The Glory Returns: Part 3

Aug 15, 2022    Pastor Jason Branson

The Glory Returns: Part 3 || Day 1

2 Samuel‬ 6:1-23 NLT
"Then David again gathered all the elite troops in Israel, 30,000 in all. He led them to Baalah of Judah to bring back the Ark of God, which bears the name of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, who is enthroned between the cherubim. They placed the Ark of God on a new cart and brought it from Abinadab’s house, which was on a hill. Uzzah and Ahio, Abinadab’s sons, were guiding the cart that carried the Ark of God. Ahio walked in front of the Ark. David and all the people of Israel were celebrating before the Lord, singing songs and playing all kinds of musical instruments—lyres, harps, tambourines, castanets, and cymbals. But when they arrived at the threshing floor of Nacon, the oxen stumbled, and Uzzah reached out his hand and steadied the Ark of God. Then the Lord’s anger was aroused against Uzzah, and God struck him dead because of this. So Uzzah died right there beside the Ark of God. David was angry because the Lord’s anger had burst out against Uzzah. He named that place Perez-uzzah (which means “to burst out against Uzzah”), as it is still called today. David was now afraid of the Lord, and he asked, “How can I ever bring the Ark of the Lord back into my care?” So David decided not to move the Ark of the Lord into the City of David. Instead, he took it to the house of Obed-edom of Gath. The Ark of the Lord remained there in Obed-edom’s house for three months, and the Lord blessed Obed-edom and his entire household. Then King David was told, “The Lord has blessed Obed-edom’s household and everything he has because of the Ark of God.” So David went there and brought the Ark of God from the house of Obed-edom to the City of David with a great celebration. After the men who were carrying the Ark of the Lord had gone six steps, David sacrificed a bull and a fattened calf. And David danced before the Lord with all his might, wearing a priestly garment. So David and all the people of Israel brought up the Ark of the Lord with shouts of joy and the blowing of rams’ horns. 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. 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. 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!” 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! But those servant girls you mentioned will indeed think I am distinguished!” So Michal, the daughter of Saul, remained childless throughout her entire life."

In order to see the glory return, the church must sever its ties with the house of Michal.

Before we can get into what the house of Michal’s assignment is, we need to understand two things.

One, Michal was actually from the house of Saul and therefore it was like the house of Saul’s last attempt to control what God was doing. Because she had married David, she was supposed to be disconnected from the house of Saul and connected to the house of David. But her refusal to completely commit to David as a wife puts her out there by herself.

Secondly, it’s important that even though we are talking and reading about the actions of a woman in the Bible we are looking at a spirit. Therefore, in order for us to recognize or discern this spirit we have to have an understanding of how this spirit operates, thinks, and moves in the body of Christ. You see, the house of Michal’s assignment is not to stop the glory from returning. Its assignment is to keep it from staying. In other words, its assignment is not to stop revival from showing up, its assignment is to stop it from continuing.

That’s why the spirit Michal was operating in didn’t meet David and the Levites at the entrance of the city. It didn’t show up at the threshing floor of Nachon. It didn’t show up when he offered the sacrifices to the Lord every six paces. It showed up after he had placed the ark in the tent he had prepared for it. Now while he was alone this spirit showed up to make him second-guess his worship to the Lord. This spirit showed up to usher him back into a lifeless, powerless structure of religion. In other words, this spirit showed up to say, "You have the ark, now chill out!" This spirit attempted him to make it all about the piece of furniture and not the God of the furniture.

The spirit of Michal is the spirit that says does it really take all that? This spirit says, “I’m a Christian I just don’t spend all my time at the church.” This spirit says, “It’s ok to have a life that is centered around you and what you want and not the kingdom and what it wants.” The spirit of Michal turns their spiritual switch on come Sunday morning and turns it off come Sunday evening.

Beloved, we must sever our ties with this spirit.