Dancing With King David by Myra Kahn Adams for Town Hall
Thanks for joining our study about a dramatic incident offering insight into the personality of King David — a blessed and gifted man with many talents. Besides being a brave warrior and inspiring leader, David was a Psalm writer who loved the Lord, enjoyed music, and excelled at the harp (the guitar of his day).
From a modern perspective, King David was the first “rock star” who enjoyed partying and dancing. Thus, he might have appreciated this unique dance video (a hint about today’s theme).
Let’s begin this multi-faceted King David story about dancing, partying like a rock star, an accidental death, obedience to God, and an angry wife. This event, recorded in 2 Samuel: 6 of the Old Testament, is titled “The Ark Brought to Jerusalem.” Paraphrasing:
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David and his men went to Baalah in Judah to retrieve the ark of God. It was:
“Called by the Name, the name of the Lord Almighty, who is enthroned between the cherubim on the ark. They set the ark of God on a new cart and brought it from the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill.” Uzzah and his sons:
“..were guiding the new cart with the ark of God on it, and Ahio was walking in front of it. David and all Israel were celebrating with all their might before the Lord, with castanets, harps, lyres, timbrels, sistrums and cymbals.”
But sometimes bad things happen when folks are “celebrating with all their might,” even if it’s “before the Lord”:
“When they came to the threshing floor of Nakon, Uzzah reached out and took hold of the ark of God, because the oxen stumbled. The Lord’s anger burned against Uzzah because of his irreverent act; therefore God struck him down, and he died there beside the ark of God.”
You ask, “What is a threshing floor” that caused the oxen to stumble? Answer: Where grain was separated from straw to collect the most valuable part of the crop.
