Dance Like David:
Living For An Audience Of One
BIBLE STUDY, OLD TESTAMENT, 2 SAMUEL
2 Samuel 6:14-16 (NIV)
Wearing a linen ephod, David was dancing before the Lord with all his might, while he and all Israel were bringing up the ark of the Lord with shouts and the sound of trumpets. 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.
Grab your Bible, turn to 2 Samuel chapter 6, and have a read. Spoiler alert – it’s full on!!! But read for yourself and let’s look at the context together.
In the previous chapter, David became king over Israel and conquered Jerusalem (2 Sam. 5). Next, he decided to bring the ark of the covenant back to Jerusalem.
During the first attempt, Uzzah, one of the men who drove the cart with the ark, accidentally touched it and died on the spot (v. 6-7). Hectic, I know! However, this is not the place to go into this in detail – that’s another study.
After this incident David was unsure whether he still wanted the ark (v. 10). However, in a second attempt, he brought the Ark to Jerusalem with a great celebration (v. 12). David’s wife, who watched the festivities from her window, despised two things: David’s dancing and his attire (v. 20).
1. Dance like you don’t care
David didn’t just wake up one morning and decide to dance half-naked in the streets of Jerusalem. David danced before the Lord on the day he and all of Israel brought the ark of God to Jerusalem.
The ark of the covenant was no small deal. God had commanded Moses about 400 years earlier to make it. It was a wooden box covered in gold, representing the very presence of God (Ex 25:10-11). The ark was last mentioned when it was brought back from the land of the Philistines (1 Sam 6:21). It was brought to the house of Aminadab, where it stayed for 20 years (1 Sam 7:1-2). Bringing the ark of God to Jerusalem was a marking event, and David was not the only one dancing, celebrating, and worshipping (2 Sam 6:5 &15).
The question that’s burning in my mind is why David’s wife was not in the streets of Jerusalem celebrating with ALL of Israel. Here are my thoughts: Michal was Saul’s daughter who had been given to David as a wife in exchange for two hundred Philistine foreskins (1 Sam. 18:27) – we will leave that uncommented.
Let’s go back in time – shortly after the ark was brought back from the Philistines, young Saul became king over Israel. Just consider the fact that king Saul let the ark of God sit in the house of Aminadab for 20 years!! He did not prioritize the presence of God. In contrast, the first thing David did after becoming king was to bring the ark to Jerusalem and provide Israel with a central place of worship.
When Michal confronted David, his answer was firm. „It was before the Lord who chose me and not your father or anyone of his house when he appointed me ruler over the people of Israel – I will celebrate before the Lord.“
Go ahead and highlight verse 21 in your Bible because this is key. David was passionate about the Lord. And the Lord chose David and rejected Saul as king.
You probably wonder what this all got to do with Michal. Note it says in verse 16, „Michal daughter of Saul“ – she might have still been Saul’s daughter more than David’s wife.
2. Dress in favor of the occasion
Note David wore a linen ephod (v. 14). The Levite priests usually wore the linen ephod. It was a garment made of finely twisted linen and golden details (Ex. 28:6-8).
The Levitical priesthood began with Aaron, Moses’ older brother. God commanded Moses to make garments for Aaron and his sons and consecrate them to serve the Lord as priests (Ex. 28:1-4). The priestly garments included a breast piece, a robe, an ephod, a woven tunic, a turban, and a sash.
1 Chronicle 15 records the same event of David bringing the ark of the covenant to Jerusalem. According to this account, David wore an ephod and a robe, as were the Levites (1 Chr. 15:27). King David wore priestly garments on the day the ark of the covenant was brought to Jerusalem.
If you are under the impression that David danced in the streets of Jerusalem in his underwear, I am sorry to disappoint you, for that was not the case. He was not dressed inappropriately for this event or in general. Nevertheless, King David laid aside his royal robes and chose instead the clothing of God’s servants.
David didn’t seek the people’s approval as their king but humbled himself before the Lord and worshipped. The event was ultimately not the great return of king David but the Lord’s return.
3. A servant of Christ doesn’t seek the approval of people
David danced before the Lord even though his wife despised him for it. He faced Goliath even though his eldest brother accused him (1 Sam. 17:28) and King Saul said he could not fight because David was not a warrior (1 Sam. 17:33).
Galatians 1:10
Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.
I fear that sometimes we place a higher value on the opinions of men in our lives than on the Word of God. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying you shouldn’t seek wise counsel from leaders and mentors. But faith always attracts doubters. Boldness to do something that has not been done before always attracts critics. As servants of Christ, we cannot afford to seek the approval of all.
DON’T‘ LIVE FOR THE APPLAUSE OF MANY BUT THE APPROVAL OF ONE.
When David was confronted, he responded that he would become even more undignified in his own eyes (2 Sam 6:22). To dance like David is to be passionate and humble despite what anyone else thinks. I don’t know about you, but I want to be a bit more like David and dance like I just don’t care