1 Samuel 6:20-23

When David returned home to bless his household, Michal, daughter of Saul, came out to meet him and said, ‘How the King of Israel has distinguished himself today, going around half naked in full view of the slave girls of his servants as any vulgar fellow would!’’

David said to Michal ‘It was before the Lord, who chose me rather than your father or anyone from his house when he appointed me ruler over the Lord’s people Israel, I will celebrate before the Lord. I will become even more undignified than this, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes. But by these slave girls you spoke of, I will be held in honor.’’

And Michal, daughter of Saul, had no children to the day of her death.

David, a now celebrated king was so consumed with joy and praise that he danced with complete abandon, unconcerned with his status or dignity. He was simply a man captivated by God’s presence. However, his display of uninhibited worship was met with disdain from his wife. As a result, she faced the harsh consequence of becoming barren her whole life.

Today’s story will be focusing on Michal, a secondary character in the story of David. There is a limited number of passages we see her, however there is a lot to learn from her. Understanding her requires us to bring in other characters such as Saul, her father, and of course David.

When Goliath became a threat to the Israelites, and no one dared to fight him, a call for warriors was launched with marriage with the King’s daughter as the prize. When David defeated Goliath, he was at first acclaimed by everyone including King Saul. However, seeing his popularity growing more and more in the eyes of people made the King jealous and he started to harbor an evil desire to murder David.

Michal comes in the picture when the question of pairing her with David in matrimony comes on the table again. The promised bride, Merab, one of King Saul’s daughters was given as a wife to another man. To his delight, Saul came to know that his other daughter Michal loved David. He saw in this marriage an opportunity to get rid of David once and for all. As for the bride price, he asked for 100 philistines’ foreskins (Gross, right?!), and David gave him 200. When He saw David’s continuous success, his insecurities rose even more.

We get to encounter Michal again in 1 Samuel 19:11 when she is now married to David. She saved David when her father sent people to kill him. She pretended that David was sick, and helps him to escape through the window, and puts an idol in her bed faking it to be her bedridden husband. The next time, we get to hear about her, is when David flees and becomes a fugitive, haunted down by King Saul and his army. King Saul then gives Michal’s hand to another man.

The rest of the book of First Samuel is about rivalries between David and King Saul. So many times, David escapes from death by a hair’s breadth. And David gets several occasions to kill Saul but out of reverence to God, he refuses to kill a man who is God’s anointed.

The influence of Saul on Michal

In the reproach of Michal to David, she highlights the image ‘the King’ is giving to whoever sees him acting and dancing like any vulgar fellow would.  When one reads the story of her father Saul, one can infer that self-image counted for him so much so that he disobeyed the Lord several times.

In the first story he had to wait 7 days for Samuel to give an offering to the Lord, and the instruction was clear. On the seventh day, the crowd got impatient, and they started to scatter. When Saul saw it, He gave the offering, himself, and then after Samuel arrived.

In the second story, The Lord asked King Saul to destroy the Amalekites and everything belonging to them. However, he spared their king and kept the best of their sheep. When Samuel the prophet confronts him, he answered: ‘But I did obey the Lord, I went on a mission the Lord assigned me. I destroyed the Amalekites and brought back Agag their King. The soldiers took sheep and cattle from the plunder, the best of what was devoted to God to sacrifice them to the Lord your God at Gilgal’.

In his answer, not only did King Saul decline his accountability as the leader, responsible for what his troops were doing, but also, He was more inclined to save his image in the eyes of people than to obey the Lord. Samuel’s answer to what King Saul did is humbling: Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice and to heed is better than the fat of rams.’ 1 Kings 15:22

King Saul referred to God as the God of Samuel not his. His impersonal relationship with the Lord seemingly rubbed on his daughter. As much as they were all close to prophets and what the Lord was doing, they were blind to the presence of God.

The Arc of the Covenant and David vs Michal

When they had the conversation at the parade, they were in completely different seasons. David was celebrating his triumph and Michal was (probably) mourning.

David knew hardship, constant unrest and hiding to save his life. King Saul did not spare any of his power to get hold of David. But every time, the latter escaped.  Hence in that parade, David worshipped as having the only audience of God.

Michal, on the other hand, had lost quite a few people. King Saul was dead, her brother Jonathan as well, and she was separated from her second husband who seemingly truly loved her. (2 Samuel 3:13-16 “)

The Arc of the covenant symbolized God’s divine presence, His covenant, and His role as a protector of the Israelites.

Thus, David’s worship was a pure and unreserved act, recognizing the living presence of God and recalling his immense faithfulness. He had no other response but sincere, heartfelt worship, caring nothing for his surroundings; God alone was his audience. David understood that the moment he marched into Jerusalem with the Ark of the Covenant was a long-awaited triumph, a promise coming true. For him, the event was not about his title or human audience, but entirely about the one who made it happen. Like a child enjoying a moment with a caring father, David did not back in his worship.

Michal, however, was in a moment of grief, and maybe being in Jerusalem reminded her of everything she had lost. But even in the middle of loss, she failed to understand the true purpose of being there. The heart of worship is coming before God with a naked heart, seeking nothing more than to speak to your savior, to worship Him for who he is, and to hear from Him. Failing to adopt a submitted and unashamed posture before Christ often leads to barrenness and manifests as misplaced attention. Sometimes, loss is an invitation to have a dedicated time with the Lord, to have a heart-to-heart conversation with Him, where He will have your undivided attention, and where you finally meet him. In such a season, having a misplaced attention is missing the point.