celebrate God – Be Still…

1 Chronicles 15:1-29 – Celebrate God!

Read 1 Chronicles 15:1-29

David made sure he handled the movement of the Ark differently this time. He had learned from his mistakes and was sure to receive God’s counsel about the proper way to move the Ark the second time.

It was quite the event. I recently had this story come up for my orphanage Sunday School class, but we read the account in 2 Samuel 6. While similar, the differences are striking. There are three that stood out to me: (1) both accounts of moving the Ark are recorded together by Samuel; (2) the Chronicles account focuses much more on the worship and celebration; and (3) the Samuel text goes into more detail about Michal’s contempt and consequence.

Nehemiah 12:27-43 – Joy of Jerusalem

Read Nehemiah 12:27-43

Who doesn’t like a good party? The opening scenes to this reading are filled with the anticipation of what is to come. The day has arrived when the completed wall will be recognized and celebrated. When parties have a purpose, they are even more enjoyable. When that purpose is to celebrate God’s faithfulness and love, imagine the great expectation!

The celebration appears to circle the city wall with songs of thanksgiving being sung and instruments being played. That sounds a lot like worship to me. How fitting the people would use the worship element to further honor God in this moment. What God had done among them already, and promised to do forever, was so generous. If only they could stay true to God alone. People continue to struggle with keeping God first in their lives today.

Zechariah 7:1-7 – Celebrate God

Read Zechariah 7:1-7

Zechariah must have wondered if he was ever going to receive another message from God to give the people. Two years is a long time. Take a moment to just think back—what were you doing two years ago? Most of us probably don’t remember exactly.

Then, lo and behold, another message comes. As if God was on speed dial, the people who came for a word from God had their response. We can oftentimes find ourselves waiting on God’s response. We seek his favor, too, do we not?

Haggai 2:10-19 – Receive God’s Blessing

Read Haggai 2:10-19

The Book of Haggai gets specific with its dates more than most Bible prophets. If I were to receive a word from God to share with people like Haggai, I’d want to memorialize the encounter by keeping track of what date that miracle took place. Knowing the date confirms “when” God spoke and makes it easier to remember and celebrate! Like having a birthday – we intentionally celebrate that on a specific date.

God wants us to celebrate him so that he can celebrate us. This prophecy would suggest that God is looking at our actions as well as our inner souls. When is the last time you celebrated God? Maybe you can look back and see his fingerprints over a particular situation. I do that all the time and stand amazed.

2 Samuel 6:16-23 – Celebrate God!

Read 2 Samuel 6:16-23

There was a lot of celebrate! King David had successfully welcomed the ark into the City of David. God’s presence in the ark would now be close at hand. David’s spirit was clearly on fire! I can just picture David “leaping and dancing before the Lord.”

But David’s wife, Michal was less than enthused. In fact, the text says she was “filled with contempt.” What reason would Michal have to feel so strongly against David’s pure joy? From the sounds of it, David must have been dancing naked. Did I miss something in translation?