“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. They brought the ark of the Lord and set it in its place inside the tent that David had pitched for it, and David sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings before the Lord. After he had finished sacrificing the burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord Almighty. Then he gave a loaf of bread, a cake of dates and a cake of raisins to each person in the whole crowd of Israelites, both men and women. And all the people went to their homes. When David returned home to bless his household, Michal daughter of Saul came out to meet him and said, ‘How the king of Israel has distinguished himself today, going around half-naked in full view of the slave girls of his servants as any vulgar fellow would!’ David said to Michal, ‘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. But by these slave girls you spoke of, I will be held in honor.’ And Michal daughter of Saul had no children to the day of her death.”—2 Samuel 6:16–23 (NIV) 

Have you ever gone to a celebration with a DJ or a live band, like a wedding or a birthday party, and danced the night away? Maybe you wouldn’t consider yourself a “dancer,” but have you ever gone to a concert and jumped up and down singing along the whole night? Or perhaps you’ve played a sport and done a little victory dance after winning a point or the game? 

Why am I asking these things? Well, because I want us to see how natural it is for humans to express joy through dance! It doesn’t have to be coordinated or choreographed, but using our bodies and voices to celebrate is part of how we’re made. This is exactly what David was doing for God as they offered sacrifices to worship Him and welcome His presence to Jerusalem. If you read yesterday’s devotional, you know that David finally getting to usher in the ark of the covenant to Jerusalem was a long-awaited event! David tried once, did it wrong, reaped the consequences, and now finally did it God’s way.

So, why would Michal, David’s wife at the time, despise him in her heart? What does that even mean? To despise is “to hold something with contempt; to judge something as less than; to detest or be disgusted by it.” This language is very strong, but that’s what the Hebrew word signifies! How does someone feel this strongly against someone who is worshiping? Consider the examples above. 

When someone has a hard heart, a heart of condemnation and jealousy, they can’t enjoy the same fun as those around them whether it be at a party, an event, or a sporting game! It seems as though Michal had this mindset. When she confronts David about it, her reasoning is all about image. She’s annoyed that David would seemingly humiliate himself, as the new king, in front of his subjects. She saw his expression of emotions before God as undignified and embarrassing. She also points out what he was wearing, which we know was the priestly garment called an ephod. She paints it in a negative light when in reality, this was what the priests would’ve been wearing with David. He was just acting like another worshiper in Israel, another person in God’s family, another man devoted to Yahweh. It seems like Michal’s criticism, which has a sarcastic taste to it, is more about David not doing anything to embrace his “superiority.” 

So, how does David respond? He tells her he wasn’t dancing for people. He was dancing for the Lord—an audience of one. The God who chose him when no one else would have. The God who he knew to be faithful, true, and good. He proclaimed, “I will celebrate before the Lord. I will become even more undignified than this, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes.” What a beautiful devotion! 

When your eyes are solely fixed on the one true King, and your fear of God is greater than your fear of man, you can live in the same freedom, confidence, and joy that David did. Whatever might be holding you back from this whole-hearted and unashamed worship and devotion, today you can lay it down and choose to humble yourself before God instead. What will you do?

Pause: What’s keeping you from worshiping God like David? What voices are you listening to that are convincing you to stay hidden, quiet, and lukewarm in your devotion to God?

Practice: Write down any fears or reasons that keep you from being more wholeheartedly devoted to God. Identify the lies in each of them, and ask God to help you replace them with truth. Look in His Word for help, too!

Pray: Heavenly Father, You are my almighty God! You’re matchless in power and full of wonder! You deserve my unashamed and whole-hearted worship, but sometimes I let my own sinful desires get in the way—my selfishness, fear, and pride. I humble myself at Your feet today and give those things to You. You matter more than them. I love You and want to give myself to You fully day in and day out. I offer You my life as a living sacrifice of true worship to You today. Amen.