A Prayer for the Spirit … A Dance for the Soul
*(prelude) "a blessing in Prose "
a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
Ecclesiastes 3:4
Through history we have seen many evolutions of dance. Some of these ancient dances and rituals are still practiced today by those who honor their religious or cultural histories while many have sadly been lost throughout the ages. One thing however remains constant. Dance has always played an important role in the societies, great and small, of the world.
Dance
Machol, literally, moving or leaping in a circle. Gesenius however translates machalath "a stringed instrument," and machol "dancing" Mendelssohn makes machol, "a hollow musical instrument" (Psalm 150:4, margin) Expressing joy, as contrasted with mourning (Ecclesiastes 3:4; Psalm 30:11). The woman nearest of kin to the champion in some national triumph or thanksgiving, and who had a kind of public character with her own sex, led a choir of women; as Miriam (Exodus 15:1-20) (while Moses led the men), Jephthah's daughter (Judges 11:34), Deborah (Judges 5) (while Barak led the men). Some song or refrain in antiphonal answer. forming the burden of the song, accompanied the dance (Exodus 32:18-19; 1 Samuel 18:7; 1 Samuel 21:11). The women are represented as "coming out" to do this and meet the hero.
Miriam went out before "Jehovah, the Man of war" (Exodus 15:3; Exodus 15:20-21), and answered the entire chorus. But the women glorifying Saul and David, having no leader, "answered one another." The special feature of David's conduct before the returning ark (2 Samuel 6:5-22) is that he was choir leader, the women with their timbrels (2 Samuel 6:5; 2 Samuel 6:19-20; 2 Samuel 6:22) taking a prominent part. Michal ought to have led them; but jealousy of David's other wives, married while she was with Phaltiel, and attachment to the latter (2 Samuel 3:15-16), and the feeling that David's zeal rebuked her apathy, led her to "come out to meet" him with sneers not songs.
The dance necessitated his taking off his royal upper robes to "dance with all his might." This she called "uncovering himself in the eyes of the handmaids." His leading thought was to do honor to God who had delivered him from all his enemies (1 Chronicles 13:8; 1 Chronicles 13:16; 2 Samuel 6:21-23). Enthusiasm was kindled by these religious dances, which enlisted at once the tongue and the other members of the body in acts of worship; which explains Psalm 35:10. David says, "All my bones shall say, Lord, who is like unto Thee?" the very language that the Israelites, while the women danced to the Lord, uttered as their song after the Red Sea deliverance (Exodus 15:11). The dance, however, was generally left to women (Judges 21:19-23). It is mentioned as a censure on their looseness that "the people rose up to play" at Aaron's calf festival (Exodus 32:6; 1 Corinthians 10:7), also that the Amalekites were "dancing" (1 Samuel 30:16).
The woman leader usually in the East leads off the dance, and the other women exactly follow her graceful movements. In Song of Solomon 6:13 allusion possibly is made in the "two armies" to two rows of female dancers vis-avis in performing; but the spiritual sense refers to the two parts of the one church army, the militant and the triumphant. Dancing accompanied festivity of a secular kind (Jeremiah 31:4; Jeremiah 31:13; Lamentations 5:15; Luke 15:25), especially that of women and children (Job 21:11; Matthew 11:17). Dancing by men and women together was unknown; as indeed the oriental seclusion of women from men would alone have sufficed to make it seem indecorous. Maimonides says that in the joyous Feast of Tabernacles the women danced separately in an apartment above, and the men danced below. Herod's extravagant promise to Herodias' daughter shows that it was a rare deed in those regions (Mark 6:22-23). (Fausset´s Bible Dictionary)
Ecclesiastes 3
A Time for Everything
1 There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under heaven:
2 a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
3 a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
4 a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain,
6 a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
7 a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
8 a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.
* Please read the poetic prayer by writer Apostle Dr. Joseph Brian Howard featured on…
Anointed Works Presents……A blessing in Prose Apostle Dr.Joseph Brian Howard, Sr.
Prophetess Sandra Dukes
a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
Ecclesiastes 3:4
Through history we have seen many evolutions of dance. Some of these ancient dances and rituals are still practiced today by those who honor their religious or cultural histories while many have sadly been lost throughout the ages. One thing however remains constant. Dance has always played an important role in the societies, great and small, of the world.
Dance
Machol, literally, moving or leaping in a circle. Gesenius however translates machalath "a stringed instrument," and machol "dancing" Mendelssohn makes machol, "a hollow musical instrument" (Psalm 150:4, margin) Expressing joy, as contrasted with mourning (Ecclesiastes 3:4; Psalm 30:11). The woman nearest of kin to the champion in some national triumph or thanksgiving, and who had a kind of public character with her own sex, led a choir of women; as Miriam (Exodus 15:1-20) (while Moses led the men), Jephthah's daughter (Judges 11:34), Deborah (Judges 5) (while Barak led the men). Some song or refrain in antiphonal answer. forming the burden of the song, accompanied the dance (Exodus 32:18-19; 1 Samuel 18:7; 1 Samuel 21:11). The women are represented as "coming out" to do this and meet the hero.
Miriam went out before "Jehovah, the Man of war" (Exodus 15:3; Exodus 15:20-21), and answered the entire chorus. But the women glorifying Saul and David, having no leader, "answered one another." The special feature of David's conduct before the returning ark (2 Samuel 6:5-22) is that he was choir leader, the women with their timbrels (2 Samuel 6:5; 2 Samuel 6:19-20; 2 Samuel 6:22) taking a prominent part. Michal ought to have led them; but jealousy of David's other wives, married while she was with Phaltiel, and attachment to the latter (2 Samuel 3:15-16), and the feeling that David's zeal rebuked her apathy, led her to "come out to meet" him with sneers not songs.
The dance necessitated his taking off his royal upper robes to "dance with all his might." This she called "uncovering himself in the eyes of the handmaids." His leading thought was to do honor to God who had delivered him from all his enemies (1 Chronicles 13:8; 1 Chronicles 13:16; 2 Samuel 6:21-23). Enthusiasm was kindled by these religious dances, which enlisted at once the tongue and the other members of the body in acts of worship; which explains Psalm 35:10. David says, "All my bones shall say, Lord, who is like unto Thee?" the very language that the Israelites, while the women danced to the Lord, uttered as their song after the Red Sea deliverance (Exodus 15:11). The dance, however, was generally left to women (Judges 21:19-23). It is mentioned as a censure on their looseness that "the people rose up to play" at Aaron's calf festival (Exodus 32:6; 1 Corinthians 10:7), also that the Amalekites were "dancing" (1 Samuel 30:16).
The woman leader usually in the East leads off the dance, and the other women exactly follow her graceful movements. In Song of Solomon 6:13 allusion possibly is made in the "two armies" to two rows of female dancers vis-avis in performing; but the spiritual sense refers to the two parts of the one church army, the militant and the triumphant. Dancing accompanied festivity of a secular kind (Jeremiah 31:4; Jeremiah 31:13; Lamentations 5:15; Luke 15:25), especially that of women and children (Job 21:11; Matthew 11:17). Dancing by men and women together was unknown; as indeed the oriental seclusion of women from men would alone have sufficed to make it seem indecorous. Maimonides says that in the joyous Feast of Tabernacles the women danced separately in an apartment above, and the men danced below. Herod's extravagant promise to Herodias' daughter shows that it was a rare deed in those regions (Mark 6:22-23). (Fausset´s Bible Dictionary)
Ecclesiastes 3
A Time for Everything
1 There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under heaven:
2 a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
3 a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
4 a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain,
6 a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
7 a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
8 a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.
* Please read the poetic prayer by writer Apostle Dr. Joseph Brian Howard featured on…
Anointed Works Presents……A blessing in Prose Apostle Dr.Joseph Brian Howard, Sr.
Prophetess Sandra Dukes
Comment
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Comment by Eric Hancock on November 9, 2009 at 9:54am
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I love that song as well,,,I hear it more at Funerals down here in the city BUT in the country it more Songs of praise and worship,...now that I think about it I attended a funeral once in the country and it turned into a REVIVAL,,they tore that Church up LOL..it was never the same..why is it so different here in the city?
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Comment by Prophetess Sandra Dukes, a.m. on November 6, 2009 at 11:29am
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Halllelujah My Dear Brother Eric ! Yes just like that old spiritual my great grandmother and great grandfather use to sing
"When we all get to heaven,
What a day of rejoicing that will be!
When we all see Jesus,
We’ll sing and shout the victory"!
I think those are the correct words anyway ... our elders will tell us, sing with us , dance with us when we see them one fine glorious day ! Hallelujah !
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I love watching dance Ministries,,,Because to me the way I look at it is this is what is going on in Heaven,,,we can never imagine the dance or singing and prasing along with worshipping that is done in Heaven,,,But I know that the Father is well pleased with those ,,thatare trying to please him in the Human form with dancing and worshipping and giving him the Honour and Glory,in the natural..this is just an rehersal when we get to Heaven we will really see some worshipping in Dance...I am like David in Psalms 84;10 For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness
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