Holy Worship
What is worship? That’s a loaded question. You ask ten different people, and you will get ten different answers. Worship isn’t a place you go to on Sunday morning. Worship isn’t just singing songs. It isn’t making sacrifices like in the Old Testament. It isn’t just reading your Bible and being a little nicer than the person next to you. No, worship is all of life lived before God. It does encompass some of those other things, but it is not solely those other things. I am fully convinced we have a very anemic view of worship in the church at large. A very unhealthy view. And it has caused us to have unhealthy Christians as well. Our text for today very clearly shows us this same reality.
God is so far above us yet dwells among us. (1-4)
1 Samuel 6:1-4 - 2 David again gathered all the chosen men of Israel, thirty thousand. 2 And David arose and went with all the people who were with him from Baale-judah to bring up from there the ark of God, which is called by the name of the Lord of hosts who sits enthroned on the cherubim. 3 And they carried the ark of God on a new cart and brought it out of the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill. And Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, were driving the new cart, 4 with the ark of God, and Ahio went before the ark.
This narrative today is centered around the ark of the covenant. And it’s centered around celebration. And worship. But before we get to why the celebration and why the worship, we need to see what all the fuss over the ark is about.
The ark doesn’t hold any special powers. Really, it’s just a box. It shows us some important things about God, though. It is an emblem of God’s holiness and His historical, active involvement in the lives of His people. The ark is plated with pure gold, which shows God’s holiness. The lid, which is the mercy seat, has two cherubim on it, which are angel-like creatures of heaven. That shows God’s heavenly prominence. So, just those two things right there show us that God is so far above us. He is so separate. He is so other. He is so distinct. He is so distant. Yet, He’s not. What’s inside the ark shows us that.
Inside the ark are three items of historical significance in Israel’s history: The tablets of stone of the Ten Commandments, a jar of manna, and Aaron’s staff that budded.[1] As Eugene Petersons said,
“These objects were the continuing and reminding evidence that God worked among them: commanded them (the tablets), provided for them (the manna), and saved them (the rod). The Ark provided a center, giving a hard, historical focus to the revealed character of the God whom they worshiped.”[2]
Psalm 115:3 says, “Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases.” And you know what pleases Him? To be actively involved in our lives. To provide for us. To rescue us. To dwell among us. To redeem us. The existence of the ark of the covenant is a constant reminder of that fact. And that fact should cause something within you and to come out of you. Celebration.
Our worship of God should be celebratory. (5, 14-15)
Verse 5 says, “And David and all the house of Israel were celebrating before the Lord, with songs and lyres and harps and tambourines and castanets and cymbals.” Yes, you know what they were worshiping with? They were worshiping with drums. And all kinds of instruments. Remember, David was a skilled musician. That’s what first brought him into the royal house in the first place when he was just a boy—to play music to soothe King Saul. Now I’m sure he’s leading the way, not in playing music for King Saul, but King David is playing for the King of Kings! Good, God-focused music glorifies God! Yes, even the instruments done before the Lord, not done before man, as we’ll see in just a minute.
Skip down to verses 15-16. After a reprieve that we will look at in a minute, David celebrates again, and it gets even more celebratory.
15 So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the Lord with shouting and with the sound of the horn. 16 As the ark of the Lord came into the city of David, Michal the daughter of Saul looked out of the window and saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord, and she despised him in her heart.
She saw his worship as “undignified” (vs. 22). You know what’s happening here? David is used to fighting wars, right? Well, this is what we call a worship war in today’s church. Many churches have been hurt by worship wars. I would say that worship wars aren’t worth fighting, but I can’t. Our text won’t let me say that. There is a right side and a wrong side to worship wars. There is a side that is honoring to God and a side that is not.
Before we move to the next point and see the main theme of what I am saying by this, we can see one theme from this text here. Instruments should not be a matter of concern in worship wars. What should be a matter of concern is who the worship is for. Throughout this chapter, David’s worship, in all its forms, whether instruments, dancing, or celebrating, is always “before the Lord.” There is a modern trend in worship, though, that draws crowds through entertainment. You could call it worshiptainment. Put on a production. Put on an experience. Draw the people in through it. Then they will experience God once they’re there. It’s called “seeker-sensitive.” You know what it does though? Right there you should see it. It puts people first. We should be a “God sensitive” church! People should never be first in worship. When it comes to worship, our worship must always be “before the Lord.”
We must worship God on His own terms. (6-13)
You may say, “But people are genuinely seeking to worship God! Who are you to say any different about their sincerity?” Y’all, we can be sincerely mistaken. And we can be sincerely displeasing to the Lord, even while we’re seeking to please Him.
1 Samuel 6:6-11 - 6 And when they came to the threshing floor of Nacon, Uzzah put out his hand to the ark of God and took hold of it, for the oxen stumbled. 7 And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzzah, and God struck him down there because of his error, and he died there beside the ark of God. 8 And David was angry because the Lord had broken out against Uzzah. And that place is called Perez-uzzah to this day. 9 And David was afraid of the Lord that day, and he said, “How can the ark of the Lord come to me?” 10 So David was not willing to take the ark of the Lord into the city of David. But David took it aside to the house of Obed-edom the Gittite. 11 And the ark of the Lord remained in the house of Obed-edom the Gittite three months, and the Lord blessed Obed-edom and all his household.
What we see from this narrative is that even right motives aren’t enough for proper worship. One commentator said it like this:
“Although not motivated by irreverence, his action is still sacrilegious, violating the holiness of God. Of course, Uzzah would not have been put in such a position had the ark been transported correctly in the first place.”[3]
You know what they were doing? They were just trying to get the ark to Jerusalem. They just wanted to worship God! But they weren’t doing it God’s way. And it displeased the Lord. Using a cart to transport the ark was actually the way the Philistines transported it (1 Sam. 6:7). The way God told them to do it was that it had to be carried by Kohathites from the tribe of Levi, using poles inserted through rings that were on its sides (Ex. 25:13-15; Num. 4:4-6, 15, 17-20).
Then in response, after seeing what happens to Uzzah, David actually gets mad at God. And he becomes afraid. He doesn’t even want the ark anymore. “If I can’t worship God how I would like, what’s the point in even worshiping Him,” right? This is actually the mindset of so many. So many people want to follow God on their own terms or not follow Him at all. But when you come to God on His terms, not your own, blessings follow. We see that in verses 12-13:
12 And it was told King David, “The Lord has blessed the household of Obed-edom and all that belongs to him, because of the ark of God.” So David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-edom to the city of David with rejoicing. 13 And when those who bore the ark of the Lord had gone six steps, he sacrificed an ox and a fattened animal.
After seeing that the house of Obed-edom only prospered by having the ark there, David then wanted to try again in bringing the ark to Jerusalem. He knew now, though, that we must worship God on His own terms, not on our own. 1 Chronicles 15:2 says, “Then David said that no one but the Levites may carry the ark of God, for the Lord had chosen them to carry the ark of the Lord and to minister to him forever.” For all the arrangements, he uses “the sons of Aaron and the Levites” (1 Chr. 15:4, 13-15).
The second time around, David did it God’s way. And because of the blessing that comes from following God and from God’s presence genuinely dwelling in their midst, David genuinely worshipped. He’s worshiping now in spirit and in truth.
We must worship God in Spirit and in Truth. (14-23)
As we saw earlier from verses 14-15, “14 And David danced before the Lord with all his might. And David was wearing a linen ephod. 15 So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the Lord with shouting and with the sound of the horn.”
Ok, what is an ephod and why is David wearing it?[4] An ephod is priestly attire. It’s because he is now worshiping God not only in the spirit of celebration, but it shows the truth in which he is worshiping God. Remember, it was Jesus who said we must worship in spirit and in truth, and they even had a conversation about worshiping in Jerusalem! (John 4) About the ephod, one commentary says,
“David is probably reacting against his high-handed conduct during his earlier attempt, in which he masterminded the return of the ark to Jerusalem—and got it wrong. In divesting himself of his royal robes and assuming a garment unequivocally associated with divine service, he is willingly emphasizing who is truly King of Israel and renouncing any attempt to manipulate him.”[5]
God is on the throne. David is worshiping Him alone! This parade could have easily been about David. He is bringing God’s presence into Jerusalem! But again, we are so quick to make worship about ourselves so often. The same commentary says this: “It is a grave contradiction when worship degenerates into entertaining the worshiper; it must remain focused on the one who is adored.”[6] David is doing that here, which is evidenced in no royal regalia but rather priestly attire. In a similar fashion, Eugene Peterson says, “Worship is the strategy by which we interrupt our preoccupation with ourselves and attend to the presence of God.”[7] David couldn’t care less what anybody thinks right here. He has an audience of One.
David danced before the Lord because he understood the Truth rightfully. Again, Eugene Peterson says it in a way that is profound and beautiful:
“David danced. In God, David had access to life that exceeded his capacity to measure or control. He was on the edge of mystery, of glory. And so he danced. When we’re going about our work responsibly and steadily, we walk. Walking is our normal mode of locomotion. But when we’re beside ourselves with love, charged with excess of meaning, shaken out of preoccupation with ourselves, we dance. David danced. If David had been merely carrying out his religious duties or conducting a political ceremony, he would have walked in solemn procession before the Ark, leading it into Jerusalem with dignity. But this was no duty. He wasn’t using God to give dignity to Jerusalem, or taking pains that God be properly honored. He was worshiping, responding to the living God. He was open to the life of God flowing around and through him, the God whose ways intersected history in a manner defined by that Ark, ways of salvation and revelation and blessing.”[8] (152)
At another place he says, “I’ve always liked Alexander Whyte’s sentence on Michal: ‘Those who are deaf always despise those who dance.’”[9] This isn’t a knock against deaf people. This is saying that those who are deaf to the things of God will never understand those who are dancing to His music.
The rest of the narrative shows David’s wife Michal upset for his “undignified” behavior. She is deaf to the things of God. Hear their dialogue in verses 20-22:
20 And David returned to bless his household. But Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David and said, “How the king of Israel honored himself today, uncovering himself today before the eyes of his servants' female servants, as one of the vulgar fellows shamelessly uncovers himself!” 21 And David said to Michal, “It was before the Lord, who chose me above your father and above all his house, to appoint me as prince over Israel, the people of the Lord—and I will celebrate before the Lord. 22 I will make myself yet more contemptible than this, and I will be abased in your eyes. But by the female servants of whom you have spoken, by them I shall be held in honor.”
Let’s end dwelling on those lines from verses 21 and 22: “I will celebrate before the Lord. I will make myself yet more contemptible than this.” What would that look like for you? Not just at church, but in your life? Each one of us are to live lives of worship to God. That’s why we exist. Yet we live for ourselves so often. We like our neatly ordered lives. We’re not willing to put on the priestly ephod, risk being a little exposed, risk being a little humiliated, and not care what anybody else thinks but God alone. Not willing to put our heart into it.
Many of us aren’t willing to change course, either. We aren’t willing to worship God on His own terms and to bring people along with us but are content with there being a whole lot of Uzzahs out there. Some may not even know what the celebration is about. Why was David rejoicing? Why does it matter that a box was coming to Jerusalem? It’s because God rescues and redeems. Not just David, but you, too. And that’s worth celebrating. With all that you are.
[1] Hebrews 9:4 – having the golden altar of incense and the ark of the covenant covered on all sides with gold, in which was a golden urn holding the manna, and Aaron's staff that budded, and the tablets of the covenant.
[2] Eugene H. Peterson, Leap Over a Wall: Earthy Spirituality for Everyday Christians (San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 1997), 148.
[3] John L. Mackay, “1–2 Samuel,” in ESV Expository Commentary: 1 Samuel–2 Chronicles, vol. 3, ed. Iain M. Duguid, James M. Hamilton Jr., and Jay Sklar (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2019), 326.
[4] https://www.gotquestions.org/ephod.html; https://www.gotquestions.org/did-David-dance-naked.html
[5] ESV Expository Commentary, 328.
[6] ESV Expository Commentary, 330.
[7] Peterson, Leap Over a Wall, 152.
[8] Peterson, Leap Over a Wall, 152.
[9] Peterson, Leap Over a Wall, 153.
