To be fully HUMAN — A Daily Reflection

 

 

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.

    They brought the ark of the LORD and set it in its place inside the tent that David had pitched for it, and David sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings before the LORD.  After he had finished sacrificing the burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the LORD Almighty.  Then he gave a loaf of bread, a cake of dates and a cake of raisins to each person in the whole crowd of Israelites, both men and women. And all the people went to their homes.

    When David returned home to bless his household, Michal daughter of Saul came out to meet him and said, "How the king of Israel has distinguished himself today, disrobing in the sight of the slave girls of his servants as any vulgar fellow would!"

    David said to Michal, "It was before the LORD, who chose me rather than your father or anyone from his house when he appointed me ruler over the LORD’s people Israel - I will celebrate before the LORD.  I will become even more undignified than this, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes. But by these slave girls you spoke of, I will be held in honor."

    And Michal daughter of Saul had no children to the day of her death. (NIV)

 

David was overjoyed at the success the Lord had given him.  He was delighted to finally bring the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem .  He danced in the streets.  He sang for joy.  But to at least one person, he looked pretty silly.  As a matter of fact, to Michal (Saul’s daughter and one of David’s wives), David had made a fool of himself.  Obviously, Michal was not tuned in to the Spirit of God.  All she saw was this man who had become king over all of Israel dancing around in the streets, and in her opinion, making a complete fool of himself.  Michal was probably also jealous of the way the young women were looking at David.  After all, he was a gorgeous man, and in the limited amount of clothing he was wearing, he might possibly have aroused a few prurient thoughts in the young girls.  But Michal’s sarcasm backfired on her.  She remained childless until her death – apparently not because she was barren, but because David got so angry with her he avoided her bed from that day forward.  She didn’t understand that David was not trying to impress her or the other young women.  That thought was furthest from his mind.  His entire focus was to praise God and to honor him with singing and dancing.

 

Are we like Michal?  Do we sit in judgment of those around us, not looking at what their focus might be?  Do we only see how silly they look in our eyes, but neglect to see what they are doing for God?  And then do we get angry when others judge us, not taking the time to see the reason for our actions?  Remember, it’s okay to be discerning – to “judge” others.  If we didn’t, we could never follow all of the many warnings given to us in scripture – i.e., “beware of wolves in sheep’s clothing”, “if your brother sins”, etc.  But that judgment must be tempered with God’s wisdom and His righteousness, and the discernment given to us by the Holy Spirit.  When we judge as Michal did – without considering anything but the surface picture, colored by our prejudices – then we suffer the consequences outlined in Matthew 7.

 

“Do not judge lest you be judged.  For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you.”  Matthew 7:1-2 NIV