What do you do when your wife has contempt for the way you worship?  I’ve never experienced this, but David, the King of Israel did.

I’m reading through the Bible and part of my reading this morning was from 2 Samuel 6 and 1 Chronicles 15-16.  David who is now the King of all Israel decides to bring the Ark of the Covenant back to Jerusalem.  The Ark was one of the most significant reminders to the Israelites of the presence and power of God.  It was also significant in terms of their worship of The Lord God.

When they finally brought the Ark back to Jerusalem it was a time for celebration, praise and worship.  A choir of Levite singers and musicians who played harps, lyres and cymbals were a part of this celebration.  2 Samuel 6:12-15 reminds us that it was a great celebration of worship and David danced before the Lord with all his might.  There were shouts of joy and blasts of rams’ horns.

1 Chronicles 15:29 tells us King David danced and skipped about with laughter and joy, but his wife Michal was filled with contempt for him.  Micah judged and criticized David’s response to this great occasion; she did not think his style of expressing praise and worship was reverent enough for the King.  In 2 Samuel 6, David reminded her that he would celebrate in worship before the Lord and was willing to “look foolish” and even be “humiliated in my own eyes” because of my joy and praise of the Lord.

2 Samuel 6:23 is an interesting verse.  It says: “So Michal…remained childless throughout her life.”

This was interesting to me in light of the current series we’re in at Grace Fellowship called My Big Fat Mouth as we dealt with criticism yesterday.  As Jesus said: “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.’  Matthew 7:1-2 NIV