By Michal's Window - By Mervin Yoder

Michal was the first wife of David, given to him when he was in the court of Saul. David had already been anointed as the next king, and the Spirit of God had left Saul and come upon David. Saul was jealous of David and, scheming to have him fall by the sword, said he would give him his daughter Michal if he killed a hundred Philistines. David was successful and brought Saul the hundred Philistines, earning Michal as his wife.

Our story today picks up with David's effort to bring the Ark of God to Jerusalem and Michal's sneering at David, as found in II Samuel 6:

"And it was told king David, saying, The Lord hath blessed the house of Obed-edom, and all that pertaineth unto him, because of the ark of God. So David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-edom into the city of David with gladness.

"And it was so, that when they that bare the ark of the Lord had gone six paces, he sacrificed oxen and fatlings.

"And David danced before the Lord with all his might: and David was girded with 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.

"And 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 dancing before the Lord; and she despised him in her heart."

David knew that God's presence was in the ark and His blessing flowed from it. The house of Obed-edom was blessed because the ark was left there, and when it arrived in Jerusalem David offered sacrifices and blessed the people in the name of the Lord.

The celebration was full of great joy, but Michal, looking on from a distance, felt only disdain. When David came home she said, "How glorious was the king of Israel to day, who uncovered himself to day in the eyes of the handmaids of his servants, as one of the vain fellows shamelessly uncovereth himself!" The phrase "one of the vain fellows" is given in the Amplified Bible as "one of the worthless men." David's wife greeted him with a sneer because he lost his dignity among the common people, implying that he was like those men who lie on the dirty street with their shirts open.

David's response is amazing. "Because the Lord has appointed me ruler over Israel," he said, "therefore will I play before the Lord." David is king, the highest in the land; we would expect him to say "therefore will I worship" or "therefore will I honor" or "therefore will I esteem." But he says, "Therefore will I play," like a child.

The scriptures say that unless we become like a child we will in no wise enter the kingdom. Recently some of our brethren were passing out tracts and witnessing in Farmville on a Saturday night, and at the agreed-upon time they gathered in the parking lot. I guess many were relieved that the evening was over--they had done what they were supposed to do and could rest. But as the men stood waiting for the last ones to arrive, the boys they had brought with them had a different idea. When some people walked by the boys snatched up the leftover tracts and ran after them, saying, "Here is something for you." They went all out and put us older men to shame.

Likewise, David "danced before the Lord with all his might." He put his all into the effort, like the boys in Farmville. He was desperate for the presence and blessing of God in the midst of Israel. David's single-minded purpose is remarkable considering his very great worldly success. He had added territories to his kindgom and had established a great reputation among neighboring peoples. Yet he knew the key ingredient was missing--the presence of God. He longed for the clear direction and provision that God had given the Israelites in the wilderness, when He dwelt among them in the tabernacle. David was not distracted by his success but still kept the heart of the shepherd boy who thirsted after his God.

We adults too often lose the eager joy we had as children. We become like the rich young ruler, who walked away from Jesus sorrowfully because he couldn't give up his riches to enter the kingdom of heaven. "It's hard for a rich man to enter in," Jesus said, because the rich trust in their wealth and not in God. A child, by contrast, isn't burdened with the things of this world but free to enjoy God.

We in America have so much in the flesh but so little in the Spirit. Four or five years ago we went down to Guatemala, where they brought in the people packed on cattle trucks. I was going to tell them that everything they need is in the Lord, as David said: "I've never seen the righteous forsaken or their seed begging for bread." But though that truth is in the Word, I was very bothered because I didn't know it in my life yet. I was always able to buy what I needed, and even there in Guatemala I had a card in my wallet to pull me through in case anything happened. I had to learn the same lesson I had planned to tell those people--that indeed we have nothing and we are nothing apart from God.

We see in this passage how well David understood that truth. He further answered Michal: "And I will yet be more vile than thus, and will be base in mine own sight: and of the maidservants which thou hast spoken of, of them shall I be had in honour."

David touches here on the central truth of our faith: it's only the goodness of God that draws us to Himself, and it's only the goodness of God that brings us to repentance. It's nothing we can do, because our own righteousness is as filthy rags. Our only help is to be helped by heaven, for everything that concerns Christianity has to have the help of heaven on it somewhere.

What is vile to Michal is honorable to God, because God reaches out to us in our poverty and weakness, not in our riches and strength. In this case, David would shed the honor and riches of his kingly world to delight himself wholly in God, for what is improper for a king--removing the kingly robes--is just what God wants--a humble and contrite spirit. And though his wife would reject him, the "maidservants" and "virgins"--those sanctified and committed over to the work of the Lord--would treat him with honor.

When we're not willing to uncover ourselves it may be that our holiness is our own, not God's. We're afraid of what's under the surface. We've covered ourselves with all kinds of programs and good things, and we're afraid to peer beneath those things into our hearts.

The chapter winds up: "Therefore Michal the daughter of Saul had no child unto the day of her death." As Michal sat in her window, not understanding what was going on and not sharing in the blessing that God was pouring out on His people, she was showing how much she despised the very giver of life. Therefore she herself never gave life, but was barren all her days. She wanted what was respectable and despised what was godly, but life is found only in what is godly.

What a contrast between her lifelessness and David's vigor! David danced with all his might, filled with the life of the Spirit. He didn't care about the next territory that needed to be conquered. He didn't care about the additional taxes the conquered territory would bring him. As the ark entered the city he was excited about one thing only: that God would be living among them.

What would we do if the presence of God entered our cities? Would we dance with David? Or would we sit in Michal's window, saying, "Look at those people. They aren't going about it properly. They aren't even dressed right." How easy it is to judge others instead of leaving judgment to God. I think sometimes we think we're the watchman on the wall, warning people about the coming judgment of God, when in fact we're sitting in Michal's window, simply subjecting the people to our own judgment.

It isn't a fun thing to be walking in our own selfish way and see others rejoicing in the Lord. Indeed, it becomes easy to despise them. "Come on, calm down. Let's just go through the hymns normal like." But we dare not stand in the way of such abandonment to God. King David wanted the blessing of God more than anything else. It meant more to him than his robes and his kingship. The ark had gone only six paces before David couldn't stand it anymore and began worshiping God. Michal couldn't understand that. All she cared about was her reputation as a king's daughter and a king's wife.

The carnal mind cannot understand the things of God. You cannot fill the carnal mind with truths and try to get it to walk with God, because it cannot be subject to the law of God. Only the spiritual mind can walk in the Spirit and understand the life of the Spirit.

If we're going to be spiritual, we will operate on principles that don't make sense by reasoning. We're going to have things like the baptism of the Holy Spirit moving in our midst. We'll have wells of living water springing up from our innermost being. We might look like fools as we get excited about being with God and about bringing others to Him.

But if we're sitting in the window watching how things are going, we'll never enter into the baptism of the Spirit or taste of that water. When we see others rejoicing, we'll go through our little checklist, finding fault in one place or another and explaining why those people shouldn't be doing what they're doing. We'll be like the group that said to Jesus, "Tell them to be quiet." Jesus' followers were rejoicing and saying "Hosanna to God" as he rode on a colt, but the critics said, "Tell them to be quiet." Jesus responded, "If they are quiet, then the very stones are going to cry out."

Too often we put our focus on how worthy the something is that is praising God, but the important thing is how worthy God is to be praised. God is worthy to be praised whether we are up or down, whether churches are working together or against each other, whether America is pagan or Christian. God is worthy, and we need to praise him.

In the early days of our walk with Jesus, we would praise him at the drop of a hat. We rejoiced spontaneously, truly child-like. Now everything has to be just right to be able to rejoice. Now we're worried about what others will think, because we know they are watching from their little windows just like we are watching them from ours. We need to be like David, breaking out in exuberance and unconcerned about the critics. "It was before the Lord," David told Michal; his celebration was for the Lord and not for her. When men are unashamed before other men to open their hearts and worship God, then God can be God again and the light of heaven will shine and souls will be released from darkness.

Would to God that our heart's sole purpose would be to do all things before the Lord and not before men! Jesus taught that if we do things to be seen before men, we have our reward already. That's all we get. But if we do things for the Lord, the Lord will reward. In the first instance we operate in the flesh, but in the second we operate in the Spirit. "I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh," God promised, and only as we move in the Spirit will we celebrate as David did, leaving fleshly concerns behind. If we truly wanted that promise of God to come to pass in our own lives, we would eagerly be running to the altar, running to the prayer room and getting before the Lord, just like David couldn't wait to get before the ark.

We can't generate that excitement in the flesh. It must be in the Spirit. And we can't begin in the Spirit and then expect the flesh to keep it going. "Watch and pray. . . . The hour of temptation is coming," Jesus said. He wasn't talking to weaklings but to disciples who had cast out demons, walked on water, and raised people from the dead. But He knew the minute they took their eyes off of Him they would begin to sink. The minute they began watching and criticizing others instead of praising Him they would lose the joy of their salvation.

When we begin moving in the joy of the Spirit and dancing in God's presence, we'll become easy targets for the critics. But like David, simply say, "I'm going even farther than this," knowing that the carnal mind will never understand it, let alone accept it. But know, too, that there will be a Christian somewhere who will join in with us and honor us in our celebration. "The humble shall hear thereof and be glad."

We see time and time again that two people can have the same father--Father Abraham--and be in the same place, watching the same events, and one will lose himself in the joy of the Lord and the other will turn cold and despising. I had such an experience with my younger brother. We grew up in the same home and in the same fellowship, and one day we heard the same call of God on our lives. I repented, but he said he would have no part of it and turned away. To this day there is a great spiritual distance between us.

Church, I want to call us all as I call myself to leave the window of Michal and join in the life of the Spirit. Leave petty grievances behind and develop an eager longing for the presence of God. Only as He lives through us will we know true righteousness and authentic, exuberant, joy.