David the Worshipper

We know from Week 1 of King Me that David was a skilled musician, but even more than that, he was a passionate worshipper. David was a worshipper before anyone knew who he was. The sheep in field that he watched as a shepherd probably heard him sing to the Lord all the time.

2 Samuel 6 tells the story of how King David moved the Ark of the Covenant back to Jerusalem as an act of worship. To understand this story, you need to know that the Ark of the Covenant is the physical representation of God's presence on the earth during the Old Testament times of the Bible. If the Israelites had the Ark, they had God dwelling in their midst, which brought protection & provision. Earlier in the Bible, the Israelites are given VERY specific instructions on how to make the Ark, care for the Ark, carry the Ark, and everything they needed to know about the Ark.

2 Samuel 6 shows 3 ways that God's presence (the Ark) was treated, and from that we see 3 different types of worshippers:

1. Casual Worshippers

- This is Uzzah's approach of worship.

- Verse 6 & 7 show that Uzzah casually touched the Ark by trying to steady it & died.

- The Israelites knew that the Ark could not be touched and should only be transported by a specific tribe (the Levites) carrying it on poles. They still chose to put the Ark on a cart to expedite the process, and in the process, the cart became unstable. Uzzah did the "right" thing to those around him, but he approached the presence of God casually due to not following the protocol given on transporting the Ark.

- Do you treat God's presence casually or reverently?

- When you’ve been around something or someone long enough, you go from formal to casual. Are we allowing the presence of God to become so familiar that we stop treating it reverently or showing value?

- God doesn’t want a lazy, comfortable, and casual praise. 

2. Crazy Worshippers

- This is David's approach of worship.

- After Uzzah's death, David leaves the Ark with a nearby man (Obed-Edom) and returns to Jerusalem to regroup.

- David (a man after God's own heart) probably wondered where he went wrong or what he should do next. He hears that Obed-Edom and his family are prospering, and David decides that the Ark needs to be moved as a celebration, not a procedure.

- Verses 13-15 show David's celebration, which was excessive, elaborate, and took way longer than using a cart in the original attempt.

- David wanted to give God the very best, because He is worthy and deserving of the very most we could do, not the very least.

- Do we let our preferences dictate our worship?

- David’s original worship (moving the Ark) was the right thing, but he did it the wrong way (using the cart). 

- Every day of your life is a day of worship. Is it pleasing and acceptable to Him?

- David danced and didn’t care about what anybody else thought. 

- David proudly took the label of "crazy", because it meant God was glorified. 

3. Critical Worshippers

- This is Michal's approach of worship.

- Verse 16 - David’s wife Michal thought he was undignified with how he acted. She criticized and despised him. 

- People who are critical want things to be on their terms. They are consumers and want it to be all about them. They believe their way is the best way and that God meets them (rather than them meeting God).

- When we are critical, we allow pride in, which will keep us from experiencing freedom in God's presence. 

- When Michal confronted David for his praise, David explained, "I did it for God and not for you" (verse 21). He goes further to say he will become more undignified, foolish, unseemly, ridiculous, humiliated....

- It didn’t matter what David looked like to others, it mattered what he looked like to God. 

The moment you stop caring about what your worship looks like to anyone but God, the more freedom you will begin to experience in his presence. Being hungry for God will kill casual worship, and intimacy with God will kill critical worship.