5 Minute Read

Prepare Your Heart

To the best of your ability, get rid of all distractions. Take a few minutes to breathe deeply and quiet yourself in the Lord’s presence. Then, ask the Lord to speak to you in this time. Let Him know that you will listen and make whatever adjustments He will reveal to you.

Read God’s Word

2 Samuel 6-8
Luke 23:13-31

A Verse for Today

Slowly and reflectively read the following verse(s) and listen to what God will say to you through His written Word. Consider writing down any insights He reveals to you.

2 Samuel 6:16 (CSB): “As the ark of the LORD was entering the city of David, Saul’s daughter Michal looked down from the window and saw King David leaping and dancing before the LORD, and she despised him in her heart.”

Reflecting on God’s Word

Growing up as a conservative evangelical Christian, I knew that “fun” related to Christian activities had its limits. As we sang hymns in church, someone could close their eyes and sway … if they didn’t sway too much. Someone could lift their hand to scratch their nose, but they dare not lift it to praise the Lord. When we sang lyrics like, “there are sweet expressions on each face,” I sometimes looked around and realized that we were all singing a lie … in church(!), of all places. I was also convinced that if 1 Thessalonians 4:16 took place during a worship service when it tells us that “the dead in Christ will rise first,” we would definitely be at the front of the line.

And then I looked at our charismatic friends and realized they seemed unhinged and out of control. I could have certainly built a biblical case against some of their behavior and some of the theology behind it. But in the quietness of my heart, they looked like they were having fun, and I wanted fun.

When we read 2 Samuel 6:16, we see King David having fun. He was singing, dancing, and jumping all around to express the joy in his heart. For clarification, he was outside and not in a worship service. But he was enjoying his God, and his body was showing it.

Then there was one of his wives, Michal. We are told that she looked down on her husband from a window and “despised him in her heart.” She saw her husband, the king, showing complete disregard for his status as the ruler of his people as he danced with all his might … and she found his behavior contemptible. He was embarrassing himself as far as she was concerned, and she despised him for it.

I’m not saying we should dance like David in our church services. In fact, while we should make our worship gatherings joyful, I don’t believe the kind of dancing David did would be appropriate in those settings. After all, David wasn’t in a worship service when he danced with all his might. He was outside in the streets as the Ark was making its way into the city of Jerusalem. We don’t see this kind of joyful behavior in the early church, and I don’t think it really has a place in our contemporary services.

But I am saying there should at least be some occasions when you enjoy your God so much that your body demonstrates your joy.

Why not obey Psalm 150 sometime soon in the privacy of your home? Why not turn up some fun, worship music, and then let your heart move your body to dance before the Lord? With your mind focused on the Lord and the joys of being in His presence, demonstrate that He makes you incredibly happy! If you don’t hurt yourself (LOL), and if you can get past the few moments when you might feel awkward, you may eventually enjoy dancing before the Lord. (The internet is FULL of articles that talk about the benefits (physical, mental, emotional, etc.) of dancing. Why not do it before and for the Lord?)

Psalm 150

Hallelujah!
Praise God in his sanctuary.
Praise him in his mighty expanse.
Praise him for his powerful acts;
praise him for his abundant greatness.

Praise him with the blast of a trumpet;
praise him with harp and lyre.
Praise him with tambourine and dance (emphasis mine);
praise him with strings and flute.
Praise him with resounding cymbals;
praise him with clashing cymbals.

Let everything that breathes praise the LORD.
Hallelujah!

Spend Time in Prayer

  • Ask God to help you realize that He is more enjoyable than you could possibly imagine.
  • Ask God to help you realize that you can enjoy Him in ways the Bible approves but that may not have been approved by other Christians or churches.
  • Ask God to help you be extra careful never to draw attention to yourself but, instead, to Him.

Going Deeper

If you want to dig a little deeper into what the Bible says about dancing, consider reading the following GotQuestions article:

“What does the Bible say about dancing?”

Sharing

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Matt Ellis is the pastor of First Baptist Church in Polk City, Florida (fbcpolkcity.com)