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Observations from today’s readings and today’s S-WOD, Saturday, 8 November 2025:
1 Chronicles 15:1-2 — David built houses for himself in the city of David. And he prepared a place for the ark of God and pitched a tent for it. 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.
David, having learned from the tragic failure of Uzzah’s death (1 Chronicles 13:7-10), prepared a place for the ark of God with careful reverence this time. The difference between presumption and obedience is discernment of God’s Word and careful obedience to it. David had previously acted with good intentions but without biblical precision. Now, he understood that obedience to God’s revealed order was not optional, it was sacred. God had commanded through Moses that only the Levites were to carry the ark (Deuteronomy 10:8). David’s renewed diligence demonstrates a leader humbled by failure and corrected by Scripture. True repentance always bears fruit in changed behavior aligned with God’s Word.
Success in God’s eyes is not measured by results but by obedience. The lesson here is timeless: enthusiasm cannot substitute for obedience, and sincerity cannot replace submission. We must study the Word of God carefully so that our service to Him reflects His commands, not our assumptions. As Joshua 1:8 declares, success and prosperity flow from meditating on God’s Word day and night and doing all that is written in it.
- Joshua 1:7-9 – “Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go. This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
1 Chronicles 15:12-13 — He said to them, “You are the heads of the fathers’ houses of the Levites. Consecrate yourselves, you and your brothers, so that you may bring up the ark of the Lord, the God of Israel, to the place that I have prepared for it. Because you did not carry it the first time, the Lord our God broke out against us, because we did not seek him according to the rule.”
David’s words acknowledge divine discipline and reveal spiritual maturity born from humility. He no longer blames circumstances or others, he confesses that failure came because they “did not seek Him according to the rule.” God’s holiness cannot be approached casually. To seek Him rightly means to seek Him in accordance with His Word. There is no true worship or ministry apart from obedience. Jesus later confirmed this principle in John 4:24: “God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” Spirit without truth leads to error; truth without spirit leads to cold ritual.
The first attempt to move the ark (1 Chronicles 13:7) was conducted on a new cart, imitating the Philistines’ method rather than God’s. This time, David sought to do it God’s way, not the world’s way. Many churches today suffer the same rebuke, attempting to carry God’s presence on the world’s carts of entertainment, pragmatism, or innovation instead of on the shoulders of consecrated servants. God blesses only what aligns with His commands.
1 Chronicles 15:16, 25-28 — David also commanded the chiefs of the Levites to appoint their brothers as the singers who should play loudly on musical instruments, on harps and lyres and cymbals, to raise sounds of joy…. So David and the elders of Israel and the commanders of thousands went to bring up the ark of the covenant of the Lord from the house of Obed-edom with rejoicing. And because God helped the Levites who were carrying the ark of the covenant of the Lord, they sacrificed seven bulls and seven rams. David was clothed with a robe of fine linen, as also were all the Levites who were carrying the ark, and the singers, and Chenaniah the leader of the music of the singers. And David wore a linen ephod. So all Israel brought up the ark of the covenant of the Lord with shouting, to the sound of the horn, trumpets, and cymbals, and made loud music on harps and lyres.
Obedience brings joy. When the ark was carried according to God’s command, worship overflowed with joy, not fear. The people’s rejoicing was not emotionalism — it was the fruit of holiness. True joy flows from obedience. David’s worship was both exuberant and reverent; it was loud but ordered, passionate but pure. In this moment, Israel’s worship reflected heaven’s harmony.
David restored music, art, and beauty as integral expressions of worship, not optional embellishments. God delights in artistic gifts used to glorify Him. The Levites’ musicianship was not entertainment — it was ministry. Music, poetry, architecture, craftsmanship all are reflections of the Creator’s own artistry. Exodus 31:1-5 records how God filled Bezalel “with the Spirit of God, with ability and intelligence, with knowledge and all craftsmanship” to build the tabernacle. Similarly, Chenaniah was chosen to lead the music “for he understood it” (1 Chronicles 15:22) — God equips His servants with skill to serve His glory. Dance, too, was a holy act of worship (Psalm 149:3; 150:4).
Worship, when done according to God’s order, unites all gifts in divine purpose. Builders, guards, teachers, singers, and priests each had distinct roles, yet all served one Lord. Paul later wrote, “There are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit” (1 Corinthians 12:4). Work without worship becomes prideful self-effort; worship without work becomes sentimental idleness. Both must be joined under the headship of Christ. Teachers must not confuse their pulpits with pedestals, and musicians must not replace praise with performance. Every talent, whether practical or artistic, exists to glorify God, not self.
1 Chronicles 15:29 — And as the ark of the covenant of the Lord came to the city of David, Michal the daughter of Saul looked out of the window and saw King David dancing and celebrating, and she despised him in her heart.
David’s joy before the Lord was unrestrained and sincere. Stripped of royal garments, clothed only in a linen ephod, he danced with the Levites before the Lord, humbling himself as one of the people rather than exalting himself above them. It was a moment of pure worship — free of pretense, free of pride, centered wholly on God’s glory. But Michal, watching from her window, saw only humiliation. Her contempt contrasted sharply with David’s humility. Where David saw worship, Michal saw shame. Her heart was fixed on appearances and decorum; David’s was fixed on the Lord.
Michal’s disdain reveals the danger of pride and misplaced dignity. Those who live for human approval will never understand the freedom of wholehearted worship. Jesus warned of such people in Matthew 15:8 — “This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.” Michal’s heart had grown cold, hardened by disappointment, pride, and bitterness. Her outward refinement masked an inner distance from God. David’s unashamed dancing exposed the condition of her heart more than his own actions ever could.
It’s important to understand what David’s dance really was. This was not a wild or sensual act, but a sacred procession — a parade filled with music, instruments, and synchronized movement, much like the joyful dancing seen in Jewish worship even today. David’s linen ephod symbolized humility — he laid aside his royal robes and joined his people in worship as an equal before God. His dance was appropriate to the context: a celebration of God’s presence returning to Jerusalem. It was reverent joy expressed physically, an outpouring of gratitude and awe.
Michal’s criticism, recorded in 2 Samuel 6:20-23, reveals the root of her scorn. She sarcastically confronted David, saying, “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!” Her issue wasn’t truly about modesty or reverence; it was about power, image, and pride. She could not bear to see her husband, Israel’s king, acting like an ordinary man before commoners. David’s worship offended her pride and exposed her spiritual distance.
David responded, “It was before the Lord… and I will make myself yet more contemptible than this, and I will be abased in your eyes” (2 Samuel 6:21-22). His words were not arrogance but clarity, his worship was for God, not for human approval. True worship is never about performance; it is about surrender. David’s dignity meant nothing to him compared to the honor of glorifying God. As G. Campbell Morgan observed, “The incident illustrates the perpetual inability of the earthly minded to appreciate the gladness of the spiritual.”
Yet Michal’s reaction also has a backstory that deserves careful reflection. Her contempt didn’t arise in a vacuum. Their relationship was fractured long before this day. The story began in 1 Samuel 18, when Michal was given to David as a political reward for his military victory over the Philistines. Though she loved him at first (1 Samuel 18:20), her father Saul’s jealousy and David’s long exile tore their marriage apart. During David’s years on the run, Saul gave Michal to another man, Paltiel son of Laish, who deeply loved her. When Saul died and David reclaimed the throne, he demanded Michal’s return, not out of affection, but as a political statement to strengthen his claim to Saul’s legacy.
David’s demand came at a great emotional cost. Paltiel followed Michal weeping as she was taken away from him (2 Samuel 3:15-16). David pursued what he believed was rightfully his, but with no regard for the human pain it caused. His pride and ambition crushed the hearts of others, and though Michal was restored to his house, her love for David never returned. She may have seen him as the man who reclaimed her not out of love but out of pride. By the time of 1 Chronicles 15, the wounds were deep, and her contempt for David’s humility likely grew from years of emotional betrayal.
In that light, Michal’s reaction is tragically human. She judged David’s present sincerity by the pain of his past failures. Many relationships break under that same weight, when bitterness blinds one from seeing genuine change. David, instead of merely defending his worship, could have shown even greater devotion to God by seeking reconciliation within his home. True worship is not only expressed publicly but proven privately through humility, repentance, and love.
Peter’s counsel captures this principle perfectly: “Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered” (1 Peter 3:7). David’s worship was acceptable to God, but his failure to nurture reconciliation in his marriage became a wound that never healed. Scripture notes that Michal remained childless until the day of her death, a sobering symbol of a relationship left barren by pride and resentment. Scripture also tells us that David eventually destroys his family and the kingdom through murderous adultery – perhaps, had David put more effort into reconciling with his wife Michal, he would not have been tempted by Bathsheba.
David’s freedom before God should inspire believers today to worship without shame, but also to live with humility and understanding at home. Michal’s coldness warns us that spiritual pride and unresolved pain can make us spectators instead of participants in God’s presence. David’s vulnerability shows that joy in worship flows from a heart set free by obedience, repentance, and grace.
Worship God without fear of human opinion, but also worship Him through humility in your relationships. Let your devotion be visible not only in public praise but in private reconciliation. Don’t allow pride or past pain to harden your heart against what God is doing in the present.
“Cross” Fit S-WOD (Spiritual Workout of the Day) — 8 November 2025: Seek God according to His Word. Do not serve God according to convenience, culture, or emotion, but according to the truth He has revealed. Study the Scriptures diligently to understand His commands, and let obedience be the foundation of your worship. When your life is aligned with God’s order, His joy will fill your heart, and your service will bear eternal fruit. Use your gifts — whether practical, intellectual, or artistic — for His glory, not your own, and lead others into joyful, reverent worship that reflects His holiness.
Pray: “Father, thank You for reminding me that obedience is the highest form of worship. Teach me to seek You according to Your Word, not according to my assumptions. Help me to honor You with every gift You have entrusted to me and to use it for Your glory alone. Keep my heart humble and joyful, unashamed to celebrate Your presence. Guard me from pride, from performing rather than worshipping, and from seeking approval from others instead of You. May my life reflect the beauty of Your holiness, and may my worship lead others to know the joy of living fully devoted to Christ. Amen.”
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