2 Samuel 6:15–16: “So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the LORD with shouting and with the sound of the trumpet. Now as the ark of the LORD came into the City of David, Michal, Saul’s daughter, looked through a window and saw King David leaping and whirling before the LORD; and she despised him in her heart.”

June 15th, 2023 by Pastor Ed in devotional

The first time the people tried to bring up the ark, they did it their way, with tragic results (1 Sam. 6). But this time they did it God’s way. The first time they were ignorant of God’s command that the ark be carried only by Levite men of the family of Kohath. They were also ignorant of the command that only the priest could touch the ark, and then only when he had the blood of a sacrificial goat on his finger, on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. On this second attempt to bring up the ark, David carefully followed God’s clear instructions on how to do it correctly, as He had commanded through Moses.

David’s dance was a bold display of his fervent love for God. David did not dance to put on a show to impress any bystanders. His actions were not to please people, but to please God. The simple fact was that David’s love for God caused him to dance. God was pleased because heartfelt worship, flowing from the heart of the believer, always pleases God’s heart. As Jesus told the woman at the well in John 4:24: “God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” What a challenge for us in the sophisticated, 21st-century church? David had removed his royal attire and put on the simple linen robe of a priest. He was expressing his reliance upon God before all the people. He wasn’t worried about looking like a king; he was too busy being a worshiper of God Almighty. We need a little more of that in our own lives. Heartfelt worship touches the heart of God.

“LORD we want to please Your heart today. We worship you boldly now in spirit and in truth.”

Are you dancing yet?