Year in the Bible Week 17

David bearing the ark of testament into Jerusalem by Domenico Gargiulo (1640’s)

When we read about David dancing in front of the ark, we often focus on that lack of royal decorum. Then we judge Michal for being “filled with contempt for him,“ since we know the Lord was pleased with David. I’ve read the passage a few times now, but this time when I read it I was drawn to the description of Michal as “Daughter of Saul” and the whole story flipped. I felt a lot of compassion for her. Her father had just died. She had been forced to end a marriage with a man she knew, and was given to a man who returned from being hunted like a criminal. Perhaps her grief for her life and the loss of her father made her blind to the anointing on David. We need to leave room for that. It’s true that joy is infectious, but Michal was immune to David’s joy. We will never know why, but I’ll never judge her again.

David is at the top of the mountain, embracing the Lord for every step. Ths week, we see David sinning with Bathsheeba, getting thrown from the highest heights to the lowest lows, and hiding in the wilderness again. Everybody wants the throne, but who wins in the end?

God wins. Every time.