We should offer ‘UNRESTRAINED WORSHIP’ to God!
March 31 Bible
Reading: 2 Samuel Chapters 4-6
We should offer ‘UNRESTRAINED WORSHIP’ to God!
"So David went and brought up the ark
of God from the house of Obed-Edom to the City of David with gladness. And so
it was, when those bearing the ark of the Lord had gone six paces, that he
sacrificed oxen and fatted sheep. Then David danced before the Lord with all
his might; and David was wearing a linen ephod. So David and all the house of
Israel brought up the ark of the Lord with shouting and with the sound of the
trumpet." (2 Sam 6:12-15)
The journey
of the ark to Jerusalem was delayed for about three months due to the tragedy at Nachon’s threshing floor (2 Sam.
6:6, 11). Due to that unfortunate incident, the ark was placed in the house of
Obed-Edom, a Levite of the family of Korah (1 Chr. 13:13, 14) who later became one
of the doorkeepers for the ark (1 Chr. 15:18, 24; 26:4–8). God blessed
Obed-Edom and his household because of the ark in his home (2 Sam. 6:11b). In
the similar manner, God will bless us
when we invite Him into our hearts and give Him the prominent place in our lives
through our daily activities!
Hearing of
the blessing that Obed-Edom had received from God, King David decided to bring
the ark of God to the tabernacle that he had erected in Jerusalem (v. 17). During
the past three months David must have investigated the Mosaic laws to see how
the ark was to be transported from one place to another (1 Chr. 15:1, 2). So, the
new cart was abandoned and now the Levites carried the ark on their shoulders.
After the bearers moved forward cautiously for six paces, just to make sure the
Lord wasn’t still displeased, David sacrificed oxen and sheep. In the similar
manner, we are required to "continually
offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving
thanks to His name" (Heb 13:15).
King David was
so overjoyed that he danced on the
street before the Lord with all his might
wearing a linen ephod instead of his customary royal clothes. The linen ephod
was a short, sleeveless garment worn by priests (see 1 Sam. 2:18), and David
wore it to honor the Lord in view of his priestly activities that day (v. 13). David’s leaping and whirling before the Lord
(v. 14, 16) was a manifestation of the spiritual joy that emanated from the
depth of his heart (1 Chr. 15:25–28). It was an outward expression of joy and
happiness of King David’s worship of the Lord who had brought him from tending
sheep in the wilderness to sit on the throne of Israel. David was not concerned with his image at all during his act of worship!
King David is
our prime example for expressing our worship and praise publicly without any shame
or reservations. David, who was a “man
after God’s own heart” (1 Sam. 13:14b), could dance with unrestrained
fervor in God’s presence. When our hearts are in tune with God’s heart, then we
will be free both to glorify God and to enjoy God’s presence through our
worship. When we love God with all our heart, we can openly express our emotions to Him. God wants us to be real, and not put on a mask (like
hypocrites) in His presence. When we have
tasted and seen the goodness of God (Psalms 34:8), how can we not express our
delight openly in adoration, praise and worship?
