God's fool.

The king was delighted to be bringing the treasured Ark of the Covenant of God to Jerusalem. The gold chest which had been the symbolic place of God's dwelling among the people had been part of Israel's national life for centuries; sometimes revered, sometimes feared, sometimes abused. Now, David had dedicated a place in his royal city for it. As the Ark was brought to the city, it was a way of inviting God Himself to be at home there. David was ecstatic and as the procession entered the city with songs and music, he abandoned all dignity, dancing and leaping in the streets! The Bible reports on his action with this simple summary: "David danced before the Lord with all his might, wearing a priestly tunic." (2 Samuel 6:14, NLT)

One of his wives, Michal, whose life with David can best be described as tumultuous, watched him dancing in honor of God and felt it was a display that no dignified king should allow in public. When David came home, she 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!”" (2 Samuel 6:20, NIV) He was not actually naked! He had laid aside royal robes and put on the plain shirt of a priest. But she found it a distasteful, disgraceful performance. His reply to her shows his heart for God- “I was dancing before the Lord, who chose me above your father and his family! He appointed me as the leader of Israel, the people of the Lord. So I am willing to act like a fool in order to show my joy in the Lord." (2 Samuel 6:21, NLT)

"I am willing to act like a fool to show my joy in the Lord!"
That phrase challenges me today. Am I willing to love and serve God in a way that invites the ridicule of others? What matters more to me, to be 'respected' by my friends or to be devoted to my God? Tragically, this story is often used as an excuse for self-indulgent 'worship.' When somebody wants to just 'do their thing' in a church service, creating a display that is distracting to others, they quote this passage as justification for their actions. What an awful trivialization of a great lesson. The account goes to a much deeper issue than whether it is right to do a dance step in worship! It is about a life that is lived in worshipful abandon for God's glory.

Last week I learned of a couple who are skilled and educated people who have moved to the deep jungle of New Guinea with their children. They live primitively, traveling by boat to the village where they have already spent 6 years and where they will spend another 14 years. They endure loneliness, have experienced life-threatening disease. For what? To learn the language and culture of the tribal people so they can communicate the Gospel of Christ! They have yet to make a convert, but they consider their sacrifice as no great thing in the service of the God they love! Many would label them as fools. Would you? Their lives are a 'dance in honor of their God!'

There are two ways to live - in a way that seeks the best of life, here and now; or in a way that seeks God's honor. They are seldom the same path. One is lived for Self, oriented around creating a comfortable life, accumulating things, avoiding suffering - a way of life much respected in our American culture. The other is lived for God, focused on eternity. Love and service are the primary characteristics of that life. Honestly, not many of us, truly live it. We may live a form of it, but self-interest is never far from our thoughts.

May the story of David challenge us to dance with abandon, to forget ourselves in our passionate pursuit of God! When friends and family question our 'foolish' choices, we can respond, "I was dancing before the Lord!"

Ponder this passage today:
"You are thinking like everyone else and not like God.” Jesus then told the crowd and the disciples to come closer, and he said: "If any of you want to be my followers, you must forget about yourself. You must take up your cross and follow me. If you want to save your life, you will destroy it. But if you give up your life for me and for the good news, you will save it. What will you gain, if you own the whole world but destroy yourself? What could you give to get back your soul?
Don’t be ashamed of me and my message among these unfaithful and sinful people! If you are, the Son of Man will be ashamed of you when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels." (Mark 8:33-38, CEV)