It’s time to dance!
Thesis: Sometimes in this life we need to dance before the Lord like David did so that God gets the glory. But there will be critics!
Texts:
2 Samuel 6
The Holy Bible, New International Version
2 Samuel 6:1 (NIV)
1David again brought together out of Israel chosen men, thirty thousand in all.
2 Samuel 6:2 (NIV)
2He and all his men set out from Baalah of 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 that are on the ark.
2 Samuel 6:3 (NIV)
3They 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
2 Samuel 6:4 (NIV)
4with the ark of God on it,£ and Ahio was walking in front of it.
2 Samuel 6:5 (NIV)
5David and the whole house of Israel were celebrating with all their might before the LORD, with songs£ and with harps, lyres, tambourines, sistrums and cymbals.
2 Samuel 6:6 (NIV)
6When they came to the threshing floor of Nacon, Uzzah reached out and took hold of the ark of God, because the oxen stumbled.
2 Samuel 6:7 (NIV)
7The LORD’S anger burned against Uzzah because of his irreverent act; therefore God struck him down and he died there beside the ark of God.
2 Samuel 6:8 (NIV)
8Then David was angry because the LORD’S wrath had broken out against Uzzah, and to this day that place is called Perez Uzzah.£
2 Samuel 6:9 (NIV)
9David was afraid of the LORD that day and said, “How can the ark of the LORD ever come to me?”
2 Samuel 6:10 (NIV)
10He was not willing to take the ark of the LORD to be with him in the City of David. Instead, he took it aside to the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite.
2 Samuel 6:11 (NIV)
11The ark of the LORD remained in the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite for three months, and the LORD blessed him and his entire household.
2 Samuel 6:12 (NIV)
12Now King David was told, “The LORD has blessed the household of Obed-Edom and everything he has, because of the ark of God.” So David went down and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-Edom to the City of David with rejoicing.
2 Samuel 6:13 (NIV)
13When those who were carrying the ark of the LORD had taken six steps, he sacrificed a bull and a fattened calf.
2 Samuel 6:14 (NIV)
14David, wearing a linen ephod, danced before the LORD with all his might,
2 Samuel 6:15 (NIV)
15while he and the entire house of Israel brought up the ark of the LORD with shouts and the sound of trumpets.
2 Samuel 6:16 (NIV)
16As 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.
2 Samuel 6:17 (NIV)
17They 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.
2 Samuel 6:18 (NIV)
18After he had finished sacrificing the burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the LORD Almighty.
2 Samuel 6:19 (NIV)
19Then 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.
2 Samuel 6:20 (NIV)
20When David returned home to bless his household, Michal daughter of Saul came out to meet him and said, “How the king of Israel has distinguished himself today, disrobing in the sight of the slave girls of his servants as any vulgar fellow would!”
2 Samuel 6:21 (NIV)
21David said to Michal, “It was before the LORD, who chose me rather than your father or anyone from his house when he appointed me ruler over the LORD’S people Israel—I will celebrate before the LORD.
2 Samuel 6:22 (NIV)
22I will become even more undignified than this, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes. But by these slave girls you spoke of, I will be held in honor.”
2 Samuel 6:23 (NIV)
23And Michal daughter of Saul had no children to the day of her death.
Psalms 30:4,5,8-12
4 Sing to the LORD, you saints of his;
praise his holy name.
5 For his anger lasts only a moment,
but his favor lasts a lifetime;
weeping may remain for a night,
but rejoicing comes in the morning.
8 To you, O LORD, I called;
to the Lord I cried for mercy:
9 “What gain is there in my destruction,£
in my going down into the pit?
Will the dust praise you?
Will it proclaim your faithfulness?
10 Hear, O LORD, and be merciful to me;
O LORD, be my help.”
11 You turned my wailing into dancing;
you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,
12 that my heart may sing to you and not be silent.
O LORD my God, I will give you thanks forever.
Introduction.
In our text today we heard about a king who danced before the Lord. Today I would like to focus on this subject of dancing. To better understand why David danced lets look at a little history on dance.
Dancing is a universal act across the world today. There are great many reasons why people dance-to express emotions, to entertain, to educate, to attract other people, or to bring good fortune. Many dances express joy and celebration, but others types can be associated with anger, protest or even war. Dances for centuries have been connected with religion, worship and even as some form of magic. Dances all over the world are performed to tell stories or pass on ideas. Dances that occur around the world can indicate life changes such as births, marriage, or even death. Dancing has always been an important expression and has often been a beautiful form of communication to those watching. A dance exists only while it is being performed and yet sometimes a performance can leave an impression so strong that it stays in the memory forever. Some dancers dazzle audiences with their technical skills and physical prowess, while others stir us emotionally, through their special ability to interpret a story. Information from (Dance by Andree’ Grau and Traditions around the World Dance by Louise Tythacott).
T.S.- With this little background on dance I believe it will help you understand why David danced. Lets explore why he danced on this very special day!
I. Why did he dance?
a. It was the right thing to do!
i. David danced because it was the right thing to do at the moment the Ark came back home to Jerusalem. You have to remember the Ark represents God’s presence.
1. You see he is celebrating a historic event “God’s Back!”
2. The Devil’s gone and God has come back to Israel to rule and reign.
ii. The second thing you need to ponder and understand is that David had completed a long journey.
1. You see now was the time to dance because he was now the King of all Israel as God had predicted years earlier.
2. If you recall it took a long time for David to get to this position in his life. He had run a long and dangerous race.
a. His great race was filled with attempts on his life.
b. His great race was filled with fear of the unknown.
c. His great race was filled will fleeing for his life many times.
d. His great race was filled with living in caves and in the wilderness.
e. His great race was filled with the discontent, those who came to him mad, angry, in poverty and in need.
f. His great race was filled with God’s mercy on him and on mercy to the one who was trying to kill him.
g. His great race was filled with war and fighting.
h. But finally he had completed the race and God had enabled him to win. So it was time to dance.
i. David danced because his wailing was turned to joyful celebration of achieving the task God had placed on his life. To be the king of all Israel and to bring God back to the Israel.
b. David danced to give honor to the Lord
i. David also danced to honor God. He knew that he would not have run the great race and won if it had not been for the Lord’s protection.
ii. David danced to honor God and to teach the rest of Israel who was responsible for him being the king. It was God and God alone.
1. David did not become king because of his great abilities but because of God.
2. David did not become king because of his mighty men.
iii. David danced to teach the rest of Israel the importance of honoring and serving God through the trials of life. He was saying always honor God and you will receive the prize at the end of the race.
c. David danced because he had joy overflowing from out of his heart. He wanted to express his gratitude to the Lord for this great moment of praise.
i. Psalm 30: 4,5, 8-12 describe his heart of joy.
ii. He had to dance because life was good and God was home!
iii. He had to dance because God’s prophetic word had come to pass.
T.S.- David danced for a specific reason and his dance was critiqued by the critics.
II. Paying the price of dancing.
a. There will always be the dance critics out there to steal your joy and rob you of the excitement of serving God.
i. The pharisees where very good at doing this.
b. Dancing to the Lord my friend will cost you. How much will it cost?
i. It will bring criticism from others.
1. Michal the princess Saul’s daughter who represents the old guard will always be there to say that dancing before the Lord is vulgar and undignified.
a. Her eyes where on others. But David’s eyes where on the Lord.
b. She thought, ‘Kings don’t dance!” they have an image to keep up.
i. A true story about being caught up in image!
2. In her distorted mind set dancing was not dignified. She thought my dad Saul never danced before the Lord. Royalty does not do things like that David.
a. No he just threw spears at innocent people.
b. He tried to kill God’s anointed.
c. He killed God’s priests and turned his back on God because of sin.
d. Great role model to follow on how to be a king.
e. That’s why David addressed her by referring to her father’s reign. In essence he said “I’m here because I dance before the Lord!’ “Your father is not because he did not!”
ii. It can bring misunderstanding.
1. People will misunderstand why you dance. Michal did not get it. David did not dance for the girls to see but to celebrate his victory brought by the hand of God.
2. David explained to his wife that the servant girls would honor him because he honored the Lord. But she reveals where he heart is toward the things of God. She did not understand an important spiritual principle.
iii. It could bring jealousy
1. Dancing can cause Jealousy. People don’t like it when you love God more then them. But your first love is to be God!
iv. It could cause conflict.
1. David’s dance caused conflict between him and Michal.
a. It affected their marriage.
2. Then Bible says she had no children to day of her death.
a. Think about this maybe David never slept with her again because of her attitude toward his dancing before the Lord.
b. Could it be this created a division in their marriage?
c. It could mean she could not physically have children to – but think about it!
T.S.- We have learned why David danced. But another question may be poking at your mind, “When is it time for me to dance?” Good question lets find out.
III. When is it time to dance?
a. Dance when the Lord lays it on your heart.
i. First and foremost we need to make sure that when we dance we do it for God. We do not dance for others to watch us. We dance for His eyes only!
1. We do not dance for even ourselves we dance for God and God alone.
ii. We always do the dance to honor what he has done for us.
b. Dance it’s time to rejoice because of God’s blessing
i. We dance because we celebrate a victory in our life and we understand, it was orchestrated by the mighty hand of God.
ii. When we dance we acknowledge that God is the one who guided us into victory.
iii. We dance because God has turned our wailing into laughter and joy.
1. We should dance at those milestones in our lives. When we have the breakthroughs.
c. Dance when the time is appropriate.
i. The appropriate time to dance is when God’s presence is there!
d. Dance when you want to sincerely express the thankfulness that comes from your heart to God.
i. Make sure when you dance it’s for the right reasons.
1. Illustration of an individual who wanted to dance in front of everyone during services so everyone could see how anointed she was.
T.S.- We have learned when we should dance but we also need to know how to dance.
IV. How do you dance before the Lord? What are the steps?
a. First rule - Only one person can lead
i. Let God lead –like David let Him lead.
ii. If you both try to lead you’re the one who is going to fall on your face.
iii. Always follow God’s lead and God’s direction.
iv. He’s the leader if he goes right follow him!
b. The second step is don’t be concerned about who is on the sideline criticizing you.
i. Don’t let the Michal’s keep you from dancing.
ii. Many a fine dancer has not danced because of the critics.
iii. The professional dancers of the world don’t let the critics bother them they just dance.
c. The third step is to get comfortable- don’t let your clothing or position hold you back.
i. This is why David got rid of the royal robe.
ii. The honor of men had to go. David says it well when he says, “I will become more undignified than this, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes.”
iii. David knew he had to die to himself – He was king but he still needed to dance and humble himself before the Lord.
iv. He stripped everything away that would hold him back from going to the big dance with God.
v. What do you have to take off so you can dance for the Lord in the big dance.
1. Pride
2. Ego
3. Prestige
4. Power
5. Sin
6. Greed
7. Fear
d. The fourth step is to learn how to relax when you dance.
i. Let God’s love flow into your heart then let it flow out of your heart back to him in the dance.
ii. When you dance relax into the arms of God.
iii. Let God give you the big love dip!
e. The fifth step is to learn the steps to the dance as the leader teaches them to you. But make sure you read the manuel to the big dance.
i. Let God direct your steps. He has a great book out on how to dance.
ii. If he tells you to go one two-one two-slide to the right by all means learn from the master teacher. Slide right!
f. The sixth step is to learn to stay in step with the music being played.
i. God’s holy praise band is always playing so stay focused on the music.
ii. Make sure you listen to the His music.
iii. Let God set the rhythm and the beat.
iv. Learn how to keep the rhythm and move to beat of his drum.
v. Never decide to disregard God’s rhythm if you do your out of sync with God.
vi. If he guides you to dance to Jazz glide with it, if Ballet leap for it, if country stomp for it.
g. The next rule to dance is, hold out your arms it helps you keep your balance.
i. Make sure you always keep your balance.
1. Make sure the arms are distributed properly so you do not fall on your face.
ii. The best way to keep your balance is to hold out your arms and make the sign of the cross.
iii. Always balance what you are doing to the cross and the Gospel of Good News.
iv. Remember you don’t want to fall down and break something-especially the heart of God.
h. The next rule is dancers must learn to work together.
i. Cooperation is essential for a good dance to occur between two people.
ii. Be in harmony and in unity with one another.
iii. Give a little to when you dance with another before the Lord it will help improve your dance if you learn to give a little.
i. The next thing to remember is when you dance tell the story through your movements.
i. What has God done for you? Let your heart lead you in the dance to the Lord.
1. Raise those hands in praise to the Lord in your dance.
2. Point to Him often in the dance.
3. Tell your life changing story with the dance.
ii. Use your body, legs, arms and facial expression to tell the story of your dance to the Lord.
1. Dance for joy – express it in the dance!
2. Dance for the security of knowing God – let others see your confidence.
3. Dance for the birth of New Life – let others see the dance of new life.
4. Dance for the purpose of giving thanks – let others watch and learn how to dance the jig of thanks.
j. We all learn to dance by the master teacher and he wants us to be us.
i. Be creative in the dance.
ii. Dance the way he wants you to.
iii. Be unique-be who you are in Christ.
iv. Be devoted to the dance-work hard it-practice makes perfect.
v. Do it with your whole heart, mind and soul!-+
k. On last rule when you dance keep your body and spirit in tip top shape.
i. Be limber – be flexible and not rigid and dogmatic.
ii. Be strong – never compromise the moves that the master teacher taught you on how to dance.
1. Make sure you read the instruction book it will give you tips on how to be a healthy spiritual dancer for the Lord.
iii. Be graceful- It’s important to make sure as you dance that you are graceful.
1. Make sure that gracefulness flows out of your movements in the Big dance
Closing illustration – Christian Hokey Pokey dance! Lets all do a little dance to get limbered up for the big dance with God in the future.
Conclusion: A few closing thoughts about what we just learned and participated in.
You have to use you hands, feet, head, and put your whole self in to participate in the big dance with the Lord. Also make sure you have done the turnaround so that you are in the right position with God to dance with him. Finally dance because you should be happy that you are Heaven Bound.
God Bless have a great week and take time to dance with the Lord this week!
