Now that we see what brought Michal to this point, we can understand her better, and maybe not be so harsh on her. Michal was hurting. She was alone - her family was dead, she was separated from the husband who loved her, and her current husband considered her merely one of many. And here was David, rejoicing and celebrating His God, while he had little to no affection left for her. This is the Michal who publicly chastised her husband. She was speaking out of pain.
I see similarities between Michal and Leah (Genesis 29). Leah, too, had been used by her father and found herself in a loveless marriage, having to share her husband. Leah also felt that ache, that betrayal, and that loneliness. But here's the big difference - in the midst of her pain, Leah turned to God, not against Him. Remember Leah's son Judah (Genesis 29:35)? Leah said, "This time I will praise the Lord." Her circumstance hadn't changed, but her heart had. Lacking Jacob's affection, Leah found refuge in God's love. Michal, on the other hand, let her broken heart lead to bitterness, both towards David and towards God. She could not worship with David, because she had pulled away from God. Instead of turning to Him and allowing Him to dry her tears, she turned her back on Him and ended up more alone than ever.
Maybe you're trapped in a loveless marriage. It might be for a season; it might be this way for the rest of your life. But never forget that God is faithful. God is loving. God is with you always. Let Him be your comforter. Let Him heal your heart. He can bring joy where there is pain. Isaiah 54:5 says "For your Maker is your husband— the Lord Almighty is His name— the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer; He is called the God of all the earth." He will never leave you nor forsake you.
Showing posts with label Pain. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pain. Show all posts
Friday, August 17, 2012
Thursday, August 16, 2012
II Samuel 6:16
As the ark of the Lord was entering the City of David, Michal daughter of Saul watched from a window. And when she saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord, she despised him in her heart.
I want to start out in defense of Michal. I believe most commentators don't consider her life story when they criticize her outburst. When I read Michal's story, I ache for her.
Part of David's reward for killing Goliath was to be marriage to King Saul's daughter (I Samuel 17:25). David, however, humbly declined Saul's offer, and the king's older daughter Merab was given to someone else (I Samuel 18:18-19). Reading on in the chapter, we see that Saul's other daughter, Michal, loved David, and Saul decided to use that in an attempt to have David killed. David rose to the challenge, exceeded Saul's offer, and married Michal.
In I Samuel 20, we read how Michal saved David's life. This is the last the two see of each other for quite some time. Saul gives Michal, still married to David, to another man, Paltiel (I Samuel 25:44), and David meanwhile amasses several other wives and concubines (II Samuel 3:2-5).
When Saul dies and David becomes king, David demands Michal back. Michal would cement David's claim to the throne, since she made him Saul's son-in-law (incidentally, David did not need to be Saul's heir, since God Himself chose him to be king - I Samuel 16). David sends soldiers to get Michal, and Paltiel follows, weeping (II Samuel 3:13-16).
This is the Michal we see in II Samuel 6. She had been used as a pawn between her father and David, the man she loved, for years. She is taken from her second husband, who apparently loved her, to be part of a harem. David, for all his strengths, never focused on strengthening his home. Even before the Bathsheba incident, David had failed miserably as a husband and as a father. And so Michal, hurt and bitter, used and neglected, lashes out at David.
(we'll continue with Michal tomorrow)
I want to start out in defense of Michal. I believe most commentators don't consider her life story when they criticize her outburst. When I read Michal's story, I ache for her.
Part of David's reward for killing Goliath was to be marriage to King Saul's daughter (I Samuel 17:25). David, however, humbly declined Saul's offer, and the king's older daughter Merab was given to someone else (I Samuel 18:18-19). Reading on in the chapter, we see that Saul's other daughter, Michal, loved David, and Saul decided to use that in an attempt to have David killed. David rose to the challenge, exceeded Saul's offer, and married Michal.
In I Samuel 20, we read how Michal saved David's life. This is the last the two see of each other for quite some time. Saul gives Michal, still married to David, to another man, Paltiel (I Samuel 25:44), and David meanwhile amasses several other wives and concubines (II Samuel 3:2-5).
When Saul dies and David becomes king, David demands Michal back. Michal would cement David's claim to the throne, since she made him Saul's son-in-law (incidentally, David did not need to be Saul's heir, since God Himself chose him to be king - I Samuel 16). David sends soldiers to get Michal, and Paltiel follows, weeping (II Samuel 3:13-16).
This is the Michal we see in II Samuel 6. She had been used as a pawn between her father and David, the man she loved, for years. She is taken from her second husband, who apparently loved her, to be part of a harem. David, for all his strengths, never focused on strengthening his home. Even before the Bathsheba incident, David had failed miserably as a husband and as a father. And so Michal, hurt and bitter, used and neglected, lashes out at David.
(we'll continue with Michal tomorrow)
Monday, June 25, 2012
Genesis 29:31
When the Lord saw that Leah was not loved...
Leah, someday when I see you in Heaven, I will give you a great big hug and tell you, dear sister, how much your story taught me when my marriage went through its dark days. God has used your pain to reach others, and that is something to rejoice over.
God brought me to Leah's story during the dark days of my husband's porn addiction. I found in Leah somebody who had experienced similar pain. She knew what it was like to have a husband who wanted someone else - somebody more beautiful, more desirable.
Leah's story is there for the wives who are in second place. Maybe it isn't an addiction or another woman who stands between you and your husband. Maybe it's his job, his softball team, fishing weekends, nights out with the guys, his mother...whatever it is, you find yourself, like Leah, hoping your husband will love you (v. 32) and become attached to you (v. 34).
For those of you who feel you come in second, Leah and I have a message for you. The Lord sees. You may feel rejected and abandoned, but believe me, God knows your pain. He sees your tears. He sees your hopes get dashed again and again. Know this: you are never alone.
Leah, someday when I see you in Heaven, I will give you a great big hug and tell you, dear sister, how much your story taught me when my marriage went through its dark days. God has used your pain to reach others, and that is something to rejoice over.
God brought me to Leah's story during the dark days of my husband's porn addiction. I found in Leah somebody who had experienced similar pain. She knew what it was like to have a husband who wanted someone else - somebody more beautiful, more desirable.
Leah's story is there for the wives who are in second place. Maybe it isn't an addiction or another woman who stands between you and your husband. Maybe it's his job, his softball team, fishing weekends, nights out with the guys, his mother...whatever it is, you find yourself, like Leah, hoping your husband will love you (v. 32) and become attached to you (v. 34).
For those of you who feel you come in second, Leah and I have a message for you. The Lord sees. You may feel rejected and abandoned, but believe me, God knows your pain. He sees your tears. He sees your hopes get dashed again and again. Know this: you are never alone.
Friday, June 1, 2012
Genesis 21:17
God heard the boy crying, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, "...Do not be afraid; God has heard..."
Sometimes it just hurts too much. Recently I sat with a friend whose marriage is falling apart. "All I want to do is curl up in that corner and cry and never come out," she said. I know that pain. I remember lying on my closet floor sobbing because of the pain of my husband's porn addiction. Whether it's an addiction, abuse, neglect, an affair, divorce...it hurts. The wounds are deep and you feel alone and forgotten.
But never forget this - God has heard. He sees your tears. He hears the cries of your heart, even the ones too deep to come to the surface. He knows your pain. Earlier, in Genesis 16, Hagar called God El Roi - the God Who Sees.
You are not alone. You are not forgotten. El Roi is with you every step of the way.
Sometimes it just hurts too much. Recently I sat with a friend whose marriage is falling apart. "All I want to do is curl up in that corner and cry and never come out," she said. I know that pain. I remember lying on my closet floor sobbing because of the pain of my husband's porn addiction. Whether it's an addiction, abuse, neglect, an affair, divorce...it hurts. The wounds are deep and you feel alone and forgotten.
But never forget this - God has heard. He sees your tears. He hears the cries of your heart, even the ones too deep to come to the surface. He knows your pain. Earlier, in Genesis 16, Hagar called God El Roi - the God Who Sees.
You are not alone. You are not forgotten. El Roi is with you every step of the way.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)