Have you ever had a time when you began to break free and live your life for the Lord, only to have someone say something that crushed that freedom and caused you to shrink back?
Seventeen people were baptized on Sunday, and many of them are going to experience just that. I am sure many of us have already been there.
Someone tried that with King David once. Let's see how a man after God's own heart responds.
Reading in 2 Samuel chapter 6. David has been made king, and he is bringing the Ark of the Covenant into the city, vs 14-22 (NIV).
"Wearing a linen ephod, David was dancing before the Lord with all his might, while he and all Israel were bringing up the ark of the Lord with shouts and the sound of trumpets.
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, going around half-naked in full view 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."
Her comment is meant to humiliate David, but the sarcastic words finds no home in him.
David was willing to look more foolish, even humiliated in his own eyes for the sake of the Lord. There is no self-consciousness in David when it comes to living his life out loud and all in for the Lord.
He wasn't trying to look cool or impress anyone. He loved the Lord, he was happy that the Ark (which represented the presence of the Lord) was coming into the city and he expressed that joy by dancing.
When living and pleasing the Lord is our only focus and the enemy stirs someone up to attack us, their comments bounce off and find no home in us. We simply care about what pleases the Lord.
Preacher Mike Beasley
Freedom Biker Church
919-550-FREE
