A Time to Dance

by Bryan Hupperts of Sheeptrax Ministries, Inc., January 11, 2000

For my wife Cyndi, who is lovely in the dance.

While there will always be controversies over what is, and is not, acceptable behavior for God's people, one thing that has been stolen from the church is worshiping God in the dance.

Ecclesiastes 3:4 "A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance." The Bible declares that there is a time to dance. Many times in the history of God's people, there has been dancing along with praise and singing.

People extol the heart of King David because God declared that David was a man after his own heart. It was this same David who, in 2 Samuel 6:14, "danced before the LORD with all his might." He wasn't tapping his toes to the music quietly under a pew lest his carnality be seen, no, he danced with might! David's godly heart was connected to his godly feet and his whole body and being celebrated the goodness of his God!

I don't know if I can properly exegete the word "boogied" from this passage, but it is clear David was really moving!

My wife Cyndi is a ballet dancer and dancing is the best part of who she is. She will quietly slip into the back of the church and begin to worship the Lord in the dance. She is quiet, graceful, and expressive in a way that transcends her otherwise understated personality. I've seen this quality in artists, musicians and (smile) writers. Using their creativity and giftings they can express lucidly what God has laid on their heart. It is the same for dancers as well.

When will we give dancers the same legitimacy in worship as we offer other artists? Yes, dancing can be a prelude to all sorts of ungodly sensuality. So can music, writing, photography, art, and all of the other creative disciplines. Should we ban then their expression in our worship unto God because some persons in the world have perverted them? May it never be!

How many of us adopt the heart attitude of David's wife? 2 Samuel 6:16 "Michal, Saul's daughter, looked through a window, and saw King David leaping and dancing before the LORD; and she despised him in her heart."

This dance was unto the Lord himself and as such he received it as pure worship. This woman remained barren all her life because of her sin of despising her husband worshiping God in the dance. Let the legalist beware.

There will always be those who pervert artist gifts to serve their own ends. The daughter of Herodias danced a lewd dance before the king and demanded the head of John the Baptist as payment. (Mark 6). I've known preachers and others in places of spiritual authority who perverted their gifts to further their own agendas and enhance their own reputations as well. The discipline, be it preaching or dancing, is not the issue - it is the heart attitude that God looks upon.

After their victory of the Egyptians, Moses broke into joyful prophetic song detailing God's mighty deliverance and taught the people of God his song. Then his sister the prophetess joined as well. Exodus 15:20 "And Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a tambourine in her hand; and all the women went out after her with tambourines and with dances." Some sang, some danced, and God received the glory.

God's Word is clear. He commands, in Psalms 149:3 "Let them praise His name in the dance: let them sing praises unto Him with the tambourine and harp." Make room for those who worship God in the dance. Let the singers sing, let the musicians play, and let the dancers dance before the Lord! ~Bryan Hupperts

Sheeptrax Ministries, Inc., PO Box 270256, St. Louis, MO 63126

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