HerStory: Women in the Bible (Part 3) - Michal - Day 3
Michal (mee-Hall)
Day 3
Love Turned Upside Down
How the tables can turn. Time had passed and David was long gone. He had taken on wives including Abigail and Ahinoam while on the run from Saul. Meanwhile, it’s been said that Michal received the news about her husband, and she became bitter. There’s nothing like a scorned and broken heart. She did show her husband her allegiance was with him. She went against her father and even risked her life to save him.
Saul still being the man he was, had started his plots again. He allowed the enemy (En-E-Me … Himself) to get the best of him. David was now married to his daughter making him a partial heir. His son Jonathan was very close friends with David. He had to figure out a way that David couldn’t come back to claim his throne. After all, God named David the next King. She’s powerless and her father gave her away in marriage to another man named Paltiel. The Bible doesn’t say if she loved Paltiel, but it did show us he loved her. Finally, someone who truly loved her.
Saul and Jonathan died on the same day. David remembers his heir to the throne. He decides he’s going to get his wife. David shows up on the scene demanding his wife. He demands her back as a condition of his becoming King. Abner the commander of Saul’s army made David king over both Judah and Israel. His condition was met, and Michal was given back to him without her having a say.
Later in the story, David recaptured the Ark of the Covenant and returned it to Jerusalem. Stripping off his royal robe he danced and celebrated before the Lord. Scripture says he was wearing an ephod (a type of apron). Michal looked down from the window and was disgusted by David’s behavior. “When David returned home to bless his own family, Michal, the daughter of Saul, came out to meet him. She said in disgust, “How distinguished the king of Israel looked today, shamelessly exposing himself to the servant girls like any vulgar person might do!” 2 Samuel 6:20 (NLT) Captivated by her bitterness, Michal didn’t realize David may not have been a good husband, but his worship was truly genuine. He was in a moment of not caring about his position on the throne, he just had his heart and soul engulfed around the love he had for God. David told Michal that he would humiliate himself again for God. The story ends with Michal going through her life childless. Through all the drama in their marriage, God showed He was with them despite their mistakes (be they intentional or unintentional).
· God protected and covered David
· Could God have used Michal to protect the man He named King? Isn’t it said that sometimes there’s “Purpose in our Pain?”
· God covered her from being scorned by her father
· God showed us the things that can come from disobedience
· God showed us what He will do when you truly are after His heart
· Did God punish Michal by not allowing her to have kids for actions towards David celebrating Him?
Some things we could think about Michal (mee-HALL)
· Michal came from a father who had become disrespectful to God. Based on customs during that time, she lived during a difficult confusing period. Could she have been a victim of familiarity and not knowing better?
· What do you think she felt when she found out he had taken on other wives?
· How do you think her life could have been if she had a real relationship with God, faith, and trust in Him?
· How do we deal with people hurting, mishandling, and being inconsiderate of our feelings? How does the Word say we should handle situations like this?
Should you ever be in a place where life spins out of control, just remember “The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged” Deuteronomy 31:8. God won’t leave you “be confident of this very thing, that He has begun a good work and you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ” Philippians 1:6.
Scriptures
Day 3:
1 Samuel 25:39-44
David Marries Abigail
39When David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, “Praise the Lord, who has avenged the insult I received from Nabal and has kept me from doing it myself. Nabal has received the punishment for his sin.” Then David sent messengers to Abigail to ask her to become his wife.
40When the messengers arrived at Carmel, they told Abigail, “David has sent us to take you back to marry him.”
41She bowed low to the ground and responded, “I, your servant, would be happy to marry David. I would even be willing to become a slave, washing the feet of his servants!” 42Quickly getting ready, she took along five of her servant girls as attendants, mounted her donkey, and went with David’s messengers. And so she became his wife. 43David also married Ahinoam from Jezreel, making both of them his wives. 44Saul, meanwhile, had given his daughter Michal, David’s wife, to a man from Gallim named Palti son of Laish.
2 Samuel 3:6-21
Abner Joins Forces with David
6As the war between the house of Saul and the house of David went on, Abner became a powerful leader among those loyal to Saul. 7One day Ishbosheth, Saul’s son, accused Abner of sleeping with one of his father’s concubines, a woman named Rizpah, daughter of Aiah.
8Abner was furious. “Am I some Judean dog to be kicked around like this?” he shouted. “After all I have done for your father, Saul, and his family and friends by not handing you over to David, is this my reward—that you find fault with me about this woman? 9May God strike me and even kill me if I don’t do everything I can to help David get what the Lord has promised him! 10I’m going to take Saul’s kingdom and give it to David. I will establish the throne of David over Israel as well as Judah, all the way from Dan in the north to Beersheba in the south.” 11Ishbosheth didn’t dare say another word because he was afraid of what Abner might do.
12Then Abner sent messengers to David, saying, “Doesn’t the entire land belong to you? Make a solemn pact with me, and I will help turn over all of Israel to you.”
13“All right,” David replied, “but I will not negotiate with you unless you bring back my wife Michal, Saul’s daughter, when you come.”
14David then sent this message to Ishbosheth, Saul’s son: “Give me back my wife Michal, for I bought her with the livesof 100 Philistines.”
15So Ishbosheth took Michal away from her husband, Palti son of Laish. 16Palti followed along behind her as far as Bahurim, weeping as he went. Then Abner told him, “Go back home!” So Palti returned.
17Meanwhile, Abner had consulted with the elders of Israel. “For some time now,” he told them, “you have wanted to make David your king. 18Now is the time! For the Lord has said, ‘I have chosen David to save my people Israel from the hands of the Philistines and from all their other enemies.’” 19Abner also spoke with the men of Benjamin. Then he went to Hebron to tell David that all the people of Israel and Benjamin had agreed to support him.
20When Abner and twenty of his men came to Hebron, David entertained them with a great feast. 21Then Abner said to David, “Let me go and call an assembly of all Israel to support my lord the king. They will make a covenant with you to make you their king, and you will rule over everything your heart desires.” So David sent Abner safely on his way.
2 Samuel 6:16-23
Michal’s Contempt for David
16But 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.
17They 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. 18When he had finished his sacrifices, David blessed the people in the name of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. 19Then 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.
20When David returned home to bless his own family, Michal, the daughter of Saul, came out to meet him. She said in disgust, “How distinguished the king of Israel looked today, shamelessly exposing himself to the servant girls like any vulgar person might do!”
21David 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. 22Yes, and I am willing to look even more foolish than this, even to be humiliated in my own eyes! But those servant girls you mentioned will indeed think I am distinguished!” 23So Michal, the daughter of Saul, remained childless throughout her entire life.
Acts 13:22
22But God removed Saul and replaced him with David, a man about whom God said, ‘I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart. He will do everything I want him to do.’
Written By: TeeCee (TikTok: @for.unitee ; IG: @morninglovewithteecee)
Edited By: L. Laney (TikTok & IG: thepurposefilled_teacher)
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