May 24

David Danced

Today’s Scripture Readings: Psalm 72:8-14  | 2 Samuel 4:1-6:23 | John 13:31-14:14 |Proverbs 15:31-32

Today’s Scripture Focus:  2 Samuel 4:1-6:23

David and the whole house of Israel were celebrating with all their might before the Lord, with songs and with harps, lyres, tambourines, sistrums and cymbals. [14] David, wearing a linen ephod, danced before the Lord with all his might (2 Samuel 6:5, 14 NIV). 

Worship is a time for celebration.  It is a time for us to break out the instruments and sing with all our might. It is not a time for half-hearted singing or mumbling words. It is a time for us to enter in with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength.

David sets a great example in leading the people of Israel to celebrate the greatness of their God: “David and the whole house of Israel were celebrating with all their might before the Lord, with songs and with harps, lyres, tambourines, sistrums and cymbals” (6:5). They worshiped with all their might–they didn’t hold anything back. That’s the kind of celebration God deserves each week as we gather together.

The story of Uzzah reminds us that worship also calls for an attitude of reverence. He treated the “holy” as common and suffered the punishment. Reverence need not dampen our enthusiasm or our celebration—but it does sharpen our focus in the midst of the celebration. We are not celebrating to entertain ourselves. We are celebrating to declare the worth of our God. He is the focus, and we dare not lose sight of that. Worship calls for celebration, but always keeps us focused on him and should lead us to a sense of wonder and awe.

Worship is a time to focus on God, not to judge others for the way they express themselves. Michal learned that lesson the hard way. She saw David dancing and celebrating before the Lord with all his might, and she was embarrassed by it. There is often a temptation to judge others during worship—their attitudes, their behaviors. This is a dangerous distraction that keeps us from worshiping God as we ought. Don’t worry about other people. Focus on God and worship him with all your might.

God, give me a heart to worship you with an abandon. Keep my eyes off of myself, and help me not to be distracted by the opinions of others. Instead, let me focus intensely, intentionally on you. Amen.