Politically Incorrect Worship
2 Sam 6:16
As the ark of the LORD
was entering the City of David, Michal daughter of Saul watched from a window.
And when she saw King David leaping and dancing before the LORD, she despised
him in her heart.
Some of us may be familiar with this passage. I have written
before that worship, especially exuberant worship, exposes the heart; both of
the worshipper and the observer.
We can see it so clearly these days where Tim Tebow, the
former quarterback from Florida, is derided in public because of his clear
stance regarding his relationship to Jesus Christ. While others are celebrated
for the sexual exploits, any young man or woman who professes chastity and
abstinence are looked at as freaks, liars and hypocrites.
To be a Christian and stand by Biblical values is to be
intolerant, judgmental, an oppressor and guilty of hates crimes.
Nothing new.
David’s wife despised him in her heart.
The Jew’s, the people Jesus came to save, crucified Him.
What was David’s response?
2 Sam 6:21-22
I will celebrate
before the LORD. 22 I will become even more undignified than this, and I
will be humiliated in my own eyes.
David’s mistake was tying himself to the daughter of the old
King, tying himself to the past. The Israelites wanted to go back to Egypt. Lot’s
wife turned into a pillar of stone looking back at Sodom.
Saul was the first king appointed by God, but he did not
have a relationship with God. Saul
always asked Samuel to intercede for him before “the Lord your God”. David had a personal relationship with God
and so when he sinned he would repent and pray to “Lord my God”.
Michal was a tie to the old unfaithful ways. In fact the
reason that Saul gave her to him was "so
that she may be a snare to him”. (1 Sam 18:-21)
There are many things that the world offers to us that
appear attractive, but that in the end are a snare to us.
Wasn’t that the whole point of Satan’s temptations of Christ
in the wilderness?
Real worshippers, however, are undeterred.
Real worshippers don’t mind being mocked or derided.
Real worshippers have their focus on God and not on man and
so their response is always:
I will become even more undignified than this!
Good and challenging words, Jay. It does seem that we in the church have approached worship rather "back-ackerds."
ReplyDeleteThanks for your kind words, Jim. Every day I discover a deeper relationship with God and more reasons to worship him.
ReplyDelete