Prosperous Reign of David
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vast procession set forth. By David’s direction sacrifices were offered.
Rejoicing now took the place of trembling and terror. The king had
laid aside his royal robes and attired himself in a plain linen ephod
as worn by the priests. (The ephod was sometimes worn by others
besides the priests.) In this holy service he would take his place before
God on an equality with his subjects. Jehovah was to be the sole object
of reverence.
Again the music of harp and cornet, trumpet and cymbal, floated
heavenward, with the melody of many voices. “And David danced
before the Lord,” keeping time to the measure of the song.
David’s dancing in reverent joy before God has been cited in
justification of the modern dance, but in our day dancing is associated
with folly and reveling. Morals are sacrificed to pleasure. God is not
an object of thought; prayer would be out of place. Amusements that
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weaken love for sacred things are not to be sought by Christians. The
music and dancing in joyful praise of God at the removal of the ark
had not the faintest resemblance to the dissipation of modern dancing.
The one exalted God’s holy name. The other is a device of Satan to
cause men to forget and dishonor God.
The triumphal procession approached the capital. Then a burst of
song demanded of the watchers upon the walls that the gates of the
Holy City be thrown open:
Lift up your heads, O ye gates;
And be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors;
And the King of glory shall come in.
A band of singers and players answered:
Who is this King of glory?
From another company came the response:
The Lord strong and mighty,
The Lord mighty in battle.
Then hundreds of voices, uniting, swelled the triumphal chorus: