There’s A Story Behind My Praise
I Samuel 6:14-16; 20-22
Good Day My Dear brothers and sisters in Christ. I shared this Word with the saints here at HTC and it blessed us – maybe it will help someone else.
It never ceases to amaze me how the people of the Lord are constantly seeking ways to assist us in worshipping and praising God. We quote songs like, “When I think of the goodness of Jesus…” or “I can dance, dance, dance all night”, or we say things like, “God is good, all the time…” Yet we still need props or aid to help us in worship.
So we have created or added things to our services to help us praise the Lord: Praise & Worship teams; Praise dancers; flag wavers, masters of ceremonies and expeditors who spend an inordinate amount of time telling us they’re not there to “pump and prime us”, but that’s what they’re doing! Even I am guilty of instructing the people, “…tell your neighbor” or “…get somebody by the hand”.
In our text we see that David danced before the Lord with all his might. In fact, he danced and worshipped so that his clothes fell off and his wife Michal was despised. Even in his exalted and honored position as king, David certainly didn’t need anyone to help or tell him to praise God. Why? Well let’s look at the Ark of the Covenant and why having it in his possession would bring David so much joy and reason to praise God.
The Ark was symbolic of God’s presence. You may be familiar with accounts of the army of Israel winning battles because the Ark was with them, or of the Philistines returning the Ark to Abinadad because their god, Dagon, had lost his head and hands.
Upon ascending to the throne David sets out to retrieve the Ark from Abinadad (isn’t strange that King Saul never attempted to get the Ark) – but doesn’t follow instructions on how to transport the Ark. Because of David’s poor leadership, Uzzah dies when he tries to keep the Ark from falling from the Ox cart. An angry David decides to send the Ark to Obed-Edom’s house.
After three months of hearing of the blessings flowing from Obed-Edom’s house, David decides to retrieve the Ark and this time he follows the instructions God gave Moses carrying the Ark. He is so happy he worships God in dance and praise. Why did his wife despise him?
Once upon a time Michal loved David. Although her father gave her to entrap David, she saved David’s life. Then for spite, Saul gave Michal to another man – Lacish. From there it appears as though David and Michal’s lives take two very different paths.
Michal is living with Lacish who obviously lacked certain husband qualities (remember when David returns to claim Michal and Lacish walks behind crying for her not to go?). David on the other hand spends his days on the run from King Saul; first Ahimilech, then Acish. He was almost stoned by his men at Ziklag, he was chided by Abal. David seemed to have obstacle after obstacle. However, God had brought him to this point where he was now king over all of Israel.
Can you see David now – he probably remembered:
• Being chosen and anointed by Samuel to be king over his brothers;
• Being chosen to play his harp to calm the king;
• Killing the bear when it attacked his father’s sheep;
• Killing the lion when it attacked his father’s sheep;
• Killing the giant Goliath when he defied the army of Israel and blasphemed David’s God;
• How God led him to the little boy who informed him of the location of the army that had taken David’s family from Ziklag and they recovered all;
• Finally, David probably remembered how three months earlier how he didn’t follow instructions and mishandled God’s anointing. Furthermore in his anger he gave away God’s anointing, but God had given him another chance.
Is there any wonder why David praised God so mightily?
My dear friend, only you know where the Lord brought you from. Like me you have probably been delivered from things that might be a little embarrassing to share. Perhaps you have overcome something that is a little private. Maybe your story is so awesome and improbable that no one would believe you – it doesn’t matter.
Don’t let anyone measure or dictate you worship to God!! If they believe you are too emphatic, so what? If they feel you are too loud, who cares? If they feel you are too demonstrative, oh well. Remember the old song, “You don’t know like I know…” What they fail to understand (as Michal did), there’s a story behind your praise!!
I bless you in the name of the Lord!!
PS: Could it be as David danced with all his might until his clothes came off, this could be symbolic of us dacing and rejoicing and “things” fall off of us – depression, fear, low self esteem, bitterness, strife, etc.?