Undignified

This past weekend I was at the wedding reception of some friends from church enjoying the bountiful foods of the Congo. The DJ used his microphone to call Cathy and I to join the wedding party and the other pastors to dance with the newly married couple. For the record I should state that although I may be swift on my feet when I wear hockey skates, I didn’t inherit my parents’ ability to dance!

I thought that Cathy would say “No” and that would be our ticket out. But she didn’t because she knew that we would do more “damage” by not dancing than to attempt to do so and look bad. Myself, I didn’t want to come across undignified.

I listened to my wife and joined the others; I ‘made a fool of myself’ and had a good time. It’s funny that I thought I would be undignified because joining us in the dance was a man from the Congo who was a politician and served his government in the capacity of the ‘Speaker of The House’   

I thought of 2 Samuel chapter 6 in which a man took another path when his wife DIDN’T want her husband to dance because culturally it was “wrong” to do so.

The Bible records; “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 trumpet” (v.14-16 NKJV).

They had the Ark of God and were returning it as required by the Lord and to the place that it was supposed to be. And David danced with all of his might wearing only a linen ephod, a robe characteristically used by ordinary priests; not kings or dignitaries. The Hebrew words for denude imply that he was stripped of his other clothes; especially anything that made him look important or regal.

Verse 16 records; “Now as the ark of the Lord came into the City of David, Michal, Saul’s daughter, looked through a window and saw King David leaping and whirling before the Lord; and she despised him in her heart”.

His wife thought that he was appearing as foolish and unseemly; lacking in dignity like “one of the base fellows shamelessly uncovers himself” (v. 20 NKJV).

Eugene Peterson translates verse 20 as; “David returned home to bless his family. Michal, Saul’s daughter, came out to greet him: “How wonderfully the king has distinguished himself today—exposing himself to the eyes of the servants’ maids like some burlesque street dancer!” (v. 20 MSG)

I love David’s response to his wife Michal; “It was before the Lord, who chose me instead of your father and all his house, to appoint me ruler over the people of the Lord, over Israel. Therefore I will play music before the Lord. And I will be even more undignified than this, and will be humble in my own sight.” (v. 21-22)

How about you? Do you set limits on how much you go for it concerning showing your love for the Lord? Are you concerned about whether or not passionate worship will make you come across as undignified? I would suggest that you join the rest of us who are learning to let it all go and give Him all you got as you worship Him. He is worthy of all praise!

 

 

New King James Version (NKJV)  The Holy Bible, New King James Version Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.

The Message (MSG) Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson