As women, I believe we have a tendency to be critical of
life. Because we analyze everything,
many times we get hung up on the things that we don’t like instead of looking
at the good things that surround us.
In marriage, it can be a temptation for us to continually
analyze our husbands. Even when they are
doing the best they can and/or trying to be a good husband and father, we can
easily pick out their flaws. And, many
times, we are all too quick to point them out to them!
Today, as I was reading in 2 Samuel 6, I saw how Michal did
this to her husband, David. David had
just done a wonderful thing by going to Judah
to bring back the Ark of the
Lord, which contained the Ten Commandments.
As he was returning home, he was leaping and dancing before the Lord. Instead
of focusing on this great thing her husband had done and instead of seeing her
husband’s actions as unto the Lord, she is embarrassed at the way he is seen in
public: “But 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).
After they reached home, David
then continued his celebration by presenting an offering to the Lord and by
giving a gift to all of the people: “They
brought the Ark of the Lord
and set it in its place inside the special tent David had prepared for it. And
David sacrificed burnt offerings and peace offerings to the Lord. When he had finished his
sacrifices, David blessed the people in the name of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. Then
he gave to every Israelite man and woman in the crowd a loaf of bread, a cake
of dates, and a cake of raisins. Then all the people returned to their homes”
(verses17-19).
David quickly corrected her, by letting her know that he was only dancing before the Lord and offering praise to Him alone: “David retorted to Michal, ‘I was dancing before the Lord, who chose me above your father and all his family! He appointed me as the leader of Israel, the people of the Lord, so I celebrate before the Lord. Yes, and I am willing to look even more foolish than this, even to be humiliated in my own eyes…’” (verses 21-22).
Perhaps Michal misunderstood what
David was doing and thought that he was putting on a show instead of praising
the Lord. But, whatever the case, she
does not give her husband the benefit of the doubt. Instead, she is filled with contempt for him
and then talks harshly to him as soon as he returns home.
By doing this, Michal missed out
on a lot:
- She missed out on the joyous occasion that she could have shared with her husband when he entered the city with the ark of the Lord.
- She ruined her husband’s outlook on life. I’ll bet that David’s mood quickly changed when he was greeted at home with a contemptuous wife.
- She remained childless. Because of the way that she treated David, she remained childless throughout her entire life.
By looking at the story of Michal,
I can relate. There have been many times
when I have allowed my critical spirit to keep me from seeing the good in my
husband. When I am focused on the few
flaws, I miss out on the wonderful qualities of the man I married. Furthermore, instead of focusing on the ways
I can make our marriage stronger, my critical spirit will just pull us
apart.
Today, I have learned from Michal
that I want to do my best to lay aside my critical spirit. Satan wants to do all that he can to make
marriages fall apart. One way he can
make our marriages weak is by causing us to focus on the negative. May we stand up against his schemes and be
grateful for the husbands that God has given us!
Ow.
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