Michal could help David get away from Saul, but she couldn’t help him get closer to God.
It would be hard to imagine Saul, Jonathan, and Michal belonging to the same family— if we didn’t see the same combination repeated so often. Saul seems to have few redeeming qualities. Jonathan is his father’s antithesis: honest, loyal, faithful, courageous. And then there is Michal. In spite of the fact that Saul treated his daughter like a trap to catch his nemesis, we are told she loved David (1 Sam 18:20-21). Perhaps she admired his prowess, and responded in bravery by helping him escape from her father’s murderous plans. But our story today is very different. The Hebrew name Mikhal is an inquiry, meaning “What is God like?” To her, it seemed to be an open question. God’s fierce warrior side could be seen in David’s gallantry, but what was this? David’s behavior in the following verses (2 Sam 6:12-20) was a conundrum to Michal. In bringing up the ark, David could hardly contain his joy. “As the ark of the Lord came into the City of David, Michal, Saul’s daughter, looked through a window and saw King David leaping and whirling before the Lord; and she despised him in her heart” (v 16). David’s response? “It was before the Lord, who chose me instead of your father and all his house, to appoint me ruler over the people of the Lord…Therefore I will play music before the Lord. And I will be even more undignified than this, and will be humble in my own sight” (vv 21-22). This rift was never bridged. “Therefore Michal…had no children to the day of her death” (v 23). Can God be both heavy-handed in battle and happy-hearted in blessing? Michal, like many today, couldn’t understand how. Some allow His grace to overrule His government, and some the other way around. But He is both a God of judgment and joy.