As the celebration winds down, David returns to his palace only to encounter an unpleasant surprise.
His wife Mikhal was standing there with a frown on her face.
In a tone of bitterness, she tells him…
“Such honor the king of Israel earned for himself today — exposing himself before his servants’ slave-girls like some vulgar exhibitionist!”
Wow!
That was quite an accusation.
Mikhal was castigating David for prancing around naked out in public.
The King of Israel’s private parts had apparently even been exposed to the servants’ slave girls.
This particularly upset Mikhal.
Some folks today, and even some Rabbis, argue that David didn’t really expose himself—just that he was a bit too casual for a king.
But when we examine the original Hebrew, that idea doesn’t hold up.
The Hebrew word galah used here means “to uncover nakedness,” and it has a clear sexual vibe.
So yeah, it’s pretty obvious his private parts showed during his dancing.
One other point I need to mention is the Rabbis have pointed out—and they’re spot on—that the Bible doesn’t call Mikhal “David’s wife.”
Instead, she’s called “the daughter of King Shaul.”
Tuck that fact away in your back pocket because we’re going to return to it later.
So what’s the takeaway for today?
David’s passion for God led him to worship with complete abandon…
But it also invited criticism from his own household.
Mikhal’s bitterness reminds us how pride and resentment can blind us to the beauty of heartfelt devotion.
Let this be a lesson: when it comes to worshiping God, don’t let the fear of judgment—or even the criticism of those closest to you—hold you back.
Worship boldly, with your whole heart.
This is also a good reminder that more often than not, the enemies of our faith will be even our own family members.
This has been the case for me as both my earthly father and mother have mocked and denounced my faith in the God of the Bible.
CONNECTING THIS TEACHING TO THE NEW TESTAMENT
“Don’t suppose that I have come
to bring peace to the Land.
It is not peace I have come to bring,
but a sword!
For I have come to set
a man against his father,
a daughter against her mother,
a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law,
so that a man’s enemies will be
the members of his own household.”
-Matthew 10:34-36
“If anyone comes to me and
does not hate father and mother,
wife and children, brothers and sisters
—yes, even their own life—
such a person cannot be my disciple.”
-Luke 14:26
Thank you
Thanks for reading, Veronica. Be blessed!
It’s not clear to me whether what David did was right or wrong. He seems to have been inclined to extemes, and I’ll err on the side of modesty. After his misadventure with Bathsheba and Uriah we don’t read about any more such exuberance.
Good point Cory. In this particular instance, I would say David was in the right. We’ll see later that God sided with him after he was criticized by Michal.