I can’t believe they did that! I would NEVER do such a thing. I wouldn’t even consider it.
Ever been like me and had that thought when reading the Bible? But then minutes later, upon reflection and application, realize, “Oh….. wait….shoot…ummm….yes, I have done something similar or at least thought about doing it.” Big bummer, right?
I’d been enjoying the rare feel of warm sun on my face while reading II Samuel 6 in my far-west suburb of Chicago backyard. With the bleeding hearts, hostas, trees and bushes finally springing back after a long, cold winter I felt quite relaxed. That is until I realized Michal—Saul’s daughter, also one of King David’s wives—may have a thing or two in common with me.
After David became king over all of Israel and captured Jerusalem, his next order of business was to bring the ark of God back home. Unfortunately, the first time David and his chosen men attempt this, they didn’t follow God’s way of doing it. They put the ark, a symbol of God’s earthly presence, on a new cart instead of having the Levites carrying it like they were supposed to. When the oxen stumbled, one of the men guiding the cart touched the ark of God. He was struck dead for his irreverence. This turned a joyful procession into a time of anger and fear.
After this happened, David was mad and afraid, so he left the ark at the home of Obed-Edom. After seeing that Obed and his household were blessed because of the presence of the ark, King David and his men went back to get it. This time, they proceeded the proper way: the Levites carried the ark and David sacrificed a bull. Then David took off his kingly robe and celebrated! He “danced before the Lord with all his might.” What a party it was!
But his wife, Michal was quite the party-pooper.
In 2 Samuel 6:16, it says: “As the ark of the Lord was entering the City of David, Michal daughter of Saul watched from a window. And when she saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord, she despised him in her heart.”
Further down in 2 Samuel 6, we find out why Michal acted as she did. She basically told David that dancing before the Lord in a linen ephod—part of a priestly garment—is way beneath his kingly station. She said sarcastically, “How the king of Israel has distinguished himself today, disrobing in the sight of the slave girls of his servants, as any vulgar fellow would!”
Ouch.
She despises the king, her husband. He responds saying he would celebrate before the Lord and become “even more undignified.”
Living as a family affected by disability for over a decade, I thought by now I had learned not to care what others thought of me or my loved ones. For my youngest son, Luke, having autism means he doesn’t care about keeping up appearances or looking presentable. This is true for him, not necessarily everyone on the spectrum.
Are his lips and half his face orange because he’s eaten so many Cheetos? No biggie. Is everyone else sitting down at our wonderful friends’ wedding reception for a meal? Seems like a good time to run laps back, forth and round the gift table, right Luke? I thought I’d learned from Luke that conforming to society’s standards is over-rated.
The bigger biblical truth Luke has re-enforced for me is that our value comes from being created by God in His image, NOT by what we or our spouses and children accomplish. But if know this, how come I’ve bragged about my oldest son Brandon’s high GPA or SAT score?
Maybe because, like Michal, I still struggle with how others perceive me as a person, and as a wife and mom. I’m thankful Jesus knows we are in the LONG process of becoming more like Him, because I for one am a slow learner.
May we love our children because God made them wonderfully, not for what they can or can’t do. May we be unafraid to worship with joy before the one true Lord and let our loved ones do the same, even if they have bright-orange Cheeto lips.
To read more from Deborah Abbs and her co-authors, visit www.lifeonthespectrumbook.com. Their book Life on the Spectrum can be purchased at www.amazon.com.
