By: Nadine Judge
2 Sam 6:14-22
NIV: 21 “David said to Michal, “It was before the Lord, who chose me rather than your father or anyone from his house when he appointed me ruler over the Lord’s people Israel—I will celebrate before the Lord. 22 I will become even more undignified than this, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes.” (NIV)
V22 “Yes, I am willing to look even more foolish than this, even to be humiliated in my own eyes!” (NLT)
I had to start this blog with the passage as it is one, we often read and know the story of, but have we every really looked at it and thought “How could David do this?”
Michal, his wife, looked at him in contempt as he was “leaping and dancing before the Lord” (2 Sam 6:16b).
Now, we are not able to understand the issues in Michal’s heart but let us stop and see why David was dancing and leaping.
The Ark of the Lord had been residing in the home of Obed-edom, after being delivered to him by the Philistines – you can read the whole story in 1 Sam 7:1 – 2). The Ark had been in Abinadab’s house for over 20 years and was now being brought back to Jerusalem.
I am not going to expand on why the Ark was so important, but more why David was prepared to dance and leap at the Ark coming back to Jerusalem.
DAVID – A MAN LOVED BY GOD
We need to understand that David loved the Lord and knew the Lord. Samuel says to Saul: “But now your kingdom must end, for the Lord has sought after a man after His own heart. The Lord has already appointed him to the leader of His people, because you have not kept the Lord’s command.” (1 Sam 13:14 NLT)
David also loved the Lord and with the Ark coming back to Jerusalem, David was expressing his joy, his excitement. It is almost as if his heart was leaping out and he was trying to keep up with it.
Just try to imagine how enthusiastic David was about this momentous event. I love watching the Springboks play, and when they win, I jump around, but I do not think I could be dancing and leaping in the way described in 2 Sam 6:14 “And David danced before the Lord WITH ALL HIS MIGHT, wearing a priestly garment.”
UNDIGNIFIED BUT BLESSED
Have you ever experienced the excitement of knowing Jesus to the point that you are willing to be undignified. Do you know how much Jesus loves you, that you are willing to be foolish for Him?
David did not care what anyone said about his undignified dance and his foolishness, because he was looking at his great God – the living God.
David was blessed because he was not ashamed to show his immense joy at pleasing his LORD.
HOW TO THEN LIVE
How do we live in this place of being “undignified and foolish” for our Lord? I must start by saying undignified and foolish is not “silliness,” despite what the Cambridge dictionary says.
Cambridge dictionary about undignified and foolish: “making you look silly and lose people’s respect, especially because of not being controlled.”
When other people’s opinions matter more that God’s, we are in trouble. David only cared about what God thought of him at this time, and I think that God enjoyed seeing David leaping and jumping out of sheer joy.
Being undignified in our lives means expressing genuine devotion, humility, and passion for God, regardless of how it appears to others. David’s example encourages us to live with authenticity and abandon, seeking God’s heart more than anything else.
Imagine if we loved each other in undignified ways (making us look silly in other people’s eyes) and foolish ways, losing the respect of others because we are doing what God calls us to do and not what the world calls us to do.
Imaging being undignified and foolish in our friendships, in our worship, in our giving.
When we are “controlled” by the Holy Spirit and not by ourselves or others, we can experience the joy and pleasure of knowing that we have sought God’s heart above it all.
So often we are nervous to be undignified and foolish because of what other ‘s would say. But see how David ends V22 “But those servant girls you mentioned will indeed think I am distinguished!”
David was emphasizing that their perception mattered more to him than maintaining a dignified appearance. It is a powerful reminder that true honour lies not in external appearances but in our heart’s devotion and alignment with what truly matters.
David knew that they would have seen the joy that was in his heart and that is what mattered to him in that moment.
IN CLOSING
May I encourage you to live a life that seeks God’s heart. To live lives that seek God’s approval and not man’s approval. To live lives filled with genuine devotion, humility, and passion for God.
When we do this, the world will see us as Undignified and Foolish, but we will live free to all that God calls us to and live with authenticity and abandoning ourselves to our Lord. Come with me and live “undignified but blessed.”