A MORE EXCELLENT WAY TO GIVE PRAISE

And David danced before the LORD with all his might; and David was girded with a linen ephod (2 Samuel 6:14).

Some people believed that David was merely dancing in the flesh in the verse above. They would thus frequently declare that they wanted to dance like David and begin wildly gyrating. Not at all! David belonged to the Spirit. Our theme verse is, “…David danced before the LORD with all his might; AND DAVID WAS GIRDED WITH A LINEN EPHOD,” during the procession of the Ark of God into the city of David.

Take note of the highlighted text. Those days, the priest’s office was symbolized by donning a linen ephod. The priest performed his spiritual duties whenever he wore that regalia. David, girded with a linen ephod, was a prophet who was clearly guided by the Spirit. The Hebrew text describes his dance as being considerably different from the fleshly dance of everyday festivities.

The Hebrew word for dance, “kaʂrar,” does not mean “whirling and gyrating,” as most people would assume when they read that he danced before the Lord.”Kârar” means to spin, skip, and hop while rotating around your own axis, much like a child.

What Jesus did in Luke 10:21—the Bible states that “in that hour Jesus rejoiced (Greek: agalliao) _in spirit”—is comparable to David’s dancing. Like a kid, he was hopping and skipping. Therefore, to say that David danced with all “his might” does not mean that, according to popular belief, he exerted himself physically on the dance floor. The Hebrew phrase “oze, oze” indicates that he danced while wearing all of God’s adornments, displaying all of his grandeur and majesty. Praise be to God!

The best description for it in the New Testament is the Greek word “agalliaō”; it’s a dance from the inside. Dancing in the flesh distracts your spirit from true reverence and worship; it dissipates spiritual power, and many don’t realize this.

The Spirit of God is illuminating a better way for us to honor and worship God in these final days. In Christian congregations, the days of dancing in the flesh are over. As stated in Philippians 3:3, “For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh,” our worship of the Lord must and should always be done in the spirit. John 4:23–24 adds, “But the time is coming when the sincere worshippers will honor the Father in truth and spirit; for the Father seeks such worshippers.” Since God is a spirit, those who worship him must do so in truth and spirit.