II. Sam. vi. 12–14: “And it was told King David, saying, The Lord hath blessed the house of Obed-edom, and all that pertaineth unto him, because of the ark of God. So David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-edom into the city of David with gladness. And it was so, that when they that bear the ark of the Lord, had gone six paces, he sacrificed oxen and fatlings. And David danced before the Lord with all his might; and David was girded with a linen epod.” This dancing was in daylight. David alone danced. It was a religious exercise, in devotion to the Lord.
I. Chron. xv. 29: “And it came to pass, as the ark of the covenant of the Lord came to the city of David, that Michal, the daughter of Saul, looking out at a window, saw King David dancing and playing, and she despised him in her heart.” This dancing was in daylight. David alone danced. He danced as a religious exercise. It was not dancing for amusement.
Psalms cl. 4: “Praise him with a timbrel and dance; praise him with stringed instruments and organs.” Also, Psalms cxlix. 3: “Let them praise his name in the dance.” This also is a religious exercise.
Eccl. iii. 4: “A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance.” We do not remember the point made on this. We have seen from the Scriptures already cited, that in the former ages, when they danced as a religious exercise, it was always in daylight, and in no case promiscuous dancing of men and women together, and the time for it was when the Lord had wrought some great deliverance or brought some signal, given some great victory.
Job xxi. 11–18: “They send forth their little ones like a flock, and the children dance. They take the timbrel and harp, and rejoice at the sound of the organ. They spend their days in wealth, and in a moment go down to the grave. Therefore they say unto God, Depart from us; for we desire not the knowledge of thy ways. What is the Almighty, that we should serve him? and what profit should we have if we pray unto him?, Lo, their good is not in their hand; the counsel of the wicked is far from me. How oft is the candle of the wicked put out! and how oft cometh their destruction upon them! God distributeth sorrows in his anger. They are as stubble before the wind, as chaff that the storm carrieth away.” Here we have a terrible description of the dancers for pleasure, amusement; of their godless character and utter ruin.
Mark vi. 22: “And when the daughter of the said Herodias came in, and danced, and pleased Herod and them that sat with him, the king said to the damsel, Ask of me whatever you will, and I will give it to you. And he swore to her, Whatever you shall ask of me, I will give to you, to the half of my kingdom. And she went forth and said to her mother, What shall I ask? And she said, The head of John the Baptist. And she came in straightway with haste to the king, and asked, saying, I will that you give me by and by in a charger the head of John the Baptist.” Here we have a fine sample of the taste, the spirit and refinement of the dancer and her mother. What had John the Baptist done that his head should come off to gratify the mother of a dancing damsel? John had said, “It is not lawful for you” (Herod) “to have your brother’s wife.” This insulted Mrs. Herod, and she sought and obtained revenge through her dancing daughter and a rash vow of the king. What a reward this for dancing and pleasing the king—the head of the best man in his kingdom, a prophet from God! This was dancing for pleasure, for amusement. This dancing for amusement, pleasure, is revelling, and excludes from the kingdom.
Gal. v. 21: “Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these: Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like; of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in times past, that they who do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.” Bro. Reynolds gave a definition of the word “revelling,” and the original Greek word komos, which it represents, which we have not at hand and do not recollect; only that dancing for pleasure, amusement, with eating and drinking, is revelling, and they who do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. He also made a happy hit on the clause, “such like”—that is, “revellings and such like”; that it included the plays of folly, the innocent games for amusement, etc.
We are sorry that we have forgotten so much of the comment and so many of the good points in the discourse. It was in grand contrast with much that we have. He is not trying to determine how much folly and sin we can practice and still be saved, but how fully men and women can be saved from all folly and sin. The Lord strengthen his hands and the hands of every other man walking nobly in resistance against the demoralizing influences now upon us.