Introduction:
Opposing Worldviews
Define worldview:
Your worldview is the lens through which you see and interpret the world around you.
A worldview is the way a person sees and understands the world. It includes their beliefs, values, and experiences that shape how they think and act.
Who was missing during Saul’s reign?
The most important commandment. (Given to the people of Israel long before this time.)
Deuteronomy 6:4-5 NLT
4 “Listen, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. 5 And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength.
As Saul’s reign progressed, his relationship with God deteriorated significantly. One pivotal moment occurred when Saul disobeyed God’s explicit command regarding the Amalekites. (iAsk)
1 Samuel 15:10-28 NLT (When Saul did not completely destroy the Amalekite nation.)
The Lord Rejects Saul
10 Then the Lord said to Samuel, 11 “I am sorry that I ever made Saul king, for he has not been loyal to me and has refused to obey my command.” …
Saul Pleads for Forgiveness
24 Then Saul admitted to Samuel, “Yes, I have sinned. I have disobeyed your instructions and the Lord’s command, for I was afraid of the people and did what they demanded. 25 But now, please forgive my sin and come back with me so that I may worship the Lord.”
26 But Samuel replied, “I will not go back with you! Since you have rejected the Lord’s command, he has rejected you as king of Israel.”
27 As Samuel turned to go, Saul tried to hold him back and tore the hem of his robe. 28 And Samuel said to him, “The Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today and has given it to someone else—one who is better than you.
Contrast:
Acts 13:22 NLT
22 But God removed Saul and replaced him with David, a man about whom God said, ‘I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart. He will do everything I want him to do.’
2 Samuel 6:12-23 NLT
Michal’s Contempt for David
12 Then King David was told, “The Lord has blessed Obed-edom’s household and everything he has because of the Ark of God.” So David went there and brought the Ark of God from the house of Obed-edom to the City of David with a great celebration. 13 After the men who were carrying the Ark of the Lord had gone six steps, David sacrificed a bull and a fattened calf. 14 And David danced before the Lord with all his might, wearing a priestly garment. 15 So David and all the people of Israel brought up the Ark of the Lord with shouts of joy and the blowing of rams’ horns.
16 But as the Ark of the Lord entered the City of David, Michal, the daughter of Saul, looked down from her window. When she saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord, she was filled with contempt for him.
17 They brought the Ark of the Lord and set it in its place inside the special tent David had prepared for it. And David sacrificed burnt offerings and peace offerings to the Lord. 18 When he had finished his sacrifices, David blessed the people in the name of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. 19 Then he gave to every Israelite man and woman in the crowd a loaf of bread, a cake of dates, and a cake of raisins. Then all the people returned to their homes.
20 When David returned home to bless his own family, Michal, the daughter of Saul, came out to meet him. She said in disgust, “How distinguished the king of Israel looked today, shamelessly exposing himself to the servant girls like any vulgar person might do!”
21 David retorted to Michal, “I was dancing before the Lord, who chose me above your father and all his family! He appointed me as the leader of Israel, the people of the Lord, so I celebrate before the Lord. 22 Yes, and I am willing to look even more foolish than this, even to be humiliated in my own eyes! But those servant girls you mentioned will indeed think I am distinguished!” 23 So Michal, the daughter of Saul, remained childless throughout her entire life.
Examine the Scriptures
2 Samuel 6:12-23 NLT (See 1 Chronicles 15:25-16:3)
Michal’s Contempt for David
12 Then King David was told, “The Lord has blessed Obed-edom’s household and everything he has because of the Ark of God.”
- God’s blessing on the household of Obed-Edom showed David that the Lord’s anger had been appeased.
So David went there and brought the Ark of God from the house of Obed-edom to the City of David with a great celebration.
From the previous lesson:
- The Ark represented the presence of God.
Exodus 25 NLT (selected verses)
10 “Have the people make an Ark of acacia wood—a sacred chest 45 inches long, 27 inches wide, and 27 inches high. … 16 When the Ark is finished, place inside it the stone tablets inscribed with the terms of the covenant, which I will give to you.
… 21 Place inside the Ark the stone tablets inscribed with the terms of the covenant, which I will give to you. Then put the atonement cover on top of the Ark. 22 I will meet with you there and talk to you from above the atonement cover between the gold cherubim that hover over the Ark of the Covenant. From there I will give you my commands for the people of Israel.
The Ark could be seen as the earthly throne of Israel’s God.
13 After the men who were carrying the Ark of the Lord had gone six steps,
Note: men were carrying the Ark.
The men were transporting the Ark properly.
Go to 1 Chronicles:
1 Chronicles 15:26 NLT
26 And because God was clearly helping the Levites as they carried the Ark of the Lord’s Covenant, they sacrificed seven bulls and seven rams.
David sensed that things were going well. (No one was struck dead.)
David sacrificed a bull and a fattened calf.
God’s blessing was on the Levites. (1 Samuel 15:26 shown above.)
David responded by offering sacrifices to the Lord.
David sacrificed here and in verse 17.
David was worshipping the Lord.
- David worshipped God by sacrificing a bull and a fattened calf.
14 And David danced before the Lord with all his might,
Psalm 149:3 NLT
3 Praise his name with dancing,
accompanied by tambourine and harp.
Psalm 150 NLT (the last Psalm)
1 Praise the Lord!
Praise God in his sanctuary;
praise him in his mighty heaven!
2 Praise him for his mighty works;
praise his unequaled greatness!
3 Praise him with a blast of the ram’s horn;
praise him with the lyre and harp!
4 Praise him with the tambourine and dancing;
praise him with strings and flutes!
5 Praise him with a clash of cymbals;
praise him with loud clanging cymbals.
6 Let everything that breathes sing praises to the Lord!
Praise the Lord!
Exodus 15:20-21 NLT
20 Then Miriam the prophet, Aaron’s sister, took a tambourine and led all the women as they played their tambourines and danced. 21 And Miriam sang this song:
“Sing to the Lord,
for he has triumphed gloriously;
he has hurled both horse and rider
into the sea.”
- Praising the Lord with dancing is Biblical.
wearing a priestly garment.
David was dressed as a priest, not a king. (David was not a descendant of Aaron.)
A garment usually reserved for priests and those ministering before the Lord.
15 So David and all the people of Israel brought up the Ark of the Lord with shouts of joy and the blowing of rams’ horns.
- David and all the people of Israel were celebrating as they transported the Ark of the Lord to Jerusalem.
16 But as the Ark of the Lord entered the City of David, Michal, the daughter of Saul, looked down from her window.
- Michal is identified as the daughter of Saul, not David’s wife, in verses 16, 20, and 23.
Was Michal more David’s wife or Saul’s daughter?
Some background:
Michal was originally married to David.
Following David’s escape from Saul, Saul gave Michal in marriage to Palti (or Paltiel), son of Laish (1 Samuel 25:44).
After Saul died and Ish-bosheth (Saul’s son) became king, David demanded that Michal be returned to him as part of a political alliance (2 Samuel 3:13-16).
Who helped Michal shape her worldview?
When she saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord, she was filled with contempt for him.
- When Michal saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord, she was filled with contempt for him.
David was not acting like she thought a king was expected to act. In her eyes his behavior was undignified.
It appears that Michal had no appreciation for the significance of the event.
Michal may have wanted David to remain a warrior, rather than a man of God.
17 They brought the Ark of the Lord and set it in its place inside the special tent David had prepared for it.
Go to iAsk or Chat GPT.
David placed the Ark of the Covenant in a tent, often referred to as the “Tent of David,” on Mount Zion. This was separate from the tabernacle that Moses had constructed, which was located at Gibeon at the time. David wanted to bring the Ark to Jerusalem and set it up in a special place for worship. Later, his son Solomon built the Temple, where the Ark was ultimately placed. (Chat GPT)
And David sacrificed burnt offerings and peace offerings to the Lord.
Burnt Offering: Represents complete surrender and devotion to God.
Peace Offering: Expresses fellowship and communion with God.
- David sacrificed burnt offerings and peace offerings to the Lord.
More worship.
18 When he had finished his sacrifices, David blessed the people in the name of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.
19 Then he gave to every Israelite man and woman in the crowd a loaf of bread, a cake of dates, and a cake of raisins. Then all the people returned to their homes.
- David ended this time of celebration by giving every Israelite man and woman in the crowd a loaf of bread, a cake of dates, and a cake of raisins.
20 When David returned home to bless his own family, Michal, the daughter of Saul, came out to meet him.
She said in disgust, “How distinguished the king of Israel looked today, shamelessly exposing himself to the servant girls like any vulgar person might do!”
A linen ephod vs. a royal robe.
- Michal completely missed the significance of bringing the Ark of the Lord to Jerusalem.
21 David retorted to Michal, “I was dancing before the Lord, who chose me above your father and all his family! He appointed me as the leader of Israel, the people of the Lord, so I celebrate before the Lord.
- David’s action were for the delight of the Lord, not for the servant girls.
22 Yes, and I am willing to look even more foolish than this, even to be humiliated in my own eyes!
But those servant girls you mentioned will indeed think I am distinguished!”
- David and the servant girls had a worldview that was very different than Michal’s worldview.
23 So Michal, the daughter of Saul, remained childless throughout her entire life.
A punishment for her pride.
- Michal’s childlessness prevented her from providing a successor to David’s throne from the family of Saul.
