Was David's Public Dancing Indecent?
Hi John thanks for coming by and asked a very good question? You asked:" Was David's public dancing stated on 2 Samuel 6:20 indecent? Well, If David had expected his wife Michal, the daughter of Saul, to rejoice with him in the arrival of the ark of God in the capital city, he had a long wait coming. It is a real question if this ever was a happy marriage, for as the Bible dictionary noted: "Until the final meeting between Michal and David, at no point is there any dialogue between them--an avoidance of verbal exchange particularly noticeable in the Bible, where such a large part of the burden of narration is taken up by dialogue. When the exchange finally comes, it is an explosion."
In one sentence Michal's sarcastic words tell us what she thinks of David's actions. To her way of thinking, the king had demeaned himself by divesting himself of his royal robes and dressing only in a "linen ephod" (2 Sam 6:14). With abandoned joy David danced before the Lord as the ark, properly borne this time on the shoulders of the Levites, went up to Jerusalem.
Michal did not even deign to go out on the streets to be part of the festivities, but she watched from a window (2 Sam 6:16). Obviously, there was more bothering Michal than David's undignified public jubilation. Her words about David "distinguish[ing] himself" are further punctuated by her disdainfully emphasizing the fact three times over that the king had "disrob[ed]" (the final clause of 2 Sam 6:20 literally reads, "as any vulgar fellow, disrobing, would disrobe"). Was David's dress, or lack thereof, as scandalous as Michal made it out to be? Though some have thought that they detected overtones of orgiastic rituals in preparation for sacred marriage rites (in, for example, the presence of slave girls), such suggestions are overdrawn if we are to take seriously David's rejoinders to Michal in 2 Samuel 6:21-22. David speaks of his election and appointment to the office of king by God. He does rub in the fact that God chose him over her father Saul. But as far as David was concerned, it was not an issue of public nudity or scandalous dress, but a matter of humiliating himself before the Lord. Furthermore, he danced not for the "slave girls," but for the Lord. The "linen ephod" consisted probably of a linen robe used normally by the Levites.
posted by I love Jesus! ! ! @ Monday, July 09, 2007
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