Wouldn't
that be sacrilegious?
Throughout his
word, our Father has made it clear to us that HE wants us to worship him with
dance, and yet many denominations today have devout "Christians"
believing that dancing... especially dancing in Church, is wrong. Is this
another "teaching of men" that is depriving us of the fullness of
worship that our Father intended for us?
Let
them praise his Name in the DANCE: let them sing praises unto him with the timbrel and harp! Psalm 149:3
Then
shall the virgin rejoice in the DANCE, both young men and old together: for I
will turn their mourning into joy, and will comfort them, and make them rejoice
from their sorrow! Jeremiah 31:13
During
the Festival of Succoth (Feast of
Tabernacles) this past year, some of the Brethren had an opportunity to
participate in a challenging worship experience called “Davidic Dancing.” For
some it may have seemed to be just another display of spiritual emotionalism,
but for many others it was an intense form of total worship towards the God in
heaven who had created them. So what is one to believe? Is dancing a legitimate
form of worship or is it all just another show?
One
brother, who attended the Feast at Sis-Q-Meadows in
“I have been reading the Bible for 28 years and I don’t
remember anything said about having to dance at God’s feasts. Guess what? I
read the meanings of a few Hebrew words, and I promise you, you won’t believe
what I am about to tell you.
“Moses’ message to the Pharaoh was, ‘Let my people go, that
they may hold a feast (chagag)
unto me in the wilderness.’ For some reason I don’t remember, I checked
Strong’s Concordance to see what the Hebrew word for ‘feast’ meant in Strong’s
words.”
Lyle,
like many others was shocked to learn that the Hebrew word chagag
(hah-gahg’ Strong’s
#2287) means much more than ‘that they may hold a feast,’ as it is translated
in the King James Version. The mind picture of many who have attended the Feast
in the past, is of people sitting quietly in chairs listening to a speaker
expound upon the scriptures. However, here is the definition as found in Gesenius’ Hebrew-Chaldee
Lexicon to the Old Testament:
chagag (kindred to the root chuwg
[hoog]) to go
round in a circle, hence—
(1)
to dance, I Samuel 30:16
(2)
to keep a
festival, from the idea of
leaping, and dancing in sacred dances,
Exodus 5:1; Leviticus
(3) to reel, to be giddy, used
of drunkards, Psalm 107:27
Now let us look at the ‘kindred’ root word chuwg
(Strong’s #2328):
To describe a
circle, to draw a circle, as with a compass.
Two other related words also yield the same basic theme:
Strong’s #2329 is spelled and pronounced the same as #2328, chuwg
(hoog):
A circle, sphere, used
of the arch or vault of the sky.
Finally,
there is the Hebrew word chagah (hah-gah’
Strong’s #2283). According to Strong it means:
From an unused
root meaning to revolve (compare to 2287 chagag) prop. vertigo, i.e. (fig.) fear;--terror.
Another,
more common word associated with the festivals is also derived from chagag.
It is Strong’s #2282 and is the Hebrew word chag
(hahg)[1]
Gesenius defines chag as:
(1)
a festival, to keep a
festival
(2)
a festival
sacrifice, a victim
Most of the
words translated as “feast” in the Hebrew Scriptures come from this word, chag rather than from chagag.
In some
instances the English translators inserted what really amounts to their
personal commentary into the scriptures by adding words that just are not
there, but failing to put them into italics. For example:
Seven days shalt
thou keep a solemn feast unto the LORD thy God in the place which the LORD shall choose. Deuteronomy
16:15a KJV
Here the
entire phrase, “shalt thou keep a solemn feast,” is
derived from the one Hebrew word, chagag.
The passage could just as easily be translated; “Seven days you shall circle dance before YHVH, in the place
which YHVH
will choose...” There is absolutely
no reason at all to insert the word “solemn” into this verse, it is merely the opinion
of the translator.
Lyle
continues in his article:
“The Hebrew words chagag
and chag have a root meaning ‘circle;’ which
primarily means circle dancing, i.e. typical Jewish traditional dancing as
preserved from antiquity.
“My thesis is this: Circle dancing (singing and joyfulness,
not solemnity as a major theme) is the basic intention of God’s ancient verbal
description of his High Days.”
Now having this concept that chagag
literally means “dancing” or most probably “circle dancing,” let us explore
some of the other scriptures that use this word and see for ourselves what new
information they might hold for us.
Chagag
makes it’s first appearance in scripture in the book of Exodus, when Moses and
Aaron go and ask Pharaoh to let the people go into the wilderness to hold a
feast.
Afterward Moses and Aaron went in and told
Pharaoh, “Thus says the LORD God of
While the
English word “feast” is probably a good choice here, the problem is that it
does not convey the true meaning of what constituted an Israelite Feast. In
Hebrew it is understood that chagag includes
singing and circle dancing. As Lyle Timmons says; “No wonder the Pharaoh didn’t
like that idea.’ How is the Passover to be kept? Try this on for size:
So this day shall be to you a memorial; and
you shall keep it (chagag) as a feast (chag) to the LORD throughout your generations. You shall keep
it as a feast (chagag) by an everlasting ordinance. Exodus 12:14
The phrase
“you shall keep it” is translated both times from the Hebrew word chagag;
to dance, to reel, to be giddy. Maybe
it would be better to say that we are to “celebrate” the feast (chag)
forever.
Now some
may object because they are used to the Passover being a very solemn occasion.
This is common in most all Christian denominations where they take communion or
the “Lord’s Supper.” Yet God is saying here that He wants His people to
rejoice. After all, this is the night that the death angel passed over the
children of
Is Passover
the only time it is commanded to chagag? Not at all:
Three times you shall keep a feast (chagag) to me in the year; You shall keep the feast
of unleavened bread... the feast of harvest... and the feast of Ingathering,...
Three times in the year all your males shall appear before the LORD God. Exodus 23:14-17
All three
festival seasons, Passover, Pentecost and Feast of Tabernacles are mentioned as
being times to chagag, circle dance
and be giddy before YHVH.
Can we
really be sure that chagag means to dance? Two other uses of the
word confirm that it does. In one case in literally means to dance, in the
other it signifies great motion similar to dancing.
The first
example is found in I Samuel chapter 30. It concerns a story about the town of
David
inquired of God through the ephod of Abiathar the
priest, and was told by God to pursue the Amalekites.
David and four hundred of his men pursued them until they came across an
Egyptian who had been a servant of an Amalekite but
had been abandoned because he became sick and could not continue traveling with
them. He led David and his men to where the Amalekites
were camped. This is what David saw when he peered into the Amalekite
camp:
So when he had brought him down, there they
were, spread out over all the land, eating and drinking and dancing (chagag), because of all the great spoil which they
had taken from the land of the Philistines and from the land of Judah. I Samuel 30:16
David let
them party and chagag that night but the next day he attacked and
recovered both the people and their belongings.
The second
example is found in Psalm 107. Here is a beautiful song about how people should
give thanks to God for all of the wonderful blessings and protection that He
bestows upon them. Several examples are given, one of which speaks about the
dangers of those who sail ships on the sea.
Those who go down to the sea in ships,
Who do business on great waters,
They see the works of the LORD,
And His wonders in the deep.
For He commands and raises the stormy wind,
Which lifts up the waves of the sea-
They mount up to the heavens,
They go down again to the depths;
Their soul melts because of trouble.
They reel to and fro (chagag) and stagger like a drunken man.
Psalm 107:23-27
Again we
see the word chagag used to convey the concept of
exaggerated motion similar to that which would be used to describe circle
dancing.
As if it were not enough to learn that God wants his people
to “circle dance” before Him during the three pilgrimage festivals, it is also
clear that “round dancing” is also common. Exactly what the difference is
between “circle dancing” and “round dancing” is not clear. They may, in fact,
be one and the same. Nevertheless, another Hebrew word, machol (mah-coal’ Strong’s
#4234) is also used several times in scripture. It means a (round) dance,
which comes from another root word (#2342) chul
(hool) which
means: “to
twist or whirl, to dance.”
Maybe round dancing has more whirling than circle dancing.
Praise the LORD!
Sing to the LORD a new song,
And his praise in the congregation of saints.
Let Israel rejoice in their Maker;
Let the children of Zion be joyful in their
King.
Let them praise his name with the dance; (machol)
Let them sing praises to him with the timbrel and harp.
For the LORD takes pleasure in His people;
He will beautify the humble with salvation.
Psalm 149:1-4
Praise the LORD!
Praise God in His sanctuary;
Praise him in His mighty firmament!
Praise him for His might acts;
Praise him according to His excellent
greatness!
Praise him with the sound of the trumpet;
Praise him with the lute and harp!
Praise him with the timbral
and dance; (machol)
Praise him with stringed instruments and
flutes!
Praise him with cymbals;
Praise him with clashing cymbals!
Let everything that has breath praise the LORD!
Praise the LORD!”
Psalm 150
There you
have two direct commands to praise YHVH through dance.
Machol or round dancing was the very type of dancing that was done
by Miriam and the women of Israel after they crossed the Reed Sea.
Then Miriam the prophetess, the sister of
Aaron, took the timbrel in her hand; and all the
women went out after her with timbrels and with
dances (macholah = mah-coal-ah’,
the feminine form of machol). And Miriam answered them: “Sing to the LORD, for he has triumphed gloriously! The horse
and its rider he has thrown into the sea!” Exodus
15:20-21
Apparently, dancing was an integral part of the worship of God
during the time of Moses and Aaron.
Dancing
will be a part of the Kingdom of God during the Millennium as evidenced in the
following scriptures:
“At the same time,” says the LORD, “I will be the God of all the families of
Israel, and they shall be my people.” Thus says the LORD: “Again I will build you, and you shall be
rebuilt, O virgin of Israel! You shall again be adorned with your tambourines,
and shall go forth in the dances (machol) of those who rejoice.’... Then shall the
virgin rejoice in the dance (machol), and the young men and the old, together; for
I will turn their mourning to joy, will comfort them, and make them rejoice
rather than sorrow.” Jeremiah 3 1:1-2,4,13
In his
description of the Father’s attitude towards his returning children, the story
of the prodigal son, Christ himself described the following scene:
This my son
was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to merry. Now his elder son was in the field; and as
he came and drew nigh to the house, he
heard music and dancing. Luke 15:25
That this
scene of rejoicing, including dance, is not unlike the celebration in the
kingdom is seen in the following: another word for dance is raqad, which literally means to skip or leap. The Hebrew word gil is often translated as rejoice, but literally means to
spin around in joy. Perhaps the most astounding discovery regarding God’s
attitude towards dance is found in this description of God’s “rejoicing” when
sin is eradicated from the universe and his children are safe with him in the
new earth:
The LORD your God in the midst of thee is might; he will save, he
will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy (yagil) over thee with singing. Zephaniah 3:17
The literal
translation of he will joy is that
God will not only sing, but dance
with joy over his people! Can you
imagine God dancing over his people? If
God can dance with joy, how much more should we dance with joy since he is in
our midst?
Is Worship Dancing Appropriate Today?
Several questions come to mind concerning the appropriateness of dancing as a form of worship in today’s congregations.
—Is dancing an
acceptable form of worship?
It is our contention that this question has been answered in the affirmative by the scriptures quoted in this article. Dancing is a totally legitimate, even commanded, form of worship, just like singing praises to God.
—How can we know
what the dancing that Miriam and the women did was like?
Of course, we do not know. That is obvious. Then again, we
do not know what their song sounded like either. Does that stop any of us from
worshipping in song? We can be sure the singing of Yeshua’s time did not
sound like the nineteenth century hymns that are still so popular in many
church denominations today. Does that mean it is wrong to sing those kind of
songs? Of course not. However, dancing, like the songs we sing, needs to be
done in a manner that praises and draws our attention to God and not to the
people doing the singing or the dancing.
—Is it not true
that there are examples in the scriptures of dancing being perverted?
Yes.
And Moses turned and went down from the
mountain, and the two tablets of the Testimony were in his hand.... And when Joshua heard the
noise of the people as they shouted, he said to Moses, “There is a noise of war in the camp.” But he said: “It is not the voice of those who shout in victory, nor is it the voice of those who cry out in defeat, but the voice of those who sing that I hear.” So it was as soon as he
came near the camp, that he saw the calf and the dancing (macholah). So Moses’ anger became hot, and he cast the
tablets out of his hands and broke them at the foot of the mountain. Exodus
32:15,17-19
Notice, the
children of Israel were not only round dancing (macholah), they were also singing. If
the dancing was perverted then would not the singing also be perverted? Does
that stop anyone from worshipping God in song? Of course not. Neither should
the perversion of worship dancing stop anyone from the proper practice of it
today.
—Don’t people
that dance at worship services just do it to show off?
If you think that, ask them. There may be some that do feel
a certain amount of vanity in their heart when they turn a good step.
Hopefully, in time that attitude will be completely replaced by one that is
totally focused on worshipping God. The true dance worshipper, like the true
song worshipper, does not have themselves or another person in their minds when
they are dancing. Certainly there are fine singers who, either in solo
performances or even in congregational singing, can also have a wrong attitude
of vanity as they sing because of their fine voices. That attitude also needs
to be replaced by a total focus on God.
—Is it really
necessary to dance in order to properly worship God?
Therefore let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ. Colossians 2:16-17
Our problem is not how we worship
God. There are many ways to worship God, including sitting quietly by the
river’s edge watching the bald eagle circle in the sky and praising him for His
magnificent creation. However, the problem that must constantly be faced,
whenever a group of people come together to worship, is one of judging. The
above passage from Colossians is usually quoted to “prove” that the holydays
and sabbath day are done away and therefore we should
not “judge” those who choose not to observe them. In Paul’s day this point of
view would have been absolutely unthinkable since all believers observed the
Sabbath and the Festivals. What Paul is really addressing here are the
attitudes of those Believers from the strict schools of the Pharisees, who
wanted everyone to do things according to the their traditions. All Paul is
saying here is, not to let anyone judge you about how you observe the
festivals, new moons and sabbaths. In other words,
Paul is telling them that if some of the Jews want to continue their super
strict observance of these days, fine and dandy, but they are to observe them
as commanded in the scriptures, and they should not worry about the Jews.
No, you do
not have to dance in order to worship God. However, you may be missing a very
beautiful and extremely moving form of worship if you do not dance. However, it
might do well to recall the famous dance of the “man after God’s own heart,”
King David:
So David and all the house of Israel brought
up the ark of the LORD with shouting and with the sound of the
trumpet. And 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.... And Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David, and
said, “How glorious was the king of Israel today, uncovering himself to. day in
the eyes of the maids of his servants, as one of the base fellows shamelessly
uncovers himself!” So David said to Michal, “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 over Israel 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. But as for the maidservants of whom
you have spoken, by them I will be held in honor.” Therefore Michal the daughter of Saul had no children to the day of
her death. II Samuel 6:15-17, 20-23
This
passage, more than any other, shows the attitude that one must have to properly
worship God in dance, as well as the attitude one must not have towards those
who do make a public display of their worship David’s whole mind, heart and
body were caught up in one great form of worship of the great God of the
universe. He was not dancing or singing or leaping or praising to attract
attention, he was doing it because he loved his God and wanted to express that
love in a full and complete way.
No, you do
not have to dance in order to worship God, but it does not please God if you
condemn or look down your nose at those who do.
How Does One Get Started?
If you would like to experience “Davidic Dancing” or “Praise Dancing” or “Worship Dancing,” (whatever you wish to call it), here are some helpful suggestions.
If you can
find a local church or Messianic Synagogue that has a worship dance program,
ask them if you may attend their very beginning class. The fastest way to learn
is to actually see others do the steps and practice by joining in with them.
If that is
not an option for you, there are books and video tapes available that will
teach you the basic steps to a few of the simple dances. Again, it helps if
there are other people that can join you. Perhaps a small group of people from
your fellowship would be willing to share the cost of acquiring the necessary
videos. Set a specific time each week when all of you can get together and
spend a good solid hour just practicing following the video. Do not hurry the
process. It takes time to learn the dances and to begin to feel the freedom to
get your mind off of the steps and into an expression of total worship.
One
resource we can recommend for this kind of material is:
The Messianic Jewish Movement International
PO Box 30313