Despised by his Wife

2 Samuel 6:12-23

Now we left off on David’s failed attempt to bring the ark of God to Jerusalem when Uzzah with the best intentions tried to steady the ark when the oxen stumbled, and God killed him.  David, in fear of God, left the ark at the house of Obed-edom, and the Lord blessed him and his family.

King David is getting reports about how Obed-edom is blessed, and David had the ark of God brought up to the city of David with rejoicing.  This was the way it was done; “And when those who bore the ark of the Lord had gone six steps, he sacrificed an ox and a fattened animal. And David danced before the Lord with all his might. And David was wearing a linen ephod. So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the Lord with shouting and with the sound of the horn.

As the ark of the Lord came into the city of David, Michal the daughter of Saul looked out of the window and saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord, and she despised him in her heart. And they brought in the ark of the Lord and set it in its place, inside the tent that David had pitched for it. And David offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord. And when David had finished offering the burnt offerings and the peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord of hosts and distributed among all the people, the whole multitude of Israel, men and women, a cake of bread, a portion of meat, and a cake of raisins to each one. Then all the people departed, each to his house.”

What a message for anytime, David wanted to be part of what God was up to, and in that obedience brings blessing, and because Obed-edom was being blessed in allowing the ark of God to be at his house, David wanted to join God and be part of the blessing.  That does not mean others will understand our hearts, for we find that his wife and the daughter of Saul watched David dancing before the Lord as the ark of God entered the city, and she despised him in her heart.  Could it be he was not conducting himself as a king should, and in her accusing heart she did not approve of David’s actions?  We in our advanced culture would never act in such a way! 

Now David is on a high, and this is what Michal, his wife had to say, and I'm sure it made his day.  Shall we listen in on their exchange: “And David returned to bless his household. But Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David and said, “How the king of Israel honored himself today, uncovering himself today before the eyes of his servants' female servants, as one of the vulgar fellows shamelessly uncovers himself!” And David said to Michal, “It was before the Lord, who chose me above your father and above all his house, to appoint me as prince over Israel, the people of the Lord—and I will celebrate before the Lord. I will make myself yet more contemptible than this, and I will be abased in your eyes. But by the female servants of whom you have spoken, by them, I shall be held in honor.” And Michal the daughter of Saul had no child to the day of her death.“

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice