Uzzah, at great personal cost, teaches
us a valuable God lesson. God is not a household deity, guarded in our keeping.
Our role on this Earth is not to keep the Almighty from mishap or
embarrassment. He takes care of Himself.
“It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” And yet there
is something far more fearful and dangerous than to fall into His hands: not to
fall into His hands. But perhaps the
most fearful and dangerous thing of all is the sin of Uzzah: to think that our
job, should God stumble, is to ensure He falls into our hands. We can learn
much from Uzzah about God and about ourselves. God is not safe, He's dangerous,
not safe at all -- what “consuming fire” is -- but He is just and good. He
seeks seekers then rewards their seeking. He seeks worshipers, gracing them
with His life changing presence. But caregivers, protectors, any kind of
God-handling is risky at best and deadly at worst. The all knowing, ever
present, all powerful creator of all seems to think that being God is
sufficiency by definition. We need to relinquish our assumed role as God’s
protector and throw ourselves headlong into His tender embrace, taking refuge
in Him and climbing into His lap of grace. And when He graces us with His
presence, always be willing to dance.
Michal, at great personal cost,
teaches us another valuable God lesson. God
is not the safe-keeper of our reputations. God is not some priggish domestic deity, a
heavenly Miss Piggy intent on prescribing etiquette that maintains polite
assemblies, aghast by any outbursts of fervor. Our role on this Earth is not to
keep ourselves from embarrassment, to protect our death-grip on propriety. We
can learn much from Michal about God and about ourselves. Michal is described
as Saul’s daughter, exhibiting his DNA, playing to the opinions of others at
the cost of honoring God. Pride and dignity are catchwords for deifying self, the
natural born enemy of fervent abandoned worship. God didn’t play to the crowds
when He made His beloved son of “no reputation”, the greatest act of worship
ever, and He doesn’t give a flip about how our expressions of worship are
viewed by others. Worship is for God, and pure sincere heartfelt worship always
puts a twinkle in Daddy’s eyes, always! The Psalms command us to “make a joyful
noise” when in the presence of the Lord. Shrill cries of gladness and loud
exuberant shouts of praise may sound like irreverent din, noise, to the natural
ear. Sadly, the Spirit expressed is as strange to some as the manner of
expression. Ditto dancing. It is our passion that God loves, for worship
without passion is only a discipline. We must come before our Father dignified
or undignified, robed or in rags, with the elite or social outcasts, always
willing to dance.
We can learn much from David about
worshiping God. The Hebrew “panah” translated presence or face is used when God
says to Moses “My presence will go with you”, and when God says to David “Seek
My face.” Panah has kingly origins: To see the King’s face meant being in his
direct presence. Ditto God. “The lord spoke to Moses face to face”, in His
presence. Panah coupled with the preposition “le” means toward face, “before.”
David danced “toward face” of the Lord, literally “Before the Lord”, in His
presence. For those who think David’s
dance was some type of solemn sedated ritualistic procession, the original
Hebrew begs to differ: Danced, Karar: To whirl about, to roll, to move to and
fro. Leaping, pazaz: To jump, jingle, with expressions of great joy and
delight, with the nuance, to be impetuous. Play, sachag: In the Piel Stem: To
be merry, laugh, celebrate, rejoicing with strong expressions of joy. Some
translations, such as the NKJV, incorrectly insert the word music after play,
as if David was simply playing his flute. Mighty, oz: With all one’s physical
strength and power, often used of God’s empowerment. When David removed his
royal robes and put on the linen ephod of a priest, he divested himself of
human status and position, humbling himself as a servant of God, and worshiped
in wild abandoned fervor. This dance was a wild kinetic expression of singing,
shouting, no doubt screaming, while leaping and jumping about, unchoreographed
spontaneous combustion. David was a man after God’s own heart, pursuing his
pursuer, who suddenly was found by the lifelong object of his passionate
pursuit. And David danced.
DANCING BETWEEN
DEATH AND BARRENNESS
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