Fear Man OR Fear God?

2 Samuel 6 tells the story of how King David brought the Ark of God into Jerusalem for the first time.
Prior to this, the Ark had been kept in people's homes because David had been on the run from Saul for so many years and he didn't have a capital city to place it in. But now that he had captured Jerusalem and made it his capitol, he was ready to bring the Ark home.

I love King David. He's definitely one of my favorite Bible figures. His passion and love for God are so evident in both his actions and his writings. Yet he was flawed like the rest of us. He had weaknesses and struggles and he committed horrific sins. For me, two qualities stand out to me about David. One was his humility and quickness to repent of his sins, and two was that he had NO fear of man. He could care less what anyone thought of him.  He feared God and God alone.

Then David danced before the Lord with all his might; and David was wearing a linen ephod. So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the Lord with shouting and with the sound of the trumpet. 2 Samuel 6:14-15

David was not afraid to make a fool of himself for God. Here he was King of all Israel, and he was leaping and dancing, shouting and singing as he brought the Ark into Jerusalem. I've read some commentators say that he was stripped down to his underclothes too. Not sure about that, but what his wife said to him below suggests that he was not fully dressed.

 Yes, someone was embarrassed by his behavior. His wife.
Now as the ark of the Lord came into the City of David, Michal, Saul’s daughter, looked through a window and saw King David leaping and whirling before the Lord; and she despised him in her heart.
...And Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David, and said, “How glorious was the king of Israel today, uncovering himself today in the eyes of the maids of his servants, as one of the base fellows shamelessly uncovers himself!”

Can't you just hear her tone? Oh, my.  Yet, in truth, I heard some of myself in her words. How often have I wanted to shout out praise, pray aloud, or lift my hands in church, but I was afraid of what people would think. How often have I been led to share Jesus with a friend or even with a stranger in a store, but I've held back, worried about what they would think.  Or how about when I'm with nonbelievers and I want to shout out Praise God at some good news, but I don't.  

I love David's reply:
“It was before the Lord, who chose me instead of your father and all his house, to appoint me ruler over the people of the Lord, over Israel. Therefore I will play music before the Lord. And I will be even more undignified than this, and will be humble in my own sight. But as for the maidservants of whom you have spoken, by them I will be held in honor.” 

I love his "I will be even more undignified than this!"   

What really struck me about this story was the consequences of either fearing man or fearing God.

David went on to be the greatest king Israel ever had. He was known throughout the world. He's been immortalized in statues and paintings and books.  Everyone knows who King David was. 

But Michal?  The last verse in 2 Samuel 6 says it all

Therefore Michal the daughter of Saul had no children to the day of her death.

So, I guess the question is, do you want to live a barren, empty, unfulfilled life? Or do you want to be successful in all that God has given you?

May we all long to be Undignified for Jesus!  


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