Is Your “Yes” to God a Wow! Or an “Oops?”

July 12, 2009, From 2 Samuel 6

Intro: Today’s sermon is based upon an old story in our Judaeo-Christian roots.  I believe that the core element of the story also has very powerful implications for us, our human spirits, and the morale of today’s society. What I intend to do is first give you the context of why this is such an important event in Hebrew religious history, then for us to listen to the story as recorded in Chapter 6 of 2^nd Samuel and then, to apply some of the truths of this ancient event for our own lives.

The story of the relocation of the Ark of the Covenant  to Jerusalem is a very pivotal events in Hebrew history. What was the Ark? Most ancient cultures worship their gods or goddesses in a specific location—usually at the top of a mountain or by some water source, like a river or waterfall. In the Hebrew story, Moses went up on Mt. Sinaii and up there, Moses encountered Yahweh and was given tablets of stone upon which were inscribed the 10 commandments.

What was different about this spiritual epiphany was that Moses was informed that the Holy One he met on the mountain top would go with the Hebrews. Wherever they went God would be with them, IF they followed the Commandments. The name “Hebrew” means “wanderers” so this was quite a revelation. Tradition and Hebrew story tells us that to take the presence of God with them, the Hebrews built a beautiful wooden box, the Ark, for the tablets to be put in.

What really happened to those tablets is a matter of conjecture over the millennia, but even if the tablets were not physically in the Ark, the people believed that the Ark contained the presence of the Holy One and thus was very sacred. As the Hebrews wandered the Ark went with them. After 40 years of wandering, they arrived at their “Promised Land” and conquered the people living there and made it their own.

Their society was just developing and they really were simply an association of 12 tribes. As time goes on, the people desire for order and to be like the nations around them, with a King. Tribal leaders vie for power and fulfilling ancient prophecy, power is consolidated in a lineage that began with Saul, then passed to David, and would reach its Golden Age under the stewardship of King Solomon, David’s son.

Why is the moving of the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem so important?  Because it consolidates political and religious power in one place and in one person. The city of Jerusalem becomes the capital city and David assumes political power along with his military power.

(listen to the story of moving the Ark…)

This was a very powerful event because of all the power associated with the Ark. It contained mystery. It was the Holy of Holies, and it contained power. The moving of the Ark is a national event. The term “the whole House of Israel” means everyone participated. The scripture says David called out the best men of the nation—30,000. They were the most physically fit and able to fight if called upon. This was both a military expedition and a political/religious journey.

People were dancing, singing, shouting, cheering and the one who was the most exuberant is King David. The story says that every six paces David would sacrifice an animal to God—saying that there was no expense being spared. This was budget priority number one!

NY Times Magazine article about the radical transformation of U.S. Christianity, with the enthusiasm in worship brought by Chritians from Ghana, who do this same kind of enthusiastic dancing, singing, shouting in their worship. The tradition in worship for dancing goes way back and David was dancing, “en theos”  in other words “in God.” The whirling dervish form of praising God is this dancing in a frenzy

They had to protect the Ark, because if one of their neighboring nations could capture the Ark, they would break the spirit of the people. It was a national treasure. Uzzah was one of those guarding the Ark and the ox cart upon which it was carried. This was not a smooth highway, but rough terrain and Uzzah reached out to steady the cart and in doing so, he touched off a burst of anger from the Holy One and he was “zapped dead.” That’s the story. Perhaps the Ark was falling and Uzzah tried to keep it from hitting the ground and died doing so. Again,

 in the ancients’ minds no one touched the Holy of Holies except for the special priests on very special occasions. When David sees the power the Ark has and Uzzah struck dead, he postpones the parade, because he is afraid. He entrusts the safe-keeping of the Ark to the family of Oh-bed-edom. And David returns to Jerusalem.

Time passes and David learns that Obededom’s family is being blessed by the presence of the Ark. So, David then desires to have the Ark close to him in Jerusalem and then procession is re-started. This time David seems to be competing for the top prize in the “So You Think You Can Dance” contest and he strips down to nothing but an ephod, which was an apron covering the King’s jewels, but in the frenzied dancing the apron did not protect the King’s modesty.

David’s wife, Saul’s daughter Michal, sees this, is embarrassed, humiliated and despises her husband for his lack of modesty. When he gets home she gives him a tongue lashing and he banishes her to the far edge of his harem, and she never bears him any children. Commentators write that this banishment had meaning, not for moral or social reasons, but because it signaled the end of the tragic reign of King Saul.

The Ark was placed in a special tent in Jerusalem, signaling that the Hebrews often moved. But in the next generation under Solomon, a magnificent Temple was built to house the Ark—and some would argue the building of that affluence signaled the beginning of the decline Hebrew power and might.

What’s the application to our lives? I believe it’s about whether or not we are “in God” –in Greek “en-Theos” which of course is the root of the word “enthusiasm.”  Are we enthused about our relationship with the Holy One? Are we enthusiastic about our spirituality? Or the question might be, “Shall we dance?”

Most of us would rather not dance, especially in worship. One woman reacting to the enthusiasm of worship from Ghana is quoted as “If they want to worship that way, that’s fine. But don’t bring it into my sanctuary.” Many of us would prefer the style of Paul Taylor, the innovative American dancer. He once performed a modern dance solo in which he simply stood motionless for 4 minutes, without moving a muscle.

Most of our enthusiasm in worship is similar to that. We become so concerned about feeling awkward, embarrassed or being inappropriate that we have choked most of our enthusiasm out of our worship and our service to God.

So, what do we do to get back “en-Theos” get back into God, rekindle our enthusiasm?  A good step is to learn the factors that go into good dancing and apply them to our Christian discipleship.

1. Teamwork; 2. Breathing; 3. Studying or Practicing; and 4 having fun.

We can’t square dance without teamwork. King David did not dance alone, the whole House of Israel danced with him. Team work is essential to real success, whether you are singing in a choir, working to help the McAuley school kids, serving the folks at Bissell Centre, serving on a ministry, being part of a Bible Study or working on Council.

Breathing: we take it for granted, but it’s essential to life. I’m told that most of us, without being intentional about our breathing, only use the top 1/3 of our lung capacity. If we don’t breathe deeply we tire out quickly because our muscles don’t get the oxygen they need.

As Christians, we need the breath of God to fill us, if we are going to do the work God gives us to do. Remember that in the story of creation in Genesis, Adam is lifeless, until “God breathed into his nostrils the breath of life.” And the people of Israel were dead, dry bones until the “breath came  into them and they lived!”

Studying or Practicing: We know there are good dances and bad dances. The other scripture story we did not use today was the  story of King Herod being seduced by a dance by his daughter. His daughter danced after dinner so beautifully that her father, the King promised her anything in the world. And under the manipulation of her mother, she asked for the head of John the Baptist. Herod is heart-sick. Because he respects and fears the prophet John, but he is not willing to refuse his daughter and so John the Baptist’s head is delivered on a platter.

Dance can become dangerous if it simply becomes a human-centered form of entertainment, cut off from God, something that causes us to lose our heads. Herod was so captivated by the passion of his daughter’s dance, he lost his connection to God and in the end participated in the killing of an innocent man. King David was God-centered and his dance was heavenly. King Herod was self-centered and his daughter’s dance created hell on earth. The important element is to keep the Holy One at the center of whatever we say, think, do and feel.

Have fun! We can’t dance unless we are willing to cut loose, have some fun, and that’s true also in our Christian discipleship. I hope that our worship has some elements that put a smile on your faces, and evoke a laugh or two to loosen up your human spirit. As a parent, I remember telling my kids that we would be doing something fun, and when they got involved in the activity, too often they was prod me, “Are we having fun yet?”  Ouch! 

Or I got it from one little tyke after worship when he asked me, “What’s the highest number I ever counted to?” I said, I didn’t know, but asked him what his highest number was. He said, “5,372.” And I asked why he stopped there. “Because Church was over!”

As people who are secure in he Love of Christ, we can step out in faith and have fun. Jesus wants our joy to be complete. We don’t have to worry about being superman or superwoman and save the world. Jesus has already taken care of that.  So cut loose. Share the love, feel the joy. 

By combing teamwork, deep breathing, careful study and growth, and a willingness to have fun, we will be able to serve the Holy One with the enthusiasm of King David before the Ark.

We will be “en-Theos”, in God and no one will despise us.