Yahweh ‘to him’ for his own convenience. He had not been thinking of what would be honoring to Yahweh. It was a salutary reminder to him that God was not at his disposal.
Thus with smitten conscience David brought the procession to a halt. He would no longer take the Ark up to Jerusalem. Rather he would wait on God’s instructions and on God’s will. He himself had thus been given a new appreciation of the significance of the Ark, and of what its presence meant. It was clear from what had occurred that Yahweh was displeased. So, he cried, ‘How shall the Ark of YHWH come to me?’ This may have been signifying that he now recognized that he was unworthy that the Ark of YHWH should come to his capital city, or that the capital city was unworthy to receive the Ark (after all the place to which he was taking it had until recently been a pagan citadel) or it may have been questioning what method should be used in order to make it possible in a way that was pleasing to God, if it were even possible.
10 So David would not move the ark of the LORD with him into the City of David; but David took it aside into the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite.
On this basis David was unwilling to move the Ark into the City of David. He did not want Yahweh’s anger to fall on the City of David as well. So instead he arranged for it to be carried to the house of Obed-edom the Gittite. Obed-edom was a Levite of the family of the Korahites, which sprang from Kohath (compare 1Chronicles 26.4), and belonged to the class of Levitical doorkeepers whose duty it was, in cooperation with other Levites, to watch over the Ark in the sacred tent (1Chronicles 15.18, 24). Thus, he was a very suitable person for the task.
11 The ark of the LORD remained in the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite three months. And the LORD blessed Obed-Edom and all his household.
The Ark of YHWH remained where it had been placed in the house of Obed-edom the Gittite for three months, and the consequence was that Obed-edom and the whole of his house enjoyed special blessing. We are not told the form that the blessing took. They may have experienced a greater than usual sense of great joy and worship because of a sense of the presence of Yahweh, or their harvests may have been unusually fruitful. Whatever it was, however, it was apparent, even to outsiders.
12 Now it was told King David, saying, “The LORD has blessed the house of Obed-Edom and all that belongs to him, because of the ark of God.” So David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-Edom to the City of David with gladness.
The result was that David was eventually informed that Yahweh had blessed the house of Obed-edom the Gittite and all that pertained to him, and that convinced David of the fact that Yahweh was not against what he had been planning. David then brought up the Ark of God from Obed-edom’s house into the City of David with great joy (and celebration). But this time, the Chronicler especially emphasizes, he went about it more carefully.
13 And so it was, when those bearing the ark of the LORD had gone six paces, that he sacrificed oxen and fatted sheep. 14 Then David danced before the LORD with all his might; and David was wearing a linen ephod.
In the book of 1 Chronicles 15 we have a more detailed explanation of how the Ark was brought to Jerusalem. Here we have a summary account of what happened. This chapter in 2 Samuel does not mention the elaborate preparations made to ensure that the Ark was being conveyed correctly although it is certainly made clear that the Ark was now borne on the shoulders of bearers, for their paces are measured. He does, however, emphasize the recognition that continual atonement and worship were required, in the form of offerings and sacrifices, as the Ark was brought into the city and the fact that David personally took a full part in it as he ‘danced before Yahweh with all his might’, girded with a linen ephod.
15 So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the LORD with shouting and with the sound of the trumpet.
So this was the way in which David and all the house of Israel brought up the Ark of YHWH. And they did it with shouting and the blaring of ram’s horns. It was to be the procession of a King even greater than David. From now on Yahweh would reign in Zion.
16 Now as the ark of the LORD came into the City of David, Michal, Saul’s daughter, looked through a window and saw King David leaping and whirling before the LORD; and she despised him in her heart.
Amidst all the rejoicing there was one dissentient heart, the heart of Saul’s daughter, Michal. She had been brought up as the daughter of a king who laid great stress on his royal status, and when she saw her husband David, to whom she may well have felt somewhat bitter because he had taken her away from Paltiel, leaping and dancing before the Ark of YHWH she despised him in her heart. This was not how she saw kingship. In her eyes kings kept themselves aloof.
17 So they brought the ark of the LORD AND set it in its place in the midst of the tabernacle that David had erected for it. Then David offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the LORD.
At last their destination was reached without any further incident. It was the Tent which David had had set up, probably modelled on the Tabernacle. And into that Tent they bore the Ark, still covered, and put it in the equivalent of the Holy of Holies (the Most Holy Place). It was only then that the priests would remove its covering, probably being in almost total darkness, but being careful not to touch the Ark itself. Then travelling poles would remain in the Ark and would protrude slightly through a curtain into the outer sanctuary, while they themselves departed from the Most Holy Place never to enter it again. After that was accomplished many burnt offerings and peace offerings were offered before Yahweh. This would be done by the priests who were allocated to the task. (David neither pitched the tent, nor offered up the burnt offerings and peace offerings. It would all have been done for him on his orders.
18 And when David had finished offering burnt offerings and peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the LORD of hosts.
Following the offering of the burnt offerings and peace-offerings, the people were blessed in the Name of YHWH of Hosts the Name connected with the Ark of YHWH.
19 Then he distributed among all the people, among the whole multitude of Israel, both the women and the men, to everyone a loaf of bread, a piece of meat, and a cake of raisins. So, all the people departed, everyone to his house.
Finally, the whole celebration was completed by the whole of assembled Israel, both men and women, each receiving a cake of bread, ‘a portion or measure’ (probably of flesh from the numerous peace-offerings) and a cake of raisins. Then all the people left Jerusalem and returned home to their houses. The celebration was over.
20 Then David returned to bless his household. And Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David, and said, “How glorious was the king of Israel today, uncovering himself today in the eyes of the maids of his servants, as one of the base fellows shamelessly uncovers himself!”
On returning to his household full of elation at all that had happened, and at its significance for all concerned, with the firm intention of blessing his household, David was met by his first wife, ‘Michal the daughter of Saul’ who came out to meet him. Instead of being thrilled at the thought that Yahweh head been enthroned in Jerusalem and that she was reunited with her first husband, she immediately declared what she thought of David’s behavior. Sarcastically she referred to how gloriously he had behaved in uncovering himself in the eyes of the servant maids of his courtiers when he was dancing before the Ark, just as though he was a common drunkard.
What a condemnation of many, even in the church, lies behind these words. How often we are subconsciously simply looking for something to criticize, rather than seeking to find in what happens the glory of God. Like David, our hearts should always be concentrated on the thought of God Himself being glorified, rather than our own ideas of precisely how it should be done.
21 So David said to Michal, “It was before the LORD, who chose me instead of your father and all his house, to appoint me ruler over the people of the LORD, over Israel. Therefore, I will play music before the LORD.
David’s reply was to point out the significance of the occasion. He explained that what he had done he had done before Yahweh, the One Who had chosen him above her father, and above all Saul’s house, and had appointed him over the people of Yahweh. And that was why he was so willing to let himself go in celebration before Yahweh. It was a reservation of the heart towards Yahweh that had been the downfall of her family. He did not want that to happen to him.
22 And I will be even more undignified than this and will be humble in my own sight. But as for the maidservants of whom you have spoken, by them I will be held in honor.”
He would be happy to be made even humbler, making himself base in his own eyes, if it would please Yahweh God and enable him to show Him how much he loved Him. For he was not concerned for his own glory, but for Yahweh’s. However, let her recognize this. The maid servants of whom she spoke would certainly not despise him. Rather they would hold him in honor, because of what Yahweh would do for him.
23 Therefore Michal the daughter of Saul had no children to the day of her death.
The result of Michal’s attack was that instead of being blessed, which had been David’s intention for her, she became permanently barren. Some have seen this as a polite way of saying that David chose no longer to have any intimate relations with her because in his eyes she had insulted Yahweh and was not worthy.
