Michal Is Filled With Contempt

Michal Is Filled with Contempt

Q: Michal, one of David’s wives, was filled with contempt for David when she saw him

• a. leaping and dancing.
• b. kissing another woman.
• c. murdering a man.

Michal was David’s first wife. He had won the right to marry her by killing 100 Philistines (see 1 Samuel 18:26-27). That may sound unusual, but it wasn’t all that uncommon back then. Michal was in a difficult situation. She was married to the person her father, King Saul, wanted to kill. Early on Michal helped David escape from her father. While David was away, Saul gave Michal to another man, but David eventually got her back.

Michal’s life wasn’t easy, and unlike David, she didn’t have a strong faith in God to see her through. She became bitter and resented David’s worship of God.

One day, after David had become king, he and several men were returning the Ark of the Covenant to its place in a special tent. As they entered the city, David and the men shouted for joy, and some blew rams’ horns. David danced before the Lord.

Michal heard the joyous noise and looked out her window. When she saw David leaping and dancing, she was filled with contempt. She told him he’d looked foolish and undignified.

Michal allowed bitterness to reign in her heart because of circumstances in her life. This resulted in contempt for David’s open worship and celebration of God. Rather than dealing with her feelings, Michal allowed them to ruin her relationship with David.

For You

Is there something you’re bitter about? You can’t control everything that happens to you, but you can control your response to it. Trust that God is still in control even when bad things happen, and ask him to help you deal with the negative feelings.

Answer: a

As the Ark of the LORD entered the City of David, Michal, the daughter of Saul, looked down from her window. When she saw King David leaping and dancing before the LORD, she was filled with contempt for him.   2 Samuel 6:16

(The Whole Story: 2 Samuel 6:16-23)