July 15, 2012

Michal, King Saul’s daughter, is a sad character in the Bible. She was caught in the midst of a male-dominated world. To make peace with David, King Saul gave her to David in marriage. When the rivalry between David and Saul escalated, Saul took Michal away from David and gave her to someone else. David stole her back. When people favored David over Saul, Saul died in disgrace. Michal blamed David for her father’s demise. One day, she looked out her window, and saw David, in a loincloth, dancing before the ark (2 Sam 6:14-19). She looked down upon him with scorn. Bitterness consumed her life. The New Testament lesson highlights the same scorn in the heart of Herodias (Mark 6:14-26). Her scorn led to the death of John the Baptist. Sunday, we will explore how “scorn,” “bitterness,” “resentment,” “negativity,” separates us from Eden’s “Tree of Life.”