CHOREOGRAPHED DANCING IN CHURCH

"And David danced before the Lord with all his might; and David was girded with a linen ephod. So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the Lord with shouting, and with the sound of the trumpet. 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." II Samuel 6:14-15, 2

The story of King David dancing before the Lord with all his might is probably one of the most popular stories to connect dance to the Bible. It is also one of the most misused and misunderstood passages as well.

Many churches today are introducing new ways and teachings on worship. It includes liturgical dancing, expressive dancing, and flag-waving during worship time. Is this scriptural? Is this a form of new-age creeping into the church? As a pop-culture phenomenon, liturgical and expressive dancing seem entrenched in many of our churches today. Hundreds of liturgical and expressive dance groups have flourished in the last ten years.

Over the years I have seen brethren dancing in the churches under the power of the Holy Spirit and I myself have danced on occasions under the power of the Spirit. One thing for sure is that the choreographed (arranged and practiced) dancing in churches today is a far cry from what was experienced and what took place in response to the moving of God's spirit throughout the history of the church. One of the problems with liturgical and expressive dancing in churches today is that they have confused dancing as an individual's expression of worship to God with dancing that was a part of Israel's national folk culture.

Under the guise of spiritual worship, Jewish cultural folk dances are being brought into the church and called worship. They are not. They are just Jewish folk dances (or an attempt to recreate them). The same goes for other choreographed dances, Jewish or not. Some seem to think that just because it is Jewish, it is spiritual. Certainly, that is not true. Now David's dancing is another matter. The whole incident is permeated with worship. What made it different? Let's look at II Samuel 6:14-5, 21 and its context.

It Was Spontaneous, Not Planned 

The very spontaneity showed that it was an expression of the heart. Sure we practice songs, etc. But dancing is a dangerous thing involving the body as extensively as it does. It must be sanctified by the spontaneity of the heart.

It Was Responsive, Not Catalytic

David was responding to the presence of God. He was responding to the spiritual emotion of the moment. The precedent of people slain in the Spirit in the Bible is an example of people's reactionary response to the felt presence of God. The same is true with this dancing. David was responding to the presence of God at the moment. It was appropriate. Today, dancing is used in churches to attempt to move people to emotion, ostensibly, to worship. It is a catalyst. The cart is before the horse.

It Was For The Audience Of The Lord, Not People 

Certainly, people saw David dance on that day. His wife Micah saw it and mocked it. But the point is, that David wasn't doing it for the people. He was doing it "before the Lord." As far as David was concerned, the Lord was the only audience. It is dangerous to judge people's motives, certainly; but the very nature and performance of dancing in the church today dictate that it is largely done for the audience of people. David's dance was not for human spectators. Choreography is a dance of presentation for people.

It Was Irregular, Not Choreographed

David wasn't attempting to follow some orderly steps of a choreographed dance. His dancing, although not unseeming or out of control, was an erratic, involved expression. It was probably rapid, and fierce. It was with "all his might." Have you ever heard of a clapping quartet where the song is carried by each clapping a part? David's dance was as different from choreographed dances as that kind of clapping is from the excited clapping of applause. David's dancing was a clapping of applause to the greatness and mercies of God. David's dance probably didn't follow any set pattern of recognized dances of his day. It may have, but it wasn't planned in advance that day. Even if it was a recognized pattern of dance, it was certainly to the music of the spirit and not the music of the ear.

It Was Humble, Not Man-Exalting

What angered David's mocking wife Michal, was that David took off his kingly garment and assumed the role of a servant in his dancing. It was servants and slaves that danced for the higher classes like kings. Yet, David, the king danced as a servant. He was assuming a humbling role. It wasn't something that would bring him the praise of being a good dancer.

It Was Spirit, Not Body-Centric

It is hard to say that today's church dances do not call attention to the form and grace and artistry of the human body. True worshipful worship solicits observation of "that person was really lost in worship" or "that person was really rejoicing in God," or "that person really felt the Spirit," not "that was a great dance," and "those were great dancers." Any dancing in worship that accentuates the body, that is done in lewd, sensual movements, etc., is certainly not Spirit-inspired or acceptable.

It Was Characterized By Noticeable Fervency, Not Noticeable Form 

Scripture does not say that David danced gracefully, artistically, etc., but "with all his might." What was noticeable about David's dance was its fervency, not its form. The church today has become too concerned with the aesthetics of its worship instead of the genuine and spirituality of its worship. There are a few practiced participators and many deceived spectators. True spontaneity and heart-feeling in worship have been replaced with not only choreographed dancing but from choreographed use of the gifts to a whole choreographed service.

David was a true worshipper in spirit and in truth. He didn't need a dance instructor to dance. He forgot the crowd, and, responding to the spiritual emotion of the moment, he began to express the tremendous spiritual fervency he felt in a humble, God-honoring dance with all his might unto the Lord. That was the kind of dance that was both Holy Spirit inspired and Holy Spirit anointed.