Dishonor Can Rob You of Your Blessings

Daily Devotional

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2 Samuel 6:20 & 23 Then David returned to bless his household. And Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David, and said, How glorious was the king of Israel today, who uncovered himself today in the eyes of the handmaids of his servants, as one of the vain fellows shamelessly uncovereth himself!…23 Therefore Michal the daughter of Saul had no child unto the day of her death.

Never dishonor a king or someone in authority in your environment. Doing so could rob you of your blessing. Michal, who was Saul’s daughter and David’s wife, dishonored David and as a result of that lost out on her blessing. In 2 Samuel 6 she was greatly displeased with the way in which David danced in the presence of the people of Israel when the Ark of the Covenant was returned to Jerusalem. She thought his actions were unbecoming for a King, because in her eyes his frantic dancing resulted in him exposing himself to his servants. What she failed to realize was that David’s dancing was not to gain the respect of men, it was to please God. She was more focused on him looking good in the eyes of the people than on the substance of what was done. After the celebration, the scripture said David blessed the people and then returned home to bless his household. However, Michal missed out on her blessing because she greeted him with dishonor:2 Samuel 6:23 said that she had no child unto the day of her death. What the scripture wanted us to know is that the blessing that Michal would have received is that of childbirth, but because of her dishonor of the king, the same was withheld from her for the rest of her life.

Dishonour can be more costly than we think. Imagine having to live the rest of your life, like Michal, without your blessing because of an act of dishonor. The incident with Michal was not the only example in the Bible that shows us how costly dishonor can be. In Numbers 16, Korah, Dathan, and Abiram dishonored Moses and Aaron and the earth opened and swallowed them and their possessions. Prior to that Miriam and Aaron made the mistake of speaking against Moses in Numbers 12 because he had an Ethiopian woman as a wife. Miriam, being the chief instigator, was cursed with leprosy for seven days. Regardless of how you may feel about someone in authority in your environment, resist the urge to show any form of disrespect. To the contrary, always show them honor.  

Life Application: Show honor to Kings in your environment by refusing to speak ill of them in private or public and rather than being a critic do what you can to help them solve problems in their environment.

Prayer: Lord, help me to honor those in authority and those around me. May I always understand the importance of doing so and continue to do so even when I do not think the person is deserving. In Jesus’ name, amen.