Today’s reading is 2 Samuel 6.
David is in the process of transporting the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem so God would bless them as a nation. He was in charge of it, along with 30,000 men. The Ark was sacred and carried with it a lot of rules and expectations for transport and care. It was no joke. The men were aware of this but even in this situation they became a little “loosey goosey” and forgot that there were serious consequences to disobeying. Poor Uzzah, in an attempt to keep the Ark from falling he reached out and touched the Ark. As a result, God struck him dead. Seems a little harsh but they were well aware of the rules and what would happen if they strayed from them….even if well intentioned. This was difficult for David to witness but I think it renewed a sense of awe and fear at the power of God and the rules set forth by Him. Again, it was no joke.
After this, David spent more of his time worshipping and sacrificing while transporting the Ark. He was seeking the Lord while carrying it to ensure he was taking it to the right place. David had heard how the Lord had blessed Oben-Edom’s home and everything he had because of the presence of the Ark of God. So David took the Ark to the City of David with a “great celebration”. They sacrificed animals, sang, danced, played instruments and shouted all to the glory of God. They were not worried about what anyone thought of them as they worshipped because they had witnessed the power of God through the death of Uzzah and blessing of Oben-Edoms household. They finally placed the Ark in the tent David had prepared for it and then he proceeded to care for the people by passing out food. What a day!! He went home on a high from all the praising and witnessing of God’s power only to be faced with his wife Michal who basically tells him how stupid he looked to everyone around him and that she was embarrassed. His response was perfect in 2 Samuel 6:21-22 “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. I will become even more undignified than this, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes”.
When is the last time you were “even more undignified than this”? I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve looked on at people at church with their hands waving around and thought they looked a little undignified. Unfortunately, I judged much like Michal did in this passage. And like her, I have missed out on the blessing of worship and praise with wild abandon. The people that have witnessed the power of God, close up and personal, are the ones that are not afraid to lift their arms and dance to the almighty God. I challenge you to spend some time with God – singing, dancing, shouting, and blowing a trumpet if you have one. He is worthy of our praise! It can be a solo act in your living room and it is just as effective.
David Crower Band – “Undignified” https://youtu.be/hp7B5V-qpTQ
Shelly