Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Michal

“As the ark of the covenant of the Lord was entering the City of David, Michal daughter of Saul watched from a window. And when she saw King David dancing and celebrating, she despised him in her heart.” 1 Chronicles 15:29
Michal was the daughter of King Saul, and was given by him to David in marriage after one of his many conquests over the Philistines (1 Sam. 18:27). While she was sympathetic to David when Saul was trying to kill him (1 Sam. 19:11-13), here she had distanced herself. Instead of joining in with the crowds in celebrating the bringing of the ark of the covenant to Jerusalem, she was watching from a window. Then, when she sees David dancing before the Lord with all his might, instead of rejoicing with him, she criticises him (2 Sam. 6:20). She thought he should have shown more decorum, being a public figure and all. David didn’t care; he just wanted to praise God. (Jesus faced a similar attitude from the Pharisees when the people started laying palm branches before Him as He entered Jerusalem, Luke 19:39-40.)
The crux of the issue was that Michal was more concerned with what people thought about David, than what God thought. As a result, she missed out on the blessing that she could have enjoyed (2 Sam. 6:23). We too should be careful not to despise or criticise people when they are praising God, no matter how ridiculous they might look.

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