Before the Lord

I was writing a Bible study yesterday on Psalm 30. David is quite the exuberant worshiper in that Psalm, shouting with joy in the morning (30:5…his son had wisdom in writing Proverbs 27:14), dancing (30:11), and singing praise (30:12). I went back to David’s most famous dancing moment, when he was bringing the ark back to Jerusalem.

“David was dancing before the LORD with all his might” (2 Samuel 6:14).

Perhaps it’s the alliteration, but I’ve heard the phrase “dance like David” a lot in my life, both as a song lyric and as a teaching about worship. I remember reading quite a bit about worship when I was a worship leader. Dancing, raising hands, standing, kneeling, bowing, laying prostrate, eyes open, eyes shut, looking up, looking down, singing, etc. – these were the biblical examples of worship posture and expression. I remember reading several times that the only posture not mentioned in connection with worship was sitting. That is why, it was explained, we stand when we worship or read the Word or pray.

That’s not exactly accurate.

I kept reading past 2 Samuel 6 into the next chapter. I read about David’s desire (2 Samuel 7:1-7), the Lord’s covenantal response (7:8-17). Then I saw something that I’ve read many times but completely missed.

“Then David the kind went in and sat before the LORD, and he said, ‘Who am I, O Lord GOD, and what is my house, that You have brought me this far?’” (7:18; paralleled in 1 Chronicles 17:16).

This is an overwhelming, humbled awe at the graciousness and greatness of God’s purpose concerning him.

I have to say, I’m been held by that phrase “sat before the LORD” since reading it yesterday. It’s not as alliterative as “dance like David,” but it seems to speak to something just as powerful. We see this depth even when David is dancing, of course. In Psalm 30, “soul” (30:12) is כָבֹוד, literally, “glory.” David’s praise, which has the exuberance of dancing, also has a weight to it (כָבֹוד has the idea of weight, or worth). Since David promises to “give thanks…forever,” his praise has a continuation beyond this life. As Derek Kidner observes, “the praise, which has the effervescence of dancing, has also depth to it, and persistence.” So, don’t think I’m accusing David of shallow praise when he dances. I am saying that dancing is not the only expression of David-like praise.

Think about that phrase: sitting “before the LORD.” The stillness and lack of outward exuberance is opposite of the tendency of contemporary worship to lean into the showy and dramatic. There’s something there, I think. Worship is primarily for the edification of the Church (I believe that's what 1 Corinthians 14; Ephesians 5; Colossians 3 teaches), but it is still done in the presence of the God of the Church. The first line of David’s prayer (2 Samuel 7:18) is enough to give you a sense of the weightiness the king was feeling at the awesomeness of God. Read the rest of the prayer. It’s praise, too. David the dancer praised just as deeply simply by sitting. Let’s make sure we take in all the biblical data before we make assumptions about what “real” praise and worship is. Raising hands, shouting, closing your eyes, and, I suppose, even dancing…yes.[1] But don’t leave out sitting “before the LORD,” and certainly don’t judge anyone worshiping in a different posture than you are. Some Christians squirm at others raising their hands or shouting, and some Christians judge those who are sitting in worship. When we do, we’re missing the point.

“David was dancing before the LORD with all his might” (2 Samuel 6:14).

“David the king went in and sat before the LORD” (2 Samuel 7:18).

What preposition phrase do these verses share?

That’s the point.

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[1] I tend to be a regulative principle of worship (RPW) kind of guy; if it’s not in Scripture, I don’t think it needs to be in worship. However, a lot of folks who hold to RPW seem like they omit many postures and expressions of worship that are clearly found in the Old Testament. We need to be regulated by all of Scripture, not just the parts that make us comfortable or fit our cultural mold. I personally prefer high liturgy, since 1 Corinthians 14 calls for order, accountability, and “guardrails” for worship. That doesn’t mean we ignore the rest of the testimony of Scripture, however.