Bad Girls of the Bible Part 21

Then Abner said to him, "Go back home!" So he went back. 2 Samuel 3:16 More battles, more bloodshed as David conquered Jerusalem, was anointed king of Israel, then defeated the Philistines. Once again, there's no mention of Michal. What was she doing?

We know what David was doing. He was busy collecting more concubines and more wives-at least twenty in all. David was a busy man, since eleven more children were born to him in Jerusalem.

But what he wanted more than anything was to bring the ark of the covenant into the City of David. When he did so, it was a serious party.

David and the whole house of Israel were celebrating with all their might before the LORD, with songs and with harps, lyres, tambourines, sistrums and cymbals. 2 Samuel 6:5 As a composer, David orchestrated a spectacular musical entrance for the slow-moving ark. Thousands marched, instruments in hand, creating a cacophony that surely was heard for miles. It was only natural that ecstatic dancing would accompany all that music.

David, wearing a linen ephod, danced before the LORD with all his might... 2 Samuel 6:14 Ditching his robe, his tunic, and all other symbols of cla.s.s and wealth, David sported only a simple ephod-a ceremonial ap.r.o.n or loincloth that probably covered very little of his...uh...manhood. David wasn't an exhibitionist. On the contrary, he wanted to humble himself and identify with his people as their priest, not as their king.

How it must have delighted the thousands of partic.i.p.ants who saw the mighty David celebrating his Lord with such enthusiastic abandon! All along the route the generous king offered sacrifices, blessed his people, handed out cakes with raisins and dates, and in general partied like it was 1999.

...while he and the entire house of Israel brought up the ark of the LORD with shouts and the sound of trumpets. 2 Samuel 6:15 Shouting? Trumpets? This was one loud procession, easily heard even from high in the palace.

As the ark of the LORD was entering the City of David, Michal daughter of Saul watched from a window. 2 Samuel 6:16 Is it significant that both of Michal's big scenes took place in windows-first, when she helped him escape, and here, as she watched him dance before the Lord? In the movie King David, starring Richard Gere, David criticizes Michal for not being part of the fun. But custom did not permit the wife of the king to partic.i.p.ate in the festivities surrounding the ark. Instead, she gazed down from on high, distanced from David by more than a few cubits.

It wasn't her alt.i.tude that was the problem.

It was her att.i.tude.

And when she saw King David leaping and dancing before the LORD, she despised him in her heart. 2 Samuel 6:16 His leaping was the last straw, but the haystack had been building for a very long time. David had deserted her, ignored her, married other wives, fathered other children, and neglected even to include her in his life until it was politically expedient.

I know that David has always been painted as a prince among men and a hero's hero, but his treatment of Michal was a smeary inkblot on his resume, don't you think?

Underneath the queenly gowns of Michal beat the heart of a hurting young girl, abandoned practically at the altar, then years later forced to share her handsome husband with other women. Imagine competing with the wise and competent Abigail and, later, the comely Bathsheba-two among many who provided David with strapping sons.

We identify with Michal's jealousy and shattered emotions.

But when it came to G.o.dly obedience, Michal was off the mark.

Even if she no longer loved the man, she should have joined him in wors.h.i.+ping G.o.d. But perhaps Michal never fully understood David's G.o.d, never openly embraced Jehovah as her own, never grasped the value of wors.h.i.+p.

David's dancing didn't turn her heart; it turned her stomach. Various translations tell us she was "filled with contempt" (NLT), "disgusted" (CEV), and that she just plain "hated him" (ICB).

The exultant David didn't have a clue what awaited him back at the palace.

When David returned home to bless his household, Michal daughter of Saul came out to meet him... 2 Samuel 6:20 She went out to meet him? Ooh, the woman was hot! She'd been building up steam since the Flash Dance number. The minute she saw him approach the house, Michal made her move.

One minor note: She's called "daughter of Saul" here, not "wife of David." Was that a clue to her allegiance? Was blood thicker than her see-through sham of a marriage?

...and [she] said, "How the king of Israel has distinguished himself today..." 2 Samuel 6:20 Even on paper, her biting sarcasm drips from every word.

"...disrobing in the sight of the slave girls of his servants as any vulgar fellow would!" 2 Samuel 6:20 Michal had three problems with David's dance: (1) He removed most of his clothes, (2) the lowest women in the kingdom saw portions of David that were supposed to be the queen's territory alone, and (3) he looked like a common jerk (that's the Lizzie Revised Version), or as more scholarly types have phrased it, "foolish" (ICB), "base" (NKJV), "indecent" (NLT), "worthless" (AMP), and my favorite, "a dirty old man" (CEV)!

The truth is, Michal missed the point. She didn't comprehend the purpose of David's dancing. She saw it as a pa.s.sion of the flesh, when David knew it was a spiritual pa.s.sion for G.o.d that set his feet in motion.

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-" 2 Samuel 6:21 Ouch, David! Obviously his temper was heating up as well. He reminded her, none too gently, that the Lord had chosen him instead of selecting someone from Saul's household.

"I will celebrate before the LORD." 2 Samuel 6:21 He made his purpose-and his future plans-clear.

"I will become even more undignified than this, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes." 2 Samuel 6:22 In other words, "You thought that was bad, Michal? Baby, you ain't seen nothin' yet! I intend to make a bloomin' fool of myself."

"But by these slave girls you spoke of, I will be held in honor." 2 Samuel 6:22 David had spotted the green-eyed monster lurking in Michal's eyes when she mentioned the slave girls, and he used her jealousy as a sharp knife, severing their relations.h.i.+p for good. As one writer put it, "he cut her from his heart."8 We are never told that David divorced Michal.

Nor is she ever spoken of again, except for one sad closing verse.

And Michal daughter of Saul had no children to the day of her death. 2 Samuel 6:23 Still called the "daughter of Saul." To me, that was the whole problem in a nutsh.e.l.l. Michal never left her father and mother and cleaved to her husband. To his grave-and hers-she was Daddy's girl.

In the same way, she never reached out to her heavenly Father, never gave her heart to G.o.d. Though her caustic words to David made Michal Bad for a Moment, in truth she never depended on the goodness of G.o.d to make her whole.

That last verse is a telling one. To die with no children was the ultimate disgrace for a Hebrew woman. Some commentators suggested that G.o.d closed her womb. I beg to differ, only because that isn't so stated. A more likely scenario? David never brought her to his bed again. She never knew him as a wife knows a husband, nor was she allowed to bed with another man...and live. Hence, no children.

Not that she didn't have the chance to care for little ones. When her sister Merab died at an early age, Michal raised her sister's five sons, only to suffer a mother's anguish when all five were literally hung out to dry on a hill at Gibeah.9 As King David's first wife, Michal had the opportunity to learn true wors.h.i.+p from a flawed but pa.s.sionate man after G.o.d's own heart. Instead, she threw away such blessings with both hands, then shoved her manicured fists inside the folds of her costly tunic, determined to be miserable forever.

And so she was.

What Lessons Can We Learn from Michal?

When G.o.d says dance, strap on your tap shoes!

Sometimes we don't know what to do around Christians whose exuberance for the Lord includes lifting hands, clapping, or dancing. If we join in strictly to please men, our motives are wrong, and the Lord won't be glorified, no matter how fancy our footwork. But if we dance unto the Lord, as David did, even in the privacy of our own homes, we just might experience the same att.i.tude adjustment that David discovered, including a whole new wardrobe of joy!

You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy. Psalm 30:11 Nothing stops wors.h.i.+p like unconfessed sin.

Michal wouldn't have seen her unsupportive, critical words as sin-but we would. She didn't merely reject David; she ridiculed his G.o.d. When the appeal of wors.h.i.+p eludes us-when we find ourselves judging the soloist, the choir, the robes, the flowers on the altar, whatever-that's a sure sign that sin has hardened our hearts. As one writer phrased it, "Michal was proud and cold of heart-toward G.o.d, toward her people, toward her husband."10 Before we fall into the same trap, sisters, let's confess, repent, and start singing with a lighter heart!

An evil man is snared by his own sin, but a righteous one can sing and be glad. Proverbs 29:6 Words spoken in the heat of anger are sure to burn.

Michal has been called "a divine looking-gla.s.s for all angry and outspoken wives."11 Yes, I see myself in her, and I don't like the view. If only I could take back every angry word I've ever spoken! When our tempers flare and words follow, they scorch the listener, but the flames lick at our own souls, too. How many times do you suppose Michal eyed other wives with their arms full of babies and regretted her angry diatribe? Hot words may eventually cool, but the burn scars last forever.

Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that G.o.d desires. James 1:19-20 Wise is the woman who rises above her circ.u.mstances.

Michal had a right to feel hurt, to feel abandoned, to resent how the men in her life-her father, her brothers, her husbands-pa.s.sed her around like a moldy fruitcake at Christmas: "Here, you take her this year!" Yet other women in Scripture were similarly misused and still managed to transcend such situations to honor G.o.d. It isn't circ.u.mstances that should determine our actions; it's a desire to please G.o.d above all things. So easy to say, so hard to do, and don't I know it! Let's keep reminding ourselves: Bad Girls blame their situations. Good Girls rise above them.

When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider: G.o.d has made the one as well as the other. Ecclesiastes 7:14

Good Girl Thoughts Worth Considering

1. Have you ever dated, or been married to, a man who was popular or very talented? What sort of feelings did that bring out in you? Did you find some constructive ways to turn any potential jealousy into joyful support? How might Michal have done that?

2. We get to know Michal's father, Saul, quite well; we never even meet her mother in these stories. Why do you suppose that is? Do you see any "like father, like daughter" tendencies in Michal's actions or personality? If so, which ones?

3. List any good traits Michal had that we might emulate. Make a list of negative ones as well. Do any of her personality traits match your own? Of those you might long to change, which one has the most potential for improvement, and how might you go about that, practically speaking?

4. Why do you think Michal helped David escape? Did she realize she might never see him again? Were her lies to her father justified? To whom was her first allegiance-her husband or her father? Psalm 59 was David's version of the same scene. Did the Lord use Michal's bravery, then, for his good purpose?

5. When Michal's father gave her to Paltiel, she had no choice in the matter. Again, how might a G.o.dly woman have managed to honor her marriage vows, even when her father didn't? Should she have run away and thrown herself at David's mercy? Opposed her father? Enlisted Paltiel's help in finding David? Think through the possible ramifications of those choices, or others.

6. Have there been times you were told to do something you knew was wrong? How did you handle it? How would you handle it today? Can you find a biblical basis for your actions then or for your twenty-twenty hindsight now?

7. Considering the evidence we're given in Scripture, did David love his wife Michal? Why or why not? How did his love for her (or lack of it) affect her responsibility to honor G.o.d? If David did not show her sufficient love, what other resources might Michal have looked to? And where else may we turn for love and affection if we're unmarried or have an unresponsive mate?

8. What's the most important lesson you learned from the story of Michal, a woman ultimately not seeking after G.o.d's own heart or her husband's either?

10.

I BEG YOUR PARDON.

Bliss like thine is bought by years

Dark with torment and with tears.

EMILY BRONTe.

The boldface headline covered the front page of the Post and Courier like a ladle of steaming she-crab soup covers a bone-china soup plate: "Mayor Hosts Gala Public Reception at White Point Gardens."

Brus.h.i.+ng a wayward strand of hair out of her eyes, Anita scanned the news story for more details. Well. The mayor wouldn't be too "gala" about seeing her there tonight. It wasn't His Honor she'd be seeking out though.

She tossed the newspaper on her narrow bed, thankful for clean sheets and a firm mattress, and let out a lengthy sigh. The article said the public was invited. No problem. She was as public as it got. Probably half the men there could claim they knew her once-in the biblical sense. For the rest of them, her reputation preceded her. In her heyday she'd been, if not Charleston's finest, at least its busiest.

Leaning forward, she brushed her hair in long, slow strokes from scalp to feathery black ends that almost touched the floor. The stiff bristles tingled against her skin, tugging at her roots as she swept her arm downward in one fluid stroke after another. Anita marveled at the simple pleasure of it, grateful no one was watching in frank approval, eyes glazed with l.u.s.t, with greedy hands reaching out to touch the soft, dark strands.

It seemed like decades ago. It seemed like yesterday.

A whisper of a breeze stirred the bedroom curtains, ushering in the faint scent of lilacs blooming in her landlord's garden one story below. Spring. A time for new beginnings, her parole officer had insisted. A good season for starting from scratch.

She could hear Cal Jackson's words, see his stern face as he handed over the keys to her spotless new apartment on Tradd Street. "Lord knows why, girl, but the governor of South Carolina saw fit to give you a last chance. Once-in-a-lifetime stuff, you got that? Don't blow it, Anita."

Blow it? Not blinking likely, Cal.

Straightening up, she shook her hair back over her shoulders, then gathered the silky ma.s.s into a neat French twist and plunged a wooden hair clasp into the center to hold it in place. She reached for her cologne, then thought better of it and slipped it into her purse. For later maybe. She didn't want to risk offending the governor with her perfume, however much it cost her, however long she'd waited to own such a luxury again.

Without bothering to look in the mirror, she yanked open the closet door and surveyed her meager choices. Not the navy blue dress. Definitely not the white one either. She didn't care what the mayor thought of her, let alone the crowd, but she cared very much what Governor Sheppard might think if he saw her.

Didn't she owe him? For her life. Her freedom. Her soul. For everything. The honored guest at tonight's reception was the man who'd unlocked her prison cell door. One way or another she intended to show her grat.i.tude for his eleventh-hour pardon.

Her hands dropped to her side, suddenly limp, as the truth crushed against her chest once more. Pardoned! After all the things she'd done wrong, after all the investigations, all the court proceedings, all the years on death row-pardoned, for no reason other than sheer mercy.

How could she possibly tell him what this release from prison meant to her? She'd never been good with words, always spoke too softly to please the warden. What would she say if she met Governor Sheppard face to face-a no-account, murdering prost.i.tute speaking to the highest authority in the state?

Shaking her head to silence a nagging conscience, she felt a slight smile move across her lips. Worry about the words later, honey. Worry about the clothes now. The charcoal gray dress then. Un.o.btrusive. Modest. She held it in front of her, sneaking a glance in the full-length mirror. The loose tunic stretched from chin to ankles, missing her generous curves completely. Made of a soft cotton fabric, it was as gray as a rainy day except for the tiny embroidered flowers that circled the hemline and wrists.

Perfect. She'd never be recognized.

Thirty minutes later she felt the warmth of the late-afternoon sun streaming across her shoulders as she hurried along Meeting Street toward the Battery. All around her, azaleas in full array shouted hosannas to the season with riotous red and pink blossoms. Creamy white magnolias nodded their cool heads in the slight breeze, bathing her senses with their sweet fragrance. The houses grew older, larger, and more ornate, with side porches facing courtyard gardens rather than front porches pointed toward the street, exactly as she'd remembered.

Anita brushed away an unexpected spate of tears. Charleston. Home! It'd been years since she'd walked Meeting Street as an innocent girl, glorying in her own youthful beauty. Fool. That was before her steep descent into a shadowy world of nightclubs and strip joints, of drugs by the gram and men by the hour. When a stubborn john refused to pay, her weak protest earned her a battery of bruises and the first of many trips to jail for disturbing the peace.

What about her peace? Hadn't that been disturbed too?

There wasn't a soul alive who had cared one way or the other.

If that miserable customer of hers hadn't come back, if he hadn't tried to beat her senseless again, she never would've hit him with a weighted doorstop. She'd stopped him, all right. Cold.

Stopped her own life, too. No one noticed if a wh.o.r.e went to prison for murder. It wasn't self-defense, the judge reasoned. She'd asked for trouble and gotten nothing more than what she deserved.

It was hard to argue with the law. No, impossible.

Determined to put such memories behind her, Anita lengthened her stride. White Point Gardens, a landscaped oasis of palmettos along the Cooper River, waited less than a block ahead. The streets were overrun with people of every age and hue, happy to help themselves to free food and entertainment. That was good news for her-the more people, the less likely anyone would take notice of a quiet woman in a gray dress.

She scanned the staging area where a knot of official-looking men stood talking among themselves. Governor Sheppard wasn't with them, nor could she spot his silvery head of hair in the crowded reception line. Wait! There he was, sitting with the mayor in a semisecluded corner of the gardens, balancing a plateful of food in his right hand.