It would seem that the ark was being born this time in the
appropriate manner as it is brought to Jerusalem. Remember back a few days ago
David had been in the city of priests and Saul sent his armies to slaughter
those who were giving him aid and succor.
There would have been something like a shortage of priests but there
were priests in the land. Why, then,
does David offer the sacrifices? He is
acting as both priest and king as the ark comes to its intended home. Michal believes that David has disgraced
himself in his leaping and dancing and praising God. She leads with sarcasm, “How the king of
Israel honored himself today, uncovering himself today…” David responds with his own shot, “It was
before the Lord, who chose me above your father and above all his house, to
appoint me as prince over Israel, the people of the Lord—and I will celebrate
before the Lord.” This wasn’t exactly a
marriage made in heaven was it? Michal
was more of a spoil of war than a wife.
David was a man who knew how to worship, without taking a thought for
his own repute, but who rejoiced in the Lord.
Nathanael receives high praise from Jesus and returns that
praise in kind. Nathanael is said to be
“an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!” He is a man who speaks what is on his mind,
not hiding his thoughts in any way. His
response to Philip’s proclamation that they had found the Messiah was to focus
on the description, “Jesus of Nazareth.”
He is clear that he believes that nothing good comes from that place but
accompanies Philip anyway. When Jesus
tells Nathanael that He had seen him under the fig tree, Nathanael at once
makes an open proclamation of belief in Jesus as Messiah and king. Other people never get over Jesus’ origins
and what they think they know, Nathanael, at the slightest hint of a sign,
proves that he is indeed a man of no deceit, his belief isn’t hedged at all.
Why do we pass judgment on our brothers? That is what Paul asks the Roman church. I actually think we are to pass judgment on
one another sometimes. We are to judge
conduct that is sinful. If I fall into
sin, whether that be gross moral sin or just the sin of gossip, I need to be
corrected by brothers and sisters. That
isn’t the kind of judgment Paul seems to be talking about here though. It can be the kind of judgment that Michal
passed on David, we can judge worship style and personal style, for
instance. I know a guy who told me once
he wasn’t sure about someone’s salvation because he didn’t raise his hands in
worship. I also know people who go the
other way, criticizing others for their exuberance in worship. It’s not my job to judge someone’s heart by
these things, we all have to answer to the Lord as individuals. In such matters, things not related to sin, I
don’t have the right to judge someone’s heart.
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