Undignified Dancing

Sermon: Undignified Dancing.

2 Samuel 6:6-23

When they came to the threshing floor of Nakon, Uzzah reached out and took hold of the ark of God, because the oxen stumbled. 7 The 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.

8 Then David was angry because the LORD’s wrath had broken out against Uzzah, and to this day that place is called Perez Uzzah.[e]

9 David was afraid of the LORD that day and said, “How can the ark of the LORD ever come to me?” 10 He was not willing to take the ark of the LORD to be with him in the City of David. Instead, he took it to the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite. 11 The 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.

12 Now 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 to bring up the ark of God from the house of Obed-Edom to the City of David with rejoicing. 13 When those who were carrying the ark of the LORD had taken six steps, he sacrificed a bull and a fattened calf. 14 Wearing a linen ephod, David was dancing before the LORD with all his might, 15 while he and all Israel were bringing up the ark of the LORD with shouts and the sound of trumpets.

16 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.

17 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. 18 After he had finished sacrificing the burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the LORD Almighty. 19 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.

20 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, going around half-naked in full view of the slave girls of his servants as any vulgar fellow would!”

21 David 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. 22 I 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 honour.”

23 And Michal daughter of Saul had no children to the day of her death. (NIV)

Now within this story there is quite a bit going on its got more gripping stuff that an episode of Coro Street, however I will leave some of it for you to look into yourselves. But a bit of background, David remember was a shepherd boy, gets into favour with the King, King Saul a big head taller than the rest bloke. Firstly Saul thought David was a great kid, killed the Philistine giant Goliath, soothed him by playing the harp when he was in a depressed mood, and was a worthy soldier that Saul put in charge of his armies. This was all good until Saul got jealous of David’s abilities as the commander of his army. Eventually David becomes King and Jerusalem becomes his city, The City of David.

Here is a passage describing why in 1 Samuel 18:7, “As they danced, they sang: "Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands." The they who danced are Saul’s female subjects. After this Saul decides to allow David to marry Michal his youngest daughter, the price of the dowry being one hundred Philistine foreskins, ick, why because in the gathering, in the fighting the Philistines he believes David will be killed. But David gathers the dowry and marries Michal.

1 Samuel 18:28-29 says “When Saul saw and knew that the LORD was with David, and that Michal, Saul's daughter, loved him, Saul became still more afraid of him, and he remained his enemy the rest of his days.

But wait there’s more; Saul’s jealousy and fear of David continued until we read in 1 Samuel 25:44 that Saul gives his daughter who was married to David to another bloke by the name of Palti. Then after the death of Saul, David decides he’s getting Michal back and sends one of his mates around to reacquire her. This occurs in 2 Samuel 3:14-22. Like sands through the hour glass so where the days of their lives, this is dysfunctional relationship stuff to the max.