Contemptible in the World’s Eyes

Dear friends,

Grace and peace to you in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

“As the ark of the covenant of the Lord came to the city of David, Michal the daughter of Saul looked out of the window and saw King David dancing and rejoicing, and she despised him in her heart” (1 Chr. 15:29).

There are two striking things in the sentence of scripture. One has to do with David’s behavior and the other with Michal’s.

First, we notice King David’s pleasure and happiness in worship before his God. The reason David wanted the ark to come into the city of Jerusalem was so he could seek after the Lord, honor Him, obey Him, and worship Him. When the great day arrived and the golden box (which contained God’s written Word) entered the city, David was there celebrating with all his might! With this in mind, you might ask yourself, when was the last time you were that excited about a worship service at church? When was the last time you sat down with your Bible full of joy because it contained the words of God’s covenant?

Second, in contrast to the joy of David we see the disgust his wife Michal has for the worship of God. We do not know exactly what she thinks when she sees her husband, but perhaps it goes something like this: “How embarrassing for the king to to look so undignified!” “What will everyone think?” “What a waste of time!” Of course plenty of Christian people experience this kind of scorn from their friends, co-workers, and even family members. King David, however, was more concerned about what God thought than any other opinion. “I will make myself even more contemptible than this,” he said to Michal (2 Sam. 6:22a).

Friend, when it comes to a relationship with God, when it comes to the Word of God, when it comes time to worship - which one are you? David or Michal?

Your servant,

Stephen

Rev. Stephen St. John
Pastor/Elder