May the mumbling commence!
What is the heart of worship? There is a popular worship song about just that, and the song tells us that it is all about Jesus. The witness in 1 Chronicles is concerned about the heart of worship. And the result is beautiful. Both 2 Samuel and 1 Chronicles record the story of the return of the Ark of the Covenant to Israel, but 1 Chronicles has much more beautiful detail than 2 Samuel.
Oh, to be a fool for God in our full worship! Have you ever been in a worship service where you watched carefully what others were doing? You know, you watch others to gauge what is appropriate to do – like raising hands or clapping to the beat or moving to the beat or swaying to the music. If a worshiper is alone doing these things, she might feel abnormal. If you are doing something that bucks the trend, then you feel isolated and perhaps foolish. Have you ever been the only one to stand during a hymn? It’s hard to continue isn’t it?
What if we would allow ourselves to get caught up in the moment of worship, the moment of our meeting with the Mighty God? What if we would close our eyes? Then it would not matter what others were doing. We could fearlessly express our praise of the Lord the way God calls us to. What a wonderful concept! Perhaps it would be uplifting to worship with our eyes closed. We could call it practice for being fools for Christ.
David was a man after God’s heart, and he did not care how he appeared to others or even how he appeared to himself. David gave himself fully to worship, being swept away in the presence of the Lord. Oh, to be swept away! To be swept away into reverence for the Lord. In 1 Chronicles 15:12-13, David realizes his fault in how the Ark was first transported (with the cart and oxen). Read the passage:
He said to them, "You are the heads of the Levitical families; you and your fellow Levites are to consecrate yourselves and bring up the ark of the Lord, the God of Israel, to the place I have prepared for it. It was because you, the Levites, did not bring it up the first time that the Lord our God broke out in anger against us. We did not inquire of him about how to do it in the prescribed way."
The Levites carried the Ark and led the processional to Jerusalem. They led the singing and music. David and the rest of Israel danced. David danced with all his might, while his wife Michal watched from above. Michal thought he was a fool. Michal upbraided David saying that he disrobed and danced in his underwear before the slave girls (as 2 Samuel 6:20 tells it). Read David’s response from 2 Samuel 6:21-22 –
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. I will become even more undignified than this, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes. But by these slave girls you spoke of, I will be held in honor."
If only we could be as fervent in our worship to the Lord! O, worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness… I will close with a portion of a beautiful psalm of David (from 1 Chronicles 16:23-29) –
Sing to the Lord, all the earth; proclaim his salvation day after day.
Declare his glory among the nations,
his marvelous deeds among all peoples.
For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise;
he is to be feared above all gods.
For all the gods of the nations are idols,
but the Lord made the heavens.
Splendor and majesty are before him;
strength and joy in his dwelling place.
Ascribe to the Lord, O families of nations,
ascribe to the Lord glory and strength,
ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name.
Bring an offering and come before him;
worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness.
Enough mumbling for today…
Peace Out.
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