We all have different approaches to praise and worship. While some people choose to stand and raise their hands, others just nod their heads to follow the rhythm. Some choose to just tap their feet and others choose to clap. However, there is another group of praisers and worshippers, who combine all the other approaches. Their approach is to glorify God with all of themselves. They sing, dance, raise their hands, tap their feet, clap, turn around etc. These deep praises and worshippers, care less about the people around but are focused on raising to God a sacrifice of praise and worship. If your approach to worship is different from them you might tend to conclude that they are overdoing it. The truth is, so far as they have God’s approval, the disapproval of men does not nullify their action. Our attitude towards the things we do are mostly as a result of our temperaments. Your temperament affects your behaviour. It is important that you know your temperament so that you don’t become very critical of other people’s actions. As we identified in the previous post, Michal was taken from Paltiel and restored to David. They seemed to be doing well. Michal joined the other wives of David and everything was going well. David’s goal was to bring the ark of God to Jerusalem, the capital city of his new kingdom. The first attempt failed and a man called Uzzah died in the process. “When they came to the threshing floor of Nakon, Uzzah reached out and took hold of the ark of God, because the oxen stumbled. The Lord’s anger burned against Uzzah because of his irreverent act; therefore God struck him down, and he died there beside the ark of God.” (2 Samuel 6:6-7). David was angry and afraid at the same time (2 Samuel 6: 8-9). After three months, David tried again and this time, he was successful. Imagine the joy that would bring him. All that he wanted was to have the ark in Jerusalem and that became a reality. David was a praiser and a worshipper. According to 2 Samuel 6;14-15, David wore a linen ephod, and danced before the Lord with all his might, while he and all Israel were bringing up the ark of the Lord with shouts and the sound of trumpets. 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!” And Michal daughter of Saul had no children to the day of her death. (2 Samuel 6:20, 23) David was not just clapping, tapping or raising hands, he danced with all his might. “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!” (2 Samuel 6:20). Michal’s disapproval of David’s approach to worship might have stemmed from different reasons. First it could be as a result of temperamental differences. Second, Michal’s father Saul was also a king of Israel and he might have not openly danced like the way David danced before the Lord. Thirdly, Michal might have disapproved of David dancing before the commoners (the ordinary people). The best explanation to this is the second part of 2 Samuel 6:20. Michal complained that David was going round half-naked in the full view of the slave girls of his servants as any vulgar fellow would. This accusation is quite deep, noting that it is coming from the first wife of the king. Michal did not just show her disapproval of David, she demonstrated that the people are mere servants and their children are slaves. She utterly brought up a class system in the society. What Michal might not have considered was that her own father was part of the same society until God appointed him as king. She forgot that David himself was a shepherd boy before he became a giant slayer. She missed the fact that when we come before God in praise and worship, king’s and servants alike have a mandate to worship in spirit and truth. How we do that depends on our approach to praise and worship. Michal fixed her eyes on power and authority over praise and worship to God. Her father Saul demonstrated a similar attitude throughout his life to the extent of taking the role of the prophet Samuel and offering sacrifices to God. Michal loved David by all standards but she hated his way of worship. She failed to appreciate their individual differences to worship, and accept that in praise and worship, kings and servants alike have the same mandate. The words of Michal to David shows the lack of dignity David demonstrated when he danced together with the people. In reply, “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 6:21-23). Many people across the world act like Michal. They are quite critical and condemning when prominent people demonstrate their love for God publicly. Michal knew God. She might have loved God but her understanding of praise and worship was flawed. “Praise the Lord. Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens. Praise him for his acts of power; praise him for his surpassing greatness. Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet, praise him with the harp and lyre, praise him with timbrel and dancing, praise him with the strings and pipe, praise him with the clash of cymbals, praise him with resounding cymbals. Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord.” (Psalms 150:1-6)
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