Gospel Reflections #1053: Despite our self-centered faith

2 Samuel 6:20 ‘When David returned to bless his household, Saul’s daughter Michal came out to meet him and said, “How noble the King of Israel was today, uncovering himself before the maidservants of his servants, just as a man of no worth would shamelessly uncover himself.”’

This Bible passage depicts a decisive clash of values between King David, who rejoiced purely in God, and his wife Michal, who valued human pride and appearances.

When welcoming the ‘Ark of God’, David cast aside his regal robes and, as a humble worshipper clad only in a linen ephod (a simple undergarment), danced with all his might before the Lord.

Seeing this, Michal, the daughter of King Saul, looked down on David in her heart.

Michal did not view David as ‘the king chosen by God’, but rather as ‘her husband’ and ‘the ruler of the nation continuing the line of the House of Saul’.

To her, a king should be a figure who, like King Saul, maintained his dignity and reigned over the people.

Consequently, the sight of David dancing with his body exposed before slaves and maidservants appeared to her to be a ‘shameful act’ that brought the king’s authority into disrepute. For David, the arrival of the Ark of God in Jerusalem was the greatest joy of his life.

David had completely forgotten about the gaze of others and his pride as a king.

Afterwards, David retorted, ‘This was done before the Lord. I will dance before the Lord. I will humble myself even further and make myself low in my own eyes.’

David was absorbed in worship not as a ‘human king’, but as a ‘servant of God’, the true King.

This episode challenges our attitude towards faith.

It contrasts those who, like Michal, are concerned with ‘how others see them’, with those who, like David, seek to know ‘how their heart stands before God’.

It teaches us that true worship is not merely a solemn ritual in form, but rather the act of casting aside all pride and sincerely rejoicing in God’s grace—this is the kind of worship that pleases God.

We, too, should reflect on whether our faith is self-centred or God-centred, whilst turning our hearts towards God.

Furthermore, we should continue to seek God so that we may possess a faith as pure as David’s.

AUTHOR'S BIO: This Gospel Reflections page is written by Masae San, who resides in Hiroshima, Japan. Masae is a dedicated student of the Bible with a deep passion for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. She shares her daily reflections on Gospel perspectives to reach out to others and spread the message of God's true love through a Christ-centered approach. We are sharing her insights here so that you, too, can experience the joy that comes from knowing and understanding the true Gospel and the love of God through Jesus Christ.