阅读经文 

我在非裔美国人的教会中长大，在崇拜中，我常常看见人们在座位通道上跑来跑去、大声欢呼和高声感恩。在我的教会里，崇拜会持续两个小时，当中有跳舞、唱歌和欢呼。我怀念那些充满活力、人们在主面前欢然起舞的敬拜。

大卫听到一个消息，就是神因祂的约柜在俄别以东的家而赐福给他一家。大卫之前一直都感到焦虑和惧怕，现在却变得欢欣快乐了。他便把约柜带回耶路撒冷，从俄别以东的家到大卫之城的行列，真是叹为观止。走了六步后，他们便停下来敬拜和献祭，并且奏乐和跳舞、高声赞美神。

大卫穿着祭司的衣服细麻布以弗得，在耶和华面前跳舞。很明显，这意味着他已经脱下了他的王袍，才不会妨碍他在耶和华面前跳舞。这样，大卫表明他的敬拜只是以神为中心和单单是为神而作的，利未人、他的军事领袖、甚至他的家人，都不能阻止他向这位始终都与他同在的耶和华表明他深厚的爱戴和忠诚。大卫和神所有的子民都在途中庆贺和敬拜神。

I grew up in the African American church. I saw people run up and down the aisles in worship services with shouts of joy and peals of thanksgiving. In my church, the service went for two hours straight with dancing, singing, and shouting. I miss those energetic moments of worship where people danced before the Lord.

David heard the news of how God had blessed Obed-Edom’s household because the ark of the Lord’s presence was there. David had been troubled with anxiety and fear, but now that turned to jubilation. So he brought the ark to Jerusalem. The parade from Obed-Edom’s house to the City of David was a sight to see. Stopping after six steps, they offered worship with sacrifices and shouts of praise and music and dancing.

David danced before the Lord wearing an ephod, a priestly garment. Apparently this also meant he had taken off his royal robes so that they would not hold him back in his dancing before the Lord. In this way David showed that he could worship with a focus on God as his only audience. Not the Levites, or his military commanders, or even his family members were going to stop him from showing his deep love and devotion to the Lord, who had been with him since day one. David and all of God’s people had a worship celebration on the road.