Reading II Samuel 1 - 6
My Verse: "As the ark of the LORD came into the city of David, Michal, Saul's daughter [David's wife], looked out of the window and saw King David leaping and dancing before the LORD, and she despised him in her heart" (II Samuel 6:16).
Poor Michal! Yes, she did have a difficult time of it, and one could see from a worldly point of view that she had some cause to be bitter, confused and focused on the wrong things of life. And yet, to choose in this case to focus on what she thought was undignified behavior for a king rather than focus on the joy of having the ark of the LORD returning to the City of David was a great lack of spiritual discernment. This reflected her father, Saul's same lack of spiritual discernment. All she was worried about here was that David might appear foolish to others!
Michal, was given by her father, King Saul, to David as a bride. This was not an arbitrary decision on the part of King Saul for Michal loved David. "Now Michal, Saul's daughter, loved David; and they told Saul, and it pleased him" (I Sam. 18:20). Even when Saul became obsessed with trying to kill David, Michal helped David to escape. "But Michal, David's wife, told him. If you do not save your life tonight, tomorrow you will be killed. So Michal let David down through the window, and he fled and escaped" (I Sam. 19:11-12). Saul then gave Michal to another man as his wife. "Saul had given Michal his daughter, David's wife, to Phalti son of Laish, who was in Gallim"(I Sam. 25:44). It is unknown why he did this or how Michal felt about this but when David became king he demanded to have her returned to him as his wife.(II Sam. 3:14) An interesting note here was the second husband's response to this. "But her husband went with her, weeping behind her all the way . . . " Yes, there is a lot going on here. From the reading of it things seemed to be a mess for Michal. While she did not have much say in many of these things, she, like each of us, does have a decision as to how she will respond to the situation.
It is said that we are not shaped so much by the trials we go through but how we respond to those very trials! Earlier on we read about Abigail and her difficult situation, her marriage to an awful man, how she dealt with his poor decisions. (I Sam. 25) Abigail is put up as a person we are to emulate because she dealt with her difficult situation with discernment and wisdom, while Michal is put up as a person not to emulate as she dwelt only on surface things.
Oh, LORD God, thank you for this lesson! It is easy, like Michal to become focused on the wrong things - surface things that have no real meaning. It is easy to become immersed in our everyday trials, to focus on the negative things, to put all our energy into whining or being petty or critical.
You want so much more from us and for us. You want us to live lives that are full and purposeful. "I have come that they may have life and may have it abundantly"(John 10:10). You want us to live lives that lift others up. "Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise . . ."(Ephesians 5:15).
Help me LORD God, to focus on You and all that You want for me. Help me to keep my eyes focused on You and Your great purposes for my life and for the lives of my loved ones.
Help me, LORD God, to not be like Michal and obsess about mere appearances!
Ditat Deus - God Enriches!
My Verse: "As the ark of the LORD came into the city of David, Michal, Saul's daughter [David's wife], looked out of the window and saw King David leaping and dancing before the LORD, and she despised him in her heart" (II Samuel 6:16).
Poor Michal! Yes, she did have a difficult time of it, and one could see from a worldly point of view that she had some cause to be bitter, confused and focused on the wrong things of life. And yet, to choose in this case to focus on what she thought was undignified behavior for a king rather than focus on the joy of having the ark of the LORD returning to the City of David was a great lack of spiritual discernment. This reflected her father, Saul's same lack of spiritual discernment. All she was worried about here was that David might appear foolish to others!
Michal, was given by her father, King Saul, to David as a bride. This was not an arbitrary decision on the part of King Saul for Michal loved David. "Now Michal, Saul's daughter, loved David; and they told Saul, and it pleased him" (I Sam. 18:20). Even when Saul became obsessed with trying to kill David, Michal helped David to escape. "But Michal, David's wife, told him. If you do not save your life tonight, tomorrow you will be killed. So Michal let David down through the window, and he fled and escaped" (I Sam. 19:11-12). Saul then gave Michal to another man as his wife. "Saul had given Michal his daughter, David's wife, to Phalti son of Laish, who was in Gallim"(I Sam. 25:44). It is unknown why he did this or how Michal felt about this but when David became king he demanded to have her returned to him as his wife.(II Sam. 3:14) An interesting note here was the second husband's response to this. "But her husband went with her, weeping behind her all the way . . . " Yes, there is a lot going on here. From the reading of it things seemed to be a mess for Michal. While she did not have much say in many of these things, she, like each of us, does have a decision as to how she will respond to the situation.
It is said that we are not shaped so much by the trials we go through but how we respond to those very trials! Earlier on we read about Abigail and her difficult situation, her marriage to an awful man, how she dealt with his poor decisions. (I Sam. 25) Abigail is put up as a person we are to emulate because she dealt with her difficult situation with discernment and wisdom, while Michal is put up as a person not to emulate as she dwelt only on surface things.
Oh, LORD God, thank you for this lesson! It is easy, like Michal to become focused on the wrong things - surface things that have no real meaning. It is easy to become immersed in our everyday trials, to focus on the negative things, to put all our energy into whining or being petty or critical.
You want so much more from us and for us. You want us to live lives that are full and purposeful. "I have come that they may have life and may have it abundantly"(John 10:10). You want us to live lives that lift others up. "Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise . . ."(Ephesians 5:15).
Help me LORD God, to focus on You and all that You want for me. Help me to keep my eyes focused on You and Your great purposes for my life and for the lives of my loved ones.
Help me, LORD God, to not be like Michal and obsess about mere appearances!
Ditat Deus - God Enriches!
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