And I will be even more undignified than this

..... and will be humble in my own sight. But as for the servant girls of whom you have spoken, by them I will be held in honour (2 Samuel 6:22).  David was finally bringing the Arc of the Covenant back to Jerusalem, and for him it was a time of great rejoicing. There was a procession of celebration,  and David dressed in a linen ephod  was dancing before the Lord with all his might,  whirling and twirling to the music. David's wife Michal, seeing him through a window, despised him in her heart. With biting sarcasm she confronted him (verses 14-20).  And the title verses is David's response essentially saying “you ain't seen nothing yet!” Michal's words were also meant to guilt and shame David, as she accused  him of exposing himself  “in the sight of the slave girls .... like a vulgar person would" (verse 20).

Such things are of the flesh, not of the Spirit. They are about control and manipulation, and radical disrespect (she despised him in her heart), and ultimately pride.  The Lord does not operate today as He did with ancient Israel, but we can tell how He feels about things by the way He dealt with them back then. In particular we read  “therefore (i.e. for this reason) Michal the daughter of Saul had no children to the day of her death” (verse 23). Paul summarizes the controversial passage about husband wife relationships,  in Ephesians 5:22-33,  by saying “in particular let each one so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.” Having been the recipient of much of the above behaviour, I can say that one  of the reason the Lord feels so strongly about these things, is that they undermine a man. I know that I have felt undermined by them, especially by disrespect.

It takes a strong man to stand up to a woman's words. I am not saying they don't exist in men! But many, perhaps  most of us, are defenceless in the presence of these things especially from a woman.  David was such a strong one. He tells her “It was before the Lord” (verse 21). And these things delight the Lord, it is a form of praise (Psalm 149:3).   Michal was operating out of a religious spirit, a spirit that is unfortunately alive and well and operating today in the Church. It seems that we are quick to condemn things that we would not do, and things we do not understand. This spirit is also a spirit of control. And the rumour is that God wants His church back!

Lord Jesus, of course it's not just women who are into domination, manipulation, control and disrespect.  It is interesting to me though that one of the other verses that caught my attention in this morning's readings,  is Your command to “Love one another as I have loved you” (John 13:4). The above things are the very opposite of love. We need Your  Help with these things Lord. Help us to put to death those what is displeasing to you. Also Lord, teach us Lord to be like David, who cared more about what You think about him than what others thought. Finally Lord show us any place where we have not allowed Your free reign either in our lives,  or in Church and help to us to let go and let God  in Your precious Name Amen