2 Samuel 6:21

_AND DAVID SAID UNTO MICHAL, IT WAS BEFORE THE LORD, WHICH CHOSE ME BEFORE THY FATHER, AND BEFORE ALL HIS HOUSE, TO APPOINT ME RULER OVER THE PEOPLE OF THE LORD, OVER ISRAEL: THEREFORE WILL I PLAY BEFORE THE LORD._ No JFB commentary on these verses....

20-23 David returned to bless his household, to pray with them, and for them, and to offer up family thanksgiving for this national mercy. It is angels' work to worship God, surely that cannot lower the greatest of men. But even the palaces of princes are not free from family troubles. Exercises of religion appear mean in the eyes of those who have little or no religion themselves. If we can approve ourselves to God in what we do in religion, and do it as before the Lord, we need not heed reproach. Piety will have its praise: let us not be indifferent in it, nor afraid or ashamed to own it. David was contented to justify himself, and he did not further reprove or blame Michal's insolence; but God punished her. Those that honour God, he will honour; but those that despise him, and his servants and service, shall be lightly esteemed....

Verse 2 Samuel 6:21. IT WAS _BEFORE THE LORD, WHICH CHOSE ME_] David felt the reproach, and was strongly irritated, and seems to have spoken to Michal with sufficient asperity....

PLAY - See 2 Samuel 6:5 note. The speech might be paraphrased, Before the Lord which chose me, etc., yea, before the Lord have I danced. He humbles Michal’s pride by the allusion to her father’s rejection, and shows by Saul’s example how little pride contributes to the stability of greatness. Therefore, for his part, he will not think anything done for the glory of God too mean for him; and if he cannot have honor from Saul’s daughter, he will be content to be honored by the maid-servants....

EXPOSITION 2 SAMUEL 6:1 AND DAVID GATHERED TOGETHER. The long subjection to the Philistines was at an end, and David's first care is to bring the ark of Jehovah from Kirjath-jearim to Jerusalem. In this he had a twofold object. For, first, it was an act of piety, testifying David's gratitude to God, who had so quickly raised him from the condition of a despairing fugitive hiding away in the cave of Adullam to that of a victorious king reigning over an independent and free people. But David had also a political purpose. The weakness of Israel in the past was the result of its divisions, he would heal this by giving it a capital, whither the tribes would come up for worship, and where they would feel that they formed one nation. David had seen the evils of a divided sovereignty, when he and Ishbosheth were wasting the strength of Israel in

AND DAVID SAID UNTO MICHAL, [IT WAS] BEFORE THE LORD,.... Before the ark of the Lord, what was done was done there; she upbraided him with his dancing and singing, which was designed for the honour and glory of God, and in thankfulness to him for the bringing the ark to his city, and therefore she ought not to have reproached him with it, and he adds, WHICH CHOSE ME BEFORE THY FATHER, AND BEFORE ALL HIS HOUSE; see 1 Samuel 13:14; which he observed to humble her pride, and mortify her, as well as to remark the distinguishing goodness of God to him, which laid him under obligation to express his thankfulness to him in every shape: TO APPOINT ME RULER OVER THE PEOPLE OF THE LORD, OVER ISRAEL; which was a high honour conferred upon him, and required the utmost gratitude: THEREFORE WILL I PLAY BEFORE THE LORD; upon the ha

3. THE ARK BROUGHT TO ZION CHAPTER 6 _ 1. The ark fetched by David (2 Samuel 6:1)_ 2. Uzzah: his error and death (2 Samuel 6:6) 3. The ark in the house of Obed-edom (2 Samuel 6:10) 4. The ark brought into David's city (2 Samuel 6:12) 5. Michal's mockery of David (2 Samuel 6:20) It is of importance to read 1 Chronicles 13 for a better understanding of how the ark was brought from Kirjathjearim to David's c

2 SAMUEL 6. DAVID BRINGS THE ARK TO JERUSALEM. MICHAL'S SCORN. HER PUNISHMENT (J). (_Cf._ p. 286.) Nothing has been heard of the Ark since 1 Samuel 7:2, before the accession of Saul. The introduction of the Ark in I S 2 Samuel 14:18, is due to corruption of the text. This silence is sometimes accounted for by supposing that the Ark was under the control of the Philistines and inaccessible to the Israelites (_cf._ Cent.B, and EBi, Ark). David's action gave added importance to the new capital; and the building of Solomon's Temple probably provided Jerusalem with the chief sanctuary in Israel. 2 SAMUEL 6:1. David and the people go to Baal, or Baalah, Judah (not Baale), to fetch the Ark. This place is

IT WAS. Omit these words and supply _Ellipsis_ by adding, with Septuagint, "Before Jehovah [did. dance]"....

Michal's contemptuous pride rebuked by David 20. _And Michal_, &c. The account of David's meeting with Michal is omitted in 1 Chr. _How glorious_, &c. Better, HOW HONOURABLE DID THE KING OF ISRAEL MAKE HIMSELF TO-DAY. The E. V. weakens the point of David's answer in 2 Samuel 6:22 by translating the same Hebrew word differently in the two verses. _who uncovered himself_, &c. Stripped off his royal robe, and appeared in a plain ephod, as a worthless buffoon strips off his outer garment to play immodest antics. _vain_ = -empty," -worthless....