“Then it happened as the ark of the LORD came into the city of David that Michal the daughter of Saul looked out of the window and saw King David leaping and dancing before the LORD; and she despised him in her heart…. So David said to Michal, ‘It was before the LORD, who chose me above your father and above all his house, to appoint me ruler over the people of the LORD, over Israel; therefore I will PLAY before the LORD.’ … Michal the daughter of Saul had no child to the day of her death” (2 Sam 6:16, 21, 23).
The reference to the “window” draws a strategic contrast between Michal’s earlier heroism, when she lowered David through the window to protect him from her father, Saul (1 Sam 19:12), and her now becoming just like her father, as she looks at David from the “window” and despises him in her heart (2 Sam 6:16).
Her actions in the former story (1 Samuel 19) remind us of Rahab who, because of her faith in God, protected the Israelite spies by lowering them through her window (Josh 2:15). And her actions in the latter story (2 Samuel 16) remind us of Abimelech the king of the Philistines also looked out the window and saw Isaac PLAYING with his wife (compare Gen 26:8 with 2 Sam 6:16, 21). And just like Michal, Abimelech’s heart was also hardened toward the LORD’s chosen seed (Gen 26:16).
The parallels between Michael’s treatment of David and Abimelech’s treatment of Isaac help us understand the severity of God’s response to Michal (i.e., the closing of her womb). David, after all, is the “new Isaac,” not only in this specific story, but also in God’s redemptive plan. In other words, God’s promise to Abraham through Isaac “to bless all the nations of the earth” (Gen 26:4) is inseparably bound to the house of David. Blessing David results in God’s blessings, despising David results in a curse.
And so it is till today. God’s blessings (most especially eternal life) for individuals and the nations are tied directly to the house of David, i.e., how we relate to his Messiah. When the Apostle John says things like, “He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God” (John 3:18); and “He who hates Me hates My Father also” (John 15:23), he is not teaching a new religion with new rules. Instead, he is stating a truth deeply rooted in the story about Michal in 2 Samuel 6 and affirmed clearly in other passages of the Hebrew Bible.
“Do homage to the Son, that He not become angry, and you perish in the way, for His wrath may soon be kindled. How blessed are all who take refuge in Him!” (Psa 2:12). “May his name endure forever, his fame continue as long as the sun! May people be blessed in him, all nations call him blessed! (Psa 72:17; ESV).
