Learning to Dance the Hard Way

One of the things that David is known for in the Bible is when he danced before the Lord (2 Samuel 6, 1 Chronicles 13 – 16). The context of 2 Samuel 6:14 and 1 Chronicles 15:29 teaches an important lesson that David learned the hard way.

The Ark of the Covenant had been in a place called Kiriath-jearim, and David wanted to bring it into Jerusalem, the city of God. David loved the presence of the Lord and desired to be near the ark, where God’s presence dwelled.

It says in 1 Chronicles 13:1 – 4 that David consulted the commanders of thousands, and the commanders of hundreds, and with every leader about this plan to bring the ark to Jerusalem, and “All the assembly agreed to do so, for the thing was right in the eyes of all the people.” But David did not consult the LORD.

The next few paragraphs describe the disastrous results of a good idea but not according to the ways of God. It describes a great crowd, great music, great celebration, brand new equipment, full orchestra, but no Levites. And God’s word was very clear about who could handle and move the ark, and David knew God’s word, but was not following it.

Right in the middle of the great celebration the oxen that were yoked to the new cart carrying the ark, stumbled. Uzzah, who was driving the cart and was not a Levite, reached out his hand to steady the ark, and it says in 13:10, “And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Uzzah, and he struck him down because he put his hand to the ark, and he died there before God.”

It also says that David was angry with the LORD and was afraid of Him that day. This is the opposite of the phrase, the fear of the LORD, which describes great reverence and awe and worship. David wanted to avoid God that day. He thought that the great crowd, great music, great orchestra, new cart, great idea, and unity of the people would impress God. But God is only impressed with His word! And David was not worshiping according to the word of God. The lesson is telling with the popularity of the spectacular “worship” settings of American Christianity, which are now being exported into other parts of the world.

In 1 Chronicles 15:1 – 2, you read how David followed God’s word in moving the ark. Rather than the great parade of people moving the ark, only the Levites were there. All Israel gathered in Jerusalem waiting for it to arrive. When they arrived in Jerusalem with the ark there was a great celebration, with music, and instruments, and most of all, “…the Levites carrying the ark of God on their shoulders with the poles, as Moses had commanded according to the word of the LORD.” 1 Chronicles 15:15. And David dance before the LORD with all his might! The great celebration had as much to do with doing things according to the ways of God as it did with bringing the ark to Jerusalem.

Today, meditate on what it means to worship according to the truth of God’s word. Of all the different ways that people worship God in the world, with what they have and with all their might, the real question remains: Is it according to the ways of God, according to the word of God? The Father is pleased when we worship Him in spirit and truth, according to His ways.

Tomorrow we will begin learning some of the ways of God.

Worship From the Heart Pleases the Father

Jesus said in Matthew 15:7 – 9 that a person could worship with words but no heart. He said, quoting Isaiah 29:13, “This people honor me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.”

The disconnect of the mouth from the heart is a learned behavior. Around small children you quickly see the open connection of the mouth with the heart. They are naturally and innocently honest and will speak what their heart feels. They must learn from their parents not to say what they know is true. How strange.

Our heavenly Father desires that we unlearn this kind of behavior especially in His presence. Heart-felt worship connects your mind and body with your new heart in Christ and expresses His life as yours. This pleases the Father because this is what He did through His Son for and to you!

From the Psalms you learn this kind of true worship. David set the standard for this kind of heart-felt worship and the other psalm-writers followed in his footsteps. He poured his heart out to God in worship because he knew that loving God was the only way to know the love of God. He also knew that God’s love was a steadfast love, a sacrificial love, an out-pouring love. He learned that with God you got His heart and that He only wants ours.

An example of this is seen in a very dramatic scene from David’s life, found in 1 Chronicles 11:15 – 19. It is a passage describing David’s mighty men, his trusted and loyal bodyguards. Their love and devotion to David reminded him of his towards God. The telling episode was a time when David’s enemies had taken control of Bethlehem, his hometown. David spoke the desire of his heart in 11:17 and said, “Oh, that someone would give me water to drink from the well of Bethlehem that is by the gate!” The water from that particular well must have had more than a special taste for David. It was an expression of the deepest desire imaginable. This is what the Father is seeking as He searchers for true worshipers.

The story tells of how three of David’s mighty men fought their way through the Philistine garrison at Bethlehem, filled a skin of water from the well by the gate, fought their way out and brought it to David. They must have looked like a buzz saw of swords and knives risking their lives to please their king and leader, David. By the time they presented their gift to David, they must have been quite the sight of fatigue, blood (not all theirs), and their precious gift of water for David. What a sight the Lord Jesus Christ must have been to the Father as He was lifted up on the cross, presenting Himself to the Father for the deepest desire of the Father’s heart, our salvation!

David, overwhelmed with the sight of what he desired from his heart to present to God in worship, received their gift and then poured it out to the Lord in worship. His men had provided him with something of extreme value and worth, giving him the opportunity to express what was in his heart toward the Lord. These mighty men were students that day in the class of what it means to worship the Father in spirit and truth, expressing from the heart the deepest desires of the heart.

As you worship the Father today, in spirit and truth from the Psalms, express to God your deepest desires. Pour out to Him what is in your heart because in Jesus Christ God did that very thing for you. It pleases the Father when He sees Himself coming from you to Him. This is what it means to worship the Father in spirit and truth.

Worship With the Sound of Music

David took music and gave to it the highest expression and value; praise and thanksgiving to God for His steadfast love. In 1 Chronicles 15 – 17 you find the details of musical worship designed by David. This was a new assignment for the Levites who had been assigned by God to lead the nation of Israel in worship. Before David, Israel had only sung to the LORD on a few occasions, but David brought music into the very fabric of their worship.

The first mention of musical instruments in the Bible is found in Genesis 4:21, “His brother’s name was Jubal; he was the father of all those who play the lyre and pipe.” The lyre was a harp of strings, which made the beautiful sound of vibrating cords. The pipe was the music of wind rushing through a horn.

But the context of Genesis 4 records the offspring of Cain and how sin first began to manifest its self-centeredness. Cain and his descendants were determined to live without God and His word. They were the original human high-achievers. The last verse in chapter four introduces the third son of Adam and Eve, Seth, the remnant for God, with these words, “To Seth also a son was born, and he called his name Enosh. At that time people began to call upon the name of the LORD.” Chapter five records their only achievement; being fruitful and multiplying, which was God’s first commandment to man (Genesis 1:28).

But it was God who created the sound of music (no pun intended). In creation, God designed the cords (strings) in throats of the birds with every note of the musical scale. With the sound of the wind, God gave the blueprint for the first man to learn to whistle. Can you remember when you first learned to whistle? What a great day that was when you learned you had your very own instrument to play any song you wanted.

There are instructions in the book of Psalms for the use of instruments in thanking God and praising Him for His steadfast love. Psalm 150 commands the use of all of the instruments for praising God.

Many of us love Psalm 100 with the command, “Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth!” The Hebrew word translated “noise” is the word rua, and is related to the word ruach, which means breath, or spirit. This word is used throughout the Old Testament for praise and singing. In Job 38:7 Job learns that this was the noise of the stars and the angels as God was creating all that there is. And in Joshua 6:5 it was what the LORD told Joshua and the army to sing with the trumpets with the promise that the walls of Jericho would come crashing down with applause! This was the first time “they brought the house down” with a song! (Not sure, but maybe so).

The point is this: not all music and singing is worship, but it was intended to be. When you chose to give God your song of thanksgiving and praise for His steadfast love, you are letting God know that you have learned the true purpose for the sound of music, the highest purpose. This is what it means to worship the Father in spirit (ruach) and truth! The deepest joy and pleasure of music is when you have learned that it pleases the Father as you give it all to Him with thanksgiving and praise!

Today, sing to the Lord a song in worship. Whistle a song to the One who created the capacity to be able to make that noise, knowing that you are worshiping God when you do! Don’t let the birds be the only ones who make a joyful noise. You can too! Worship with the sound of music!

Worshiping With Good Grief

The phrase “good grief” is sometimes used to express frustration or impatience. But when you enter into a time of grief, it is anything but “good,” until you discover the good of grief.

Grief means loss. Grief is bitter loss. Bitterness is what is left over after everything has been taken away. It is the dregs of life, the bitter pain of emptiness and sorrow. The Hebrew word for “bitter grief” is maraw, and is used throughout the Old Testament to describe sorrow and the loss of everything.

In the book of Ruth this is the word that Naomi picked for her new name as she came back to Bethlehem completely destitute (Ruth 1:20). She was a picture of the whole nation of Israel at the end of the period of the judges. So, how could there be any such thing as “good grief” when this experience is the loss of everything? Hold that question for a moment.

In 1 Samuel 30, you find the story of when David and his men returned home to Ziklag only to find that it had been raided by the Amalekites. The Amalekites were the terrorists of the Old Testament. All of their wives, children, and property had been violently taken and everything had been burned to the ground.

It says that David and his men became “very maraw,” (1 Samuel 30:6) This word maraw is used many times in the OT but only here is it described as extreme. The word maraw is already extreme, but with this little adjective, it is multiplied. This could be described as the worst possible day imaginable in your life. Then, to make matters worse, if that is possible, it says that David’s men, in their bitter grief, plotted to stone him to death. They blamed David and David’s God. The bitterness of blaming others and God is sometimes the result of horrendous loss and grief.

But in that same verse, 30:6, there is another word that describes David’s response to this situation. It is used in the phrase, “But David strengthened himself in the LORD his God.” The word is a powerful Hebrew word, kazak! An exclamation mark is always associated with this word in defining it! It literally means to have a death hold on someone or something. This is when you are hanging onto the end of your rope, with a big knot on the end! It is used in Judges 13 – 16 describing the strength of Samson. 

Here is the point: when David lost everything, including his reputation, and was about to lose his life, he grabbed on to God and would not let go! This is what it means to worship the Father in spirit and truth with good grief! Now you can turn loose of the question from the third paragraph. Until you get to the place where you can turn loose of the bitter questions in life and with a greater strength, not of this world, lay hold of God with everything He has in Himself for you, the bitterness of maraw will define your life.

The strength of kazak comes from worshiping God, especially when everything else seems to be gone. It is a heart that is set on the Lord as it’s life, so that when everything else in life has gone south and the wheels have fallen off, there is God holding everything together with His powerful hold on you!

Today, set your heart on the Father, through faith in Jesus Christ His Son, and by the Holy Spirit living in you, with you, through you, as you, there will be an eternal reserve of supernatural strength, kazak, the good grief. It glorified the Father in spirit and truth.

Questions and Anger For Worship

The Q&A in the discussion of true worship has to do with “questions and anger” rather than “questions and answers.” In many of the Psalms, David would present his questions and anger to the Lord because he could not find any answers.

If you are to be honest with God, and you should since He knows your true heart anyway, you will sometimes come before Him with unanswered questions and even with anger because of the situation that you are in. And God’s word gives guidance through those troubling times.

David would go before God with “Why, O LORD, do you stand far away? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?” Have you ever been there? We all have. This is how David begins his time of worship with God in Psalm 10. Other times he began with “How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever?” If you have never lived in Psalm 13 for a season, the question may seem strange, but in the frustrating times of those seasons in life that question may be all you can bring to God. So is that still worship? How do you worship God with Q&A like that? Know this, not only can you, but you must!

One reason you must learn to worship with Q&A is that others are not able to answer questions like that and they sure can’t handle your anger. The danger of those seasons in life is that you turn to others for answers and with your anger. This never ends well. Or you will suppress the anger in order to just “live with the questions” and telling yourself to “just get over it.” This becomes the pressure cooker for depression. You cannot manage the anger of others any more than you can manage your own. But God can and does, if you will present yourself to Him, Q&A and all! This is what it means to worship the Father in spirit and truth. This is what being a true worshiper looks like, sometimes.

During those seasons, take it to the Lord and worship, even if all you have are big questions and anger. Give it to Him by giving yourself to Him. God can handle it, because He knows you and loves you. Together, you and God can work through those times.

Our problem is that we give up on God, get tired of waiting, and cave to the temptation to take matters into our own hands. This never ends well. But by giving yourself to God, Q&A and all, you are trusting that He will handle you and lead you to see that He is greater than the big questions and much greater than your anger! Give it all to Jesus! He can take it, in fact, He did, on the cross. Once you get there, you are on the holy ground of worshiping the Father in spirit and truth.

Today, if you are covered up with Q&A, let David teach you how to worship with it. He learned and so can you. If you are not there today, you probably know someone who is. Pray for them. Be there for them, but don’t attempt to answer their questions and for sure do not receive their anger. Encourage them that they can trust God, especially with Q&A. 

The Oil and Water of Worship and Unforgiveness

King Saul would not give up pursuing David. It says in 1 Samuel 23:14, “And Saul sought him every day, but God did not give him into his hand.” Two times in these chapters, God gave Saul into David’s hand, but David would not touch “…the LORD’s anointed.” (1 Samuel 24:6, 26:11). It also states that David would return to live the stronghold. The word stronghold is an interesting word in Hebrew, matsad. It means a strong fortification, but the root word is a verb and means to hunt, to chase, to pursue. Mentioned twice in these chapters that describe how Saul was chasing David to kill him, and how David refused to hunt Saul, is telling.

We know from the Psalms that David had a heart that hunted God. The Lord Himself described David as a man after His own heart! David wrote in Psalm 42:1, “As the deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God.” It would have been easy for David to rid himself of the relentless fury of Saul and yet David had a different passion. His desire to know and pursue God was stronger than anything else in his life. Having a strong and passionate pursuit that becomes a fortification in your life can go either way; like that of Saul or like that of David.

Choosing to chase God everyday is to deny yourself of chasing everything else. One of the things we chase after is to “get even” with those who have hurt us, or have hurt those we love. This is called unforgiveness. My computer does not recognize this word as a word. We should also remind ourselves with a red underline that it has no place in my heart or mind either. If you are going to pursue the Father with a passion, to worship Him in spirit and truth, you must get rid of unforgiveness.

Some might say, “I can forgive, but I can’t forget.” It is impossible to forget an event in your life, especially if it carries strong emotion and pain. David knew that feeling all to well. What you can do is to release the debt associated with the event by forgiving the person, and asking God to heal you of the pain. When you do, it has not come from you, but from above, through you! When that happens, the memory of the event glorifies the Father, for it was His love that released the debt and His presence that healed the pain. Remembering the event then becomes an act of worship! And David knew that experience very well. This is what it means to worship the Father in spirit and truth.

Living in the stronghold of pursuing the Father and hunting for ways to express His love glorifies Him. Living in the stronghold of getting even, desiring vindication and justice, hunting ways to see “those people” get what is coming to them, ends up in a fortification of sin and separation from God. This is called a no-brainer, because it is not from your brain that you forgive, it is from the new heart that Christ made possible for you through His death on the cross and resurrection from the grave! It will be a sacrifice to forgive those who have hurt you and may still be hunting you. But it was a sacrifice that forgave you! A big one!

Today, decide to live in the stronghold of pursuing the Father in spirit and truth. Make that promise and commitment through faith in Jesus Christ, and He will do it!