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Have you ever just been swept away by God’s goodness? Totally overwhelmed by how he provided, how he came through, and how he did what only he could do? There’s just this emotion that rises up from within you – an emotion of gratitude. And what do you do with that gratitude? How do you express that?

In the Old Testament, King David had this overwhelming gratitude for God. He was so incredibly humbled by the fact that he was chosen and guided by the Almighty. Even after his moments of weakness and failure, God would strengthen him. Even after David felt fear and anger towards the Lord and sat on the very thing he was told to do for 3 months, God would give him another chance. And this awareness of God’s hand over his life brought David to dancing.

In fact, scripture says David “danced before the Lord with all his might.” What was David doing? He was worshiping God. This overwhelming gratitude couldn’t be contained. Even a King had to stop everything and dance.

Reading in 2 Samuel 6, starting in verse 13, “After the men who were carrying the Ark of the Lord had gone six steps, David sacrificed a bull and a fattened calf. And David danced before the Lord with all his might, wearing a priestly garment. So David and all the people of Israel brought up the Ark of the Lord with shouts of joy and the blowing rams’ horns.”

Okay, so what exactly is this occasion and what are they carrying? Ready to really study your Bible with me?

The people were carrying the Ark of the Lord. The word ark means box or chest. This particular chest being carried was divinely sacred because it contained the literal presence of God. Remember this is before Jesus, so before the gift of the Holy Spirit. Today we have the presence of God with us through the Holy Spirit. When we have been sanctified through the sacrifice of Jesus, we are found worthy of carrying the very presence of God inside of us. But before Jesus, that could never be possible. God’s presence was entirely too sacred and entirely too powerful to be in us, touched by us, or even seen by us.

400 years before King David, there was Moses. The Lord had given very specific instruction to Moses on building this wooden chest, covered in gold where God’s presence would be carried with his people. The chest was 3’9″ long, 2’3″ wide, and 2’3″ high. Inside were the tables of the law written by God’s own finger, a jar of manna (that miraculous provision of bread from heaven that God gave his people to eat for 40 years in the wilderness), and Aaron’s rod.

Now, it was time for this chest carrying God’s presence and these special items to be moved by the Israelites. Doing so was a big job with very big consequences. To move it, they decided to build a new cart and roll the sacred chest on. But, we see that failed. The oxen pulling the cart stumbled, the chest began to slip, and a man reached out to steady the chest. Touching it, God struck him dead.

Yip, this is some serious business. The presence of God is not to be taken lightly.

What had gone wrong here was they ignored God’s very specific instructions from 400 years ago that this chest was always to be CARRIED. Carrying it was a burden the Lord designed and desired.

Hmmmmm, now think about that. Here we are walking around with the very presence of God now living inside of us, thinking everything is supposed to just be easy. And when it’s not easy, we throw ourselves a full grown woman hissy fit. There’s a prescribed burden with carrying the Lord with us. Every step is important because you’re carrying the most important thing ever, my friend. You and I are carrying the Holy Spirit. If that feels like a burden at times, understand – it is. It’s a holy burden for holy work. It’s not always going to be easy.

Now doing the ROAM Tour and seeking ways to go out with God and find the hurting souls he wants to love and provide for, I’m experiencing a new tired like I’ve never experienced before. Yes, it’s a new joy unlike anything else, but with that joy comes a burden and a weight.

If in your pursuit of God’s plans for your life, in your obedience of what God has told you to do, if you’re experiencing a heavy burden and a deep tiredness at times, it may not be because you’re doing it wrong – it may very well be because you’re doing it right. Carrying the presence of God is a big job and the Lord wants it to cost us something. He wants us to carry the burden and stop seeking ease.

In the pursuit of ease in carrying the presence of God, the Ark had slipped, a man reached out to steady it, and because it was absolutely untouchable, the man has died. Now David is terrified of continuing his job. Someone just died because of it. So 3 months pass and David finally returns to continue leading the movement of the Ark. Remember, that is the wooden chest carrying the untouchable and heavy presence of God.

And this time, they only make it 6 steps and David stops everything to sacrifice to the Lord and celebrate. He celebrates 6 successful steps carrying the Lord. He’s overwhelmed by the fact that God has chosen him and is using him. Because remember who David really is. David is the little shepherd boy that no one thought worthy of a big job. And now, here he is, the most powerful man in all of Israel with a crown on his head.

And this is where David dances. Not just a little jig, but he dances with all his might. I mean he lets loose!

And guess what happens? What happens next is what can happen to every one of us when we unashamedly celebrate the goodness of God. David was criticized. Who criticized him? The one closest to him. The one he probably loved most. HIS WIFE!

Y’all, that’s just the way it is sometimes. Sometimes the ones closest to us are the ones that tear us down the most. Are you going to let that dampen your praise of the Almighty? Are you going to sit on the sidelines because of what others say? Are you going to water down your worship because someone else just doesn’t get your relationship with God? Decide now, because not everyone will understand your overwhelming gratitude for the goodness of God.

So, let’s read what happened when David’s wife saw him dancing. Still in 2 Samuel 6, now picking up in verse 16:

“But as the Ark of the Lord entered the City of David, Michal, the daughter of Saul (that’s David’s wife), looked down from her window. When she saw King David (that’s her husband) leaping and dancing before the Lord, she was filled with contempt for him.”

Verse 20, “When David returned home to bless his own family, Michal came out to meet him. She said in disgust, ‘How distinguished the king of Israel looked today, shamelessly exposing himself to the servant girls like any vulgar person might do.’ David retorted to Michal, ‘I was dancing before the Lord, who chose me above your father and all his family! He appointed me as the leader of Israel, the people of the Lord, so I celebrated before the Lord. Yes, and I am willing to look even more foolish that this, even to be humiliated in my own eyes! But those servant girls you mentioned will indeed think I am distinguished!’ So Michal remained childless throughout her entire life.”

Do you think God takes worshiping him seriously? I think so! Do you think he’s okay with us criticizing the way someone genuinely worships him? Clearly NOT. Michal, David’s wife, was punished for the rest of her life for this criticism.

Now, I want you to really get a visual of what David’s worship looked like here and why his wife was so upset. If you study the original Hebrew of the text, you’ll see a few specific things. The translation we read today is watered down a bit.

When David said “I was dancing before the Lord”, the actual translation is more like “I was SPINNING WITH the Lord.”

David was not performing for God. He was spinning in circles with God, like a child does. We’ve all seen a young child dancing with their arms held wide just spinning and spinning so joyously in circles. THAT’S WHAT DAVID WAS DOING.

And then when David says “I celebrate before the Lord”, a better and more absolute translation is “I play with the Lord.”

WOAH! Have you ever realized God invites you to come play with him? Spin and dance, celebrate in joy like a child.

Is our God playful? Oh absolutely – look at his creation, doesn’t it show you his playfulness. Look at his unique creations in sea creatures. Look at their colors, their quirkiness each so vibrant and unique. Yes, God is playful, and he has invited you to come play with him!

Jesus once said in Matthew 18:4, “Anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.” Yes, with childlike faith that just believes – but also with childlike wonder and joy that will spin and dance and play with Jesus!

When did we become too grown up to delight in the presence of our Father? When did we stop throwing out our arms and spinning in circles? When did we decide we just couldn’t dance because someone might see us? When did we decide what others would think of us is more important than worshiping our God?

David was so overwhelmed by the six successful steps they had just taken in a very big task of moving the very presence of God, that he couldn’t help but stop everything and worship.

I don’t know how many successful steps you’ve taken on the task God has given you, but maybe it’s time you pause right here and worship him. And if you look childlike, Jesus says that’s best. If you spin, you spin with Jesus. If you play, you play with Jesus. Don’t be ashamed.

And remember, my friends, we don’t judge or criticize others in their worship of God. We may have no idea of the heavy burden they’ve been carrying. We may have no idea of the past failure they’re just walking out of. We may have no idea of how hard their last 6 steps were and how grateful they are to be finally getting it right with God.

If God says, spin around with him – Girl, spin around with him! If God says, ‘Come on, let’s play together’ – why not just play?

One of the ways we show God that he is truly first in our lives is we stop holding back and we stop caring so much about what anyone else might think or say – including the very people we live with.

There’s only one person who’s ever died to save my soul – that’s the one I’ll spin around with! That’s the one I’ll play with! That’s the one who is my priority!

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