Have you ever been somewhere, maybe at the mall, in a restaurant, or standing on the street

Transcription

1 1 Dancing Shall We Dance? Have you ever been somewhere, maybe at the mall, in a restaurant, or standing on the street corner, when suddenly you hear music? Not just any music, but music with a killer beat. You may not have ever heard the song in your life. You may not even know the words, but before you know it, without even realizing it, your feet are suddenly tapping along or you re swaying to the music. You re gasp! dancing! Now, we all know that Seventh-day Adventist Christians do not dance. They do not sway to the beat. And they most certainly do not gyrate in any way, shape, or form. But do you know why? If you think it s because all dancing is wrong you ll have to guess again. Dancing, that is, moving rhythmically to music, is not inherently wrong. Get this! People in the Bible danced. They danced. And it wasn t always wrong. What made it wrong sometimes and not others? To answer that question let s start with David, because David was definitely a dancer. Tense with excitement, the crowd strained to see the procession that would soon pass before them. They could hear the pipe and tambourines. Songs and praises to Yahweh echoed across the countryside. The Ark of the Covenant was coming home to Jerusalem! It had been many years since it stood in its rightful place of honor. That would all change today. As the procession grew closer, a figure became clear to the celebrating onlookers. David, king of all Israel, was not in his royal robes. Instead, he danced before the ark in a white linen ephod. David was making a point. In those days, when an army captured enemy troops, it was the custom to force one or more of the captives to dance joyously before the victorious king. This

2 2 symbolized the captive s submission and humility in the presence of the king. As David danced before the ark, he wanted all of Israel to recognize that he was God s captive. He was showing his humility and submission to the King of the Universe. Do you think they were shocked because he was dancing? Nope. Do you think the crowd got the message David was demonstrating? Sure did. And what a great message it was! The Bible has only 27 verses, which directly mention dance. From these we can derive what elements and attitudes dance must include to be acceptable to God and in turn, appropriate for us. In Psalm 150:3-5 (NIV) we read, Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet, praise him with the harp and lyre, praise him with tambourine and dancing, praise him with the strings and flute, praise him with the clash of cymbals, praise him with resounding cymbals. This verse obviously talks about using dance as a means to worship God. It s important to understand the Hebrew meaning of dance in this text. What they re talking about here is a round dance or a circle dance. This would not be an individual or couple dance, like many of the secular dances today. There is nothing suggestive about it. It consists of moves like stamping, skipping, twirling, and hopping. Other verses speak of dance as a means to express joy among a community of people. Usually, this was because they had obtained victory in battle over the enemy. (Examples include Ex. 15:20; Judges 11:34; 1 Sam. 21:11; Jer. 31:4, and Luke 15:25.) These themes show us that dance before God, as a form of worship, submission, and reverence, are appropriate for the Christian. If you re thinking, Ah, see, dancing is okay after all, bear in mind that there are other things to consider besides its acceptability as a form of worship. If you go leaping and dancing

3 3 down the center aisle of your church this Sabbath in imitation of David, don t expect as joyous a welcome as he received. There is a time and place for everything. The time and place to dance worshipfully before God is not where it will offend others, no matter how biblical it is. As with any other activity, Paul s advice to the Corinthians is important to remember. So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. Do not cause anyone to stumble (1 Cor. 10:31--32, NIV). Of course, Satan works hard to pervert any good thing God gives us. He s done the same thing with dance, twisting it until there is not only nothing good about secular dance, but it is so full of evil intentions that Christians strive to avoid it completely. And there are some forms of dancing that should be avoided. When the Israelites were gathered at the foot of Mt. Sinai, God gave the command that they were to have no other gods before Him. Today, we recognize this as a part of the Ten Commandments. Just a few chapters later, in Exodus 32, these same Israelites were dancing before the golden calf and worshipping it. If our dance is to worship God, then we must make sure it is not a form of worship of any other god. In some parts of the world, folk dances are used to worship gods of fertility, spirits of the dead, or for appeasement to Buddha and other gods. In Matthew 14, the story of Salome (daughter of Herodias) dancing before Herod, adds another dimension to the degradation of dancing. The story implies that Salome s performance was very sexual in nature. Becoming sexually aroused, Herod foolishly promised Salome anything she asked. Because Herod allowed his emotions to control him, John the Baptist lost his head literally.

4 4 Before the Israelites crossed into Jordan, many of the men allowed themselves to be seduced by the Moabite women (See Numbers 25). As a part of their involvement, the men took part in wanton acts, which included dancing. The dance promoted inappropriate sexual arousal. The Bible says, And the Lord s anger burned against them (Num. 25:3, NIV). God instructed Moses that those who participated in these events would have to die. After it was all over, twenty-four thousand of the Israelites were dead. Did God kill them because they danced? No, it was because the inappropriate type of behavior led to actions that were hideous and unacceptable to God. As we can see from these stories, there are some types of dance that are always unacceptable. 1. Those that worship, in any form, any god other than the God of the universe. 2. Dance that seeks to sexually arouse participants. 3. Dance that we cannot invite God to observe and participate in with us. Secular dancing, besides being very suggestive, usually takes place in an environment that is less than desirable. Dance floors are located in smoky, crowded rooms where alcohol and other drugs are being used. Even people not smoking are exposed to dangerous concentrations of second-hand smoke. Speakers are so loud that you can feel the vibrations inside your body. Often dancers experience tinnitus, a ringing in the ears caused by loud noises, for days after spending a night dancing. Also the lyrics of secular music chosen for dancing are objectionable for the Christian. Considering this, can you honestly say that your participation in secular dancing would demonstrate to others the character of a Christian? Or would you be compromising your witness?

5 5 Because that s what it boils down to. That s the bottom line. In every choice we make, in every decision, we are choosing either for or against God. Make sure you know exactly who you re choosing. It makes all the difference in the world this one and the next. References: 1. Strong, James, Strong s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, Nashville TN: Crusade Bible Publishers, Inc. p. (Main Concordance) 232 (Hebrew and Chaldee Dictionary) 64, (Hebrew and Chaldee Dictionary) Blanco, Jack, The Clear Word, Hagerstown, MD: Review and Herald Publishing Assoc., 1994, p Discussion Questions: 1. What would you do if you were invited to a party with some Christian friends and they began to play worldly music and dance? What would you say if they invited you to join them? 2. Why was it acceptable in the Bible for David to dance but not for us today? What s the difference? What makes a dance acceptable or not acceptable? Is dancing ever appropriate today? 3. How would you respond to a friend who asks you why Adventists don t dance?

6 6 4. What s wrong with secular dancing? Why doesn t God approve of it? Can you support your answer with Bible tests? If so, which ones? (The following information is to be centered and placed on the back page in single line, with a double space between the 3 rd and 4 th lines.) Youth Department General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists Published by the Review and HeraldPublishing Association For more information, contact: (PLEASE MAKE SURE THERE IS AT LEAST SEVEN SPACES HERE) (The following is to be placed at the bottom of the last page in a smaller font size, and centered.) Adventist Youth Lifestyle Series 8