OPEN: A little 6 year old girl and her 4 year old brother were sitting together in church. The brother was giggling, singing and talking out loud.
Finally, his big sister had had enough. “You’re not supposed to talk out loud in church” she said.
“Why? Who’s going to stop me?” the boy asked.
The girl pointed to the back of the church and said, “See those two men standing by the door? (pause…) Those are hushers.”
APPLY: What’s a “husher?”
I spent a fair amount of time this week considering that and I’ve come up with a deeply theological interpretation of that term. Now get ready.
A husher… is someone who wants to “hush” you. They want to stop you from doing what ever it is that you’re doing. There is something you’re doing in worship that they don’t feel comfortable with and they want to hush you. They want to stop what you do.
I. Now, that’s not all bad. There are times when people need to be “hushed” in worship.
For example: Paul wrote the church at Corinth and he told them there IS a time for people to hush:
“What then shall we say, brothers? When you come together, everyone has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. All of these must be done for the strengthening of the church.
If anyone speaks in a tongue, two— or at the most three— should speak, one at a time, and someone must interpret. If there is no interpreter, the speaker should keep quiet in the church and speak to himself and God.
Two or three prophets should speak, and the others should weigh carefully what is said. And if a revelation comes to someone who is sitting down, the first speaker should stop. For you can all prophesy in turn so that everyone may be instructed and encouraged. The spirits of prophets are subject to the control of prophets.
For God is not a God of disorder but of peace.” 1 Corinthians 14:26-33
In that early church at Corinth there was no New Testament like we have now. They might have had a copy of the Gospel of Matthew and perhaps a letter like the one to the Galatians, but there was much they didn’t have available. So it seems God gave certain gifts to the worshippers to allow them to learn what you folks learn now directly from the New Testament. We believe that many of these gifts came by the laying on of Apostolic hands and that when the Apostles died, so did the gifts.
Certain people in the church of Corinth (for example) had the gift of tongues. And God would use these people to share the Good New about Jesus with individuals who didn’t speak their language. Kind of like one of us going into the Hispanic community and speaking to them in Spanish about Jesus - even tho’ we didn’t really know Spanish. It was a great gift, and those with the abiility to speak in unknown languages wanted to use them in the worship time as well. Paul told them they could use their “tongues” in worship if they wanted but they were always to have someone who could interpret - BUT if there were no interpreter… they couldn’t use their tongues in worship. They had to “hush.”
Certain folks there had the gift of prophecy. They would recieve a direct commandment from God FOR the congregation - kind of like Jeremiah or Isaiah did in their day. But if one prophet were speaking and another received a revelation… the first man was to “hush”, sit down and let the next person stand and share his revelation.
In case those with prophetic gifts were to protest that they couldn’t help themselves – that they “just had to” go on talking anyway - Paul told them their gift was subject to them. They needed to “hush.”
And then Paul tied it all together by saying: “God is not a God of disorder but of peace.” (1 Corinthians 14:33)
The point is… there was a time for people to be “hushed” even in that New Testament church. Even in a congregation where they were loaded with miraculous abilities. God sought order.
II. And, back in Old Testament there was an ORDER the Israelites were to follow in Worship.
God spelled out in great detail what He expected to have take place at the Tabernacle.
What kind of sacrifices were accepted
What kind of behavior was expected.
Who was in charge
Who would be allowed in certain parts of the tabernacle.
I mean… there were rules to be followed for orderly worship.
But, then, every once in a while, people would do something… unexpected. Several times in Scripture we find people worshipping God just off the cuff.
There’s no bulletin that they consult
There’s no schedule that they follow
There’s no particular order to what they do…
They just worshipped with all their might. And God is pleased.
1. After the Israelites crossed the Red Sea “Miriam… took a tambourine in her hand, and all the women followed her, with tambourines and dancing. Miriam sang to them: ‘Sing unto the LORD, for he is triumphed gloriously. The horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea.’” (Exodus 15:20-21)
2. Another time, when the forces of Deborah and Barak defeated the Canaanites in battle, Judges tells us: “On that day Deborah and Barak son of Abinoam sang (a) song” (Judges 5:1)… and the song goes on for several verses describing the power that God had used in delivering the nation from their enemy.
3. And now, we find David becomes so overwhelmed by his love for God that he begins to dance. (At this point I suggested that a reserved and quiet leader in the church get up and show how it was done… which he’d refuse to the delight of the congregation).
III. Now what we’ve learned up this point should teach us two things:
1st – God, is a God of order… worship should not be confusing or uncontrolled
BUT
2nd – Every once in a while it’s ok if someone does something that’s not according to the playbook
ILLUS: At the last church I served we had a man named Tony who would occasionally do something during worship that was unexpected. Tony was a Kentucky boy who’d been raised in a church that was more “exuberant” and expressive than ours was. So, once in a while he’d do something he’d learned to do in that Kentucky.
He was known to shout out AMEN now and again and raise his hands when he worshipped.
A couple of times – during prayer time - he’d get out of pew and kneel down in the aisle
AND once when I gave the invitation, he came marching on up the aisle. Usually when people would come forward during the invitation time it was to give their lives to Christ, join the church, or ask for prayer. Well, Tony and his wife had joined the church a few months before so I expected that he’d come forward to ask for the church to pray for a specific need. I was reaching out my hand to him… and he walked right on past me and knelt in front of the stage.
I’d never had anyone do anything like that before and it took a couple of minutes for me to figure out what to do next. So, I just left him there praying as I offered my closing prayer.
Now, Tony’ behavior didn’t disturb us a great deal at that church for a couple of reasons.
1st Tony was a humble man… he wasn’t doing this for show.
And 2nd Tony was a loving man… he cared for the people in that church and we knew it.
Because Tony was a humble and loving man, a man who wasn’t trying to impose his style of worship on us we loved him back and embraced him and overlooked his behavior that otherwise might have made us feel uncomfortable.
In some ways, Tony’s worship reminded me a lot of how David behaved here in II Samuel 6.
1. David’s worship was exuberant and expressive.
He not only danced before the ark… he stopped the ark after it has only gone 6 steps and offered up a sacrifice. That wasn’t in the script. It was a spur of the moment decision that reflected how much David loved God and was grateful for God’s mercy.
2. David’s attitude was one of humbleness.
Notice what he’s wearing as he dances before the ark. What is it? It’s a linen ephod. Now, he’s not half naked like Michal implied in her comments. This was a priestly garment that the priests wore before God as they ministered at the tabernacle.
According to Easton’s Dictionary of the Bible “the Linen Ephod consisted of two pieces, which hung from the neck, and covered both the back and front, above the tunic and outer garment. The two pieces were joined together over the shoulders by clasps or buckles of gold or precious stones, and fastened round the waist by a ‘curious girdle of gold, blue, purple, and fine twined linen.’"
David could have worn his regal robes… he was a king. But he took off his royal garments and replaced them with an ephod which was the garment the priests wore when they ministered at the tabernacle.
ILLUS: Visualize a chess board for moment. The Bishop is an important piece on the board. But what pieces are the most valuable on the chess board? That’s right. The King and the Queen. The royalty. That doesn’t mean the Bishop has no value, it’s just that the royalty is seen as more important.
In removing his royal garments, David was declaring that – in the presence of God – he wasn’t important. He wasn’t a king before the LORD his God… he was a servant. THAT’S what disturbed Michal. David had debased himself – stepped down from his regal position to embrace a lesser position in the sight of Israel, and that offended her.
3. And David’s attitude was one of loving others when he worshipped
Notice what he does for the 30,000 people who worship with him. Look with me to 2 Samuel 6:18-19 – “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.”
So… let’s revue
1. David’s worship was exuberant/ expressive
2. David’s attitude was one of humbleness
3. And David’ behavior was one of love for others.
IV. But not Michal
I don’t know about how she “worshipped” but she wasn’t worshipping there. Thirty thousand people gather to bring the ark from Kiriath Jearim to Jerusalem, but she isn’t amongst them.
And I suspect she WASN’T a humble woman. Her conversation with David reveals her pride.
BUT, I do know that she wasn’t comfortable with HOW David has WORSHIPPED…and she speaks to David like a mother to a naughty child. 2 Samuel 6:20 tells us: "When 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!’"
Hmmmm… do you think MAYBE she was upset? Do you think maybe she was angry?
How many of you have ever been angry?
You know, scripture says we have a right to be angry once in awhile. In Ephesians 4:26 Paul wrote "Be angry…” There’s not a thing wrong with being angry once in awhile.
But Paul doesn’t stop there. He started with “Be angry…” but then he adds: ”…and do not sin: Do not let the sun go down on your anger.”
You see, Michal sinned against David.
She wasn’t sinning against David because she was angry about how hehad worshipped or because she didn’t like how he behaved in front of the people. Michal’s sinned against David because she didn’t love him.
She didn’t love him. Not once in this passage is Michal referred to as David’s wife. Each of the three times she’s referred to in this chapter she’s called: “Michal daughter of Saul” (2 Samuel 6:16,20,23)
She doesn’t love him… she doesn’t like him… she doesn’t even identify with him as his wife. And eventually she just ends up despising him.
ILLUS: In the first church I served, we baptized a woman in her 70’s named Wanda. Shortly after she became a Christian she began playing piano for worship. And she could play the piano… and she made it dance.
Apparently she’d been an English teacher before she retired and periodically she’d come up to me after the sermon and point out something I had said in the sermon. She corrected my English.
Now, in the next church I served, there was a man (whom I will not name) who wanted to have copies of all the sermons I had preached since I had been there. He didn’t say, but I assumed there was something in those sermons he wanted to criticize.
What was the difference between Wanda (in the 1st church) and the unnamed man (in the 2nd). They both wanted to criticize something I had said in my sermons. But the difference was this:
Wanda liked me. She didn’t want to hurt me. She wanted to make my preaching better. She didn’t like some of the things in my sermons because it offended her ears. But she liked me.
But the man in the 2nd church didn’t like me. In fact, he was part of a GROUP of people who didn’t like. It was kind of like a fan club. The “hate Jeff” fan club. He didn’t want me to succeed. He didn’t want me to get better. He wanted to destroy me… he wanted to “sin” against me.
Have you ever been upset something in worship?
· Maybe something I’ve said in the sermon
· Maybe something in a meditation at the communion table
· Or a special that’s been given
· Or the music that’s part of the song service
· Or maybe just the behavior of someone who’s setting in the auditorium
Not a thing wrong with that. To paraphrase Ephesians 4:26 “Be upset… but don’t sin. Don’t continue to be upset after the sun goes down. Don’t keep a record.”
Don’t sin like that. Don’t sin against each other.
You might ask: how can I avoid “sinning” like that (I paused to let someone ask the question. If they didn’t ask, I’d repeat with extra flourish: “I said, you MIGHT ask: how can I avoid sinning like that?”) I’m so glad you asked.
You avoid sinning like that against your brothers and sisters in Christ when you learn to worship more like David than like Michael. The fundamental difference between their two worship styles was that David loved the people, but Michal didn’t love him.
The way to avoid sinning against your brothers and sisters in Christ is to love them.
ILLUS: In that first church, when Wanda would approach me about the tangled syntax in my sermons, she’d always start out by saying “I don’t want to offend you, but….” And then she’d go on to describe what it was that bothered her.
Why did she say that?
Why did she say “I don’t want to offend you?”
She said “I don’t want to offend you… because she didn’t want to offend me. Whenever she confronted me about my sermons, it was in love. It was because she was thinking about ME. Because she cared for ME.
So here are the rules of how to avoid SINNING against each other in this matter.
1. Ask yourself if you really care about how this person would feel if you talked to them
2. Talk to them… not your neighbors… about what concerns you.
If you don’t talk to them about what bothers you, you will eventually talk to someone else. And then, in time, word will get back to those you’ve talked about and they’ll think “he doesn’t love me.” And they’d be right. Because you didn’t care enough about how they’d feel to talk to them directly. You talked about them behind their back. That’s sin.
Several times in my ministry here, I’ve asked you folks to give me a promise. I’d seen how this kind of behavior can hurt a church, and so from the very outset I’ve periodically asked you folks to make a vow for me before God. And I’m going to ask you to do it again now
Everyone who will vow before God – that when something upsets you in church you will go and speak to them personally… I want you to STAND UP right now and make that known. (everyone stood)
Now folks, understand, I’m going to hold you to that promise.
CLOSE: True worship… a worship that honors God is always one that is centered on love for each other.
In his book, THE LIFE YOU’VE ALWAYS WANTED, John Orteberg writes;
Sometime ago I was giving a bath to our 3 children. I had a custom of bathing together, more to save time than anything else. I knew that eventually I would have to stop group bathing, but for the time being it seemed efficient.
Johnny was still in the tub, Laura was out and safely in her pajamas, and I was trying to get Mallory dried off. Mallory was out of the water, but was doing what has come to be known in our family as the Dee Dah Day dance. This consists of running around and around in circles, singing over and over again, “Dee dah day, dee dah day.” It was a relatively simple dance expressing great joy. When she is too happy to hold it in any longer, when words are inadequate to give voice to her euphoria, she has to dance to releases her joy. So she does the Dee Dah Day.
On this particular occasion I was irritated. “Mallory Hurry!” I prodded. So she did - she began running in circles faster and faster and chanting “Dee Dah Day” more rapidly.
“No Mallory that is not what I mean! Stop with the dee dah day stuff and get over here so I can dry you off. Hurry!”
Then she asked a profound question: “Why?”
I had no answer. I had nowhere to go, nothing to do, no meetings to attend, no sermons to write. I was just so used to hurrying, so preoccupied with my own little agenda, so trapped in this rut of moving from one task to another, that here was life, here was joy, here was an invitation to the dance right in front of me - and I was missing it.
So I got up and Mallory and I did the Dee Dah Day Dance together.
Now, why did that father dance with his daughter?
Because he loved her
And you know what makes this church such a fun place to be? Because we love each other. I repeatedly tell people that this is a “safe” church. It’s a safe church because people here feel safe. They know that they are loved and protected and people don’t talk about them behind their back. Not every church has that advantage. But this one does. The promise you’ve made today will help us keep it that way.
SERMONS IN THIS SERIES (A Man After God’s Own Heart)
Measuring Up - 1 Samuel 16:1-16:13
Be Prepared/ Scout Sunday - 1 Samuel 17:1-17:53
A Friend After Your Own Heart - 1 Samuel 18:1-18:5
A Heart To Honor Authority - 1 Samuel 24:1-24:22
An Obedient Heart - 2 Samuel 6:1-6:15
A Heart To Worship - 2 Samuel 6:12-6:23
The Heart Of A Shepherd - Psalms 23:1-23:6
The Over-exposed Heart - 2 Samuel 11:1-11:5
The Undeserving Heart - Psalms 51:1-51:1
The Weakened Heart - 2 Samuel 3:17-3:39
The Heart Of A Father - 2 Samuel 13:1-13:39
A Heart to Build - 2 Samuel 7:1-7:17
The Dead Dog Syndrome - 2 Samuel 16:5-16:14
