In preparing for today’s devotion, I came across a well-written and researched blog piece that raised the question in its title, “Did David Dance Before God in his Tighty-Whities?” The article refers to David’s dance before the Lord in 2 Samuel 6 as David was consumed with unbridled joy upon the Ark’s return.

The article’s author reasoned in his well-argued conclusion that David didnotdance naked before the Lord as some traditions and translations have represented (ormisrepresented). The ephod David wore was certainly skimpy and designed to be worn as part of a complete vestment, but to argue that the ephod was so skimpy that he “exposed himself” as he twisted and spun in ecstatic dance amounts to hyperbole, according to the best analysis of the Hebrew text. Honestly, it’s likely that David looked more comical than indecent.

So what do we find in this exchange between David and Michal after David’s dance? Michal is certainly the antagonist, and we should note David’s response to her hyped-up accusation. His blunt reply was brash, figuratively grinding his thumb into her nose while informing her, “Hey, I don’t care what you or anybody else thinks—I danced for the Lord, not for you (and what were you doing watching, anyway?), and what’s more, I’ll do it again, even more undignified, so much that I’ll embarrass myself—but I don’t care!”

Personally, I have to confess that any effort to dance before others, regardless of occasion and music, would produce profound and humbling embarrassment. As I tell my friends, I don’t dance because, even though I have a joyful heart, I have Baptist feet. And those Baptist feet are clumsy!

But here’s the question David poses for me . . . and for us: “Are we willing to put prideful preservation of our dignity before our openness to God’s Holy Spirit?” What David found in his expressed willingness to endure humiliation was, ironically, freedom: freedom from pride; freedom from the expectations of others; and yes, even freedom to celebrate God’s work and presence with wild and crazy expressions of outrageous joy.

So imagine that God approaches us at the salvation ball where we timidly wait along the dance floor, alone and bashful. An angelic band strikes up a joyful anthem. He extends his hand and kindly asks, “May I have this dance?”

How do we respond?