Keith Welch: Dancing with the star

The Ark of the Covenant was being brought back to Jerusalem and we read of King David: “David, wearing a linen ephod, danced before the Lord with all his might.” (II Samuel 6:14, NIV) The Message Bible paraphrases part of this verse “… danced with great abandon before God.”

Here is a list of what the dance included.

The dance was a six-step dance. Every six steps, David sacrificed a bull and fattened calf. (II Samuel 6:13) The dance was joyful. There were shouts of joy. (II Samuel 6:14 – NLT)

The dance included musical accompaniments, sound of trumpets. (II Samuel 6:16) “Praise him with the tambourine and dancing; praise him with strings and flutes!” (Psalm 150:4)

The dance was emotionally charged. David was leaping and dancing to God. (II Samuel 6:16)  The dance included some unusual attire, a linen ephod — the Hanes or Fruit of the Loom of the day (II Samuel 6:14)

The dance was before the Lord. (II Samuel 6:21) David wasn’t trying to impress the people with his outward expression. He only wished to impress God.

The dance was a celebration. (II Samuel 6:22) The dance included everyone. The entire house of Israel was involved. (II Samuel 6:15) But there are always a few non-participants in the crowd and Michal, the daughter of Saul, was one. David returns home bless his home to bless his family and is greeted with the hostility, sarcasm and name calling of Michal. She had contempt for him, her heart was filled with scorn and she despised him when she saw David dancing.

“How wonderfully the king distinguished himself today.” (SARCASM) “You shamelessly exposed yourself to servant girls.” (ASSUMPTION) “You were vulgar.” (NAME CALLING)

Be honest, when we see some unusual worship actions or different methods of sharing praise to God, do we also sometimes respond in an unkind manner? The responses to David may have been varied. "David sure loves God." "David sure looks stupid."

David was not concerned about what others thought when he was praising God. “It was before the Lord … I will celebrate before the Lord. I will become even more undignified than this and I will be humiliated in my own eyes.” (II Samuel 6:21-22)

There are two other verses I believe are important when thinking about dance. “For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven. … A time to cry and a time to laugh, a time to grieve and a time to dance.  (Ecclesiastes 3:1 & 4, NLT)

(Jesus shared these words from Malachi 3:1) “We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.” (Matthew 11:17, NIV)

Not every situation deserves a dance. I have to tell you, I am not skilled in dancing. Like Curly of the Three Stooges, I only do the elevator dance. “Ain't got no steps!”

So, what does it mean for me to dance before the Lord? What does it look like? I believe we are to be in a life dance. The life dance includes at least three movements.

1. We move according to God’s pace. Sometimes this means it is a slow life dance and at other times it moves at a faster pace, but we allow God to set the pace.

2. We allow God to take the lead. This may make us feel uncomfortable at times. It will probably stretch us into new life dance steps. It will always be worth it and probably make more sense as we later look back to see how God was actively involved in leading us.

3. We allow others to cut in and join in the dance. This isn’t an exclusive life dance. We are to invite others to join in. We are to share Christ to those around us.

Participants on the show “Dancing with the Stars” are very focused with their practiced dances. They do not want to be eliminated or voted off. Sometimes we are the ones who separate from God and sit out the dance.  But God does not eliminate His life dance partners.

So if anyone is sitting out the life dance with God, I would encourage you to get back on the floor. God has some new steps to teach us! When we are living the life dance before the Lord we are dancing with the real Star!

— Keith J. Welch is a resident of Holland. He has an MFA in creative writing and is a retired Salvation Army Major. Contact him at Keith.welch16@gmail.com.

This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Keith Welch: Dancing with the star