Dance as revealed in the Old Testament
Author: Marlene Newington

I. In The Beginning
The premise of this paper and all those that will follow is that there is one True God and He has revealed Himself through the written Word and the Living Spirit. Therefore it is through the Spirit and the Word a person can learn of God’s plans, (Jeremiah 29:11, Job 36:5, Proverbs 1921, Proverbs 33:11) and for this study the focus will be on His plans regarding worship, movement, and dance. (Psalm 150)

A. A Moving God
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth……..and the Spirit of God was hovering (movement) over the waters” (Gen 1:1&2 NIV). From the first line of the written word in the Bible, a picture is given of movement. Moses the author of Genesis establishes an account that God is the creator of all life (existence, movement). This is learned in Genesis 1:2 in reading the Spirit of God, (the spirit being the breath of God, intellect, emotions and passions of God) was hovering (moving suspended above) over the water.
The image that comes to mind when there is that hovering, is that of what happens when a helicopter is hovering over water or a meadow creating waves and movement.

There is a cause and affect relationship; as the helicopter moves the air, the air moves the waters or the grasses in a field like a dance, the blades bending, bowing, swaying, or the waves leaping up, descending down, moving in unison with other waves. This too is the movement of the dancer, responding to the breath of God, the presence of God over their lives, in their lives. The dancer bending, bowing, and leaping

B. God Breaths Movement Into Creation
God being the God of movement then creates man in His image (Gen1: 26&27). He then breathes life into man to become a living being. (Gen 2:7) Therefore it can be concluded that because God is a moving spirit, and man is made in His image, then man was created a living moving spirit being.
God has created man and woman with bodies that have moving limbs, arms and legs. He gave man and woman bodies that would have the ability to walk, run, leap, twirl, jump, swing, bow, extend and make all kinds of shapes for expression.

In summary, it can be concluded that through the word of God, it is revealed that the one true God is a God of movement and has created other living moving beings. Movement appears to have a cause and affect dynamic. It also seems to leave one pondering the question, if movement is about expression, is movement about relationship?

II. Relationship Revelation of a Moving God.
Movement is expression, and when one is expressing one is communicating. When one is communicating according to the Funk and Wagnells dictionary 1989 edition, it is: 1) to cause another or others to partake of or share in, or impart, 2) to exchange thought or knowledge, 3) to be connected.

A. A communicating God Because of being made in His image Movement is about God communicating himself to people and people being able to communicate back to Him. Movement is a language derived from God. It reveals God as a moving God, forming us in such a way as to partake and share with Him. God then is able to exchange messages back and forth through this movement of dance, to be connected, to dance with Him, to Him, for Him.

B. An Intimate Position To dance often requires a close intimate positioning. It can be concluded then, that in this movement/communication, God has set the atmosphere for intimacy. Therefore the movement is all about a God who desires intimacy. Once this is known about God, then as a person reads the Bible, he or she can begin to see the hundreds of ways God comes in moving ways to communicate. Because this paper is to specifically focus on worship/dance, it would be helpful to see that form of communication in action through the story of the deliverance of God’s chosen people going through the Red Sea.

III. Why we Dance: A Response
In Exodus 12 – l5 God is working His plan to move and deliver His people out of Bondage (lack of movement). At the point of the story of their deliverance God’s people get up and move out, to be free from their bondage. When they are blocked, God moves upon the waters, parts the sea and they move across. This is followed by a time of celebration of their deliverance by Miriam taking her tambourine up and leading the women in song and dance, a victory song and dance. This is their response, their communicating and connecting, their having an intimate, celebrative time with God and each other.

This appears to be the first mention of dancing unto the Lord although; there is something to be pondered here. Miriam already had a tambourine. Genesis Chapter 4 verse 21 reveals the making of instruments.

It seemed somehow “intuitively or instinctively” the people danced. It seemed to be their nature as created in God’s image to do so, a natural God given response to dance their worship.

IV. When and How is Dance Used?
When is dance used as described in the Old Testament? The people used it for many different occasions and times such as:
In describing creation, (I Chr 16:31& 32) “Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad. Let the sea resound, and all that is in it; let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them! · In times of weariness,(Psalm 68:9) “You gave abundant shower, O God; you refreshed your weary inheritance.”
In a place of refuge, (Psalm 5:11) “But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them; that those who love your name may rejoice in you.”
In times of prosperity, (Proverbs 11:10) “When the righteous prosper, the city rejoices…”
In worship of the Lord, (Psalm 68:4) “Sing to God, sing praise to his name, extol him who rides on the clouds, his name is the Lord and rejoice before him.
In recognition of who strengthens and shields us. (Psalm 28:7) “The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trust in him, and I am helped.
While on their beds, (Psalm 149:5) “Let the saints rejoice in this honor and sing for joy on their beds.
Over Jerusalem, (Isa. 65:19) “I will rejoice over Jerusalem and take delight in my people; the sound of weeping and of crying will be heard no more.”
In serving the Lord, (psalm 2:11) “Serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling.
In an act of confidence, (Joel2:21) “Be not afraid, O land; be glad and rejoice. · God dancing over us mightily to save, (Zephaniah 3:17), “The lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you; he will quiet you with his love he will rejoice over you with singing.
To loosen chains of injustice, (Isaiah 58:6) “ Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the chords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke:”
To set the prisoner free, (Psalm 146:7) “He upholds the cause of the oppressed and gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets prisoners free.”
When strength is needed, (II Samuel 22:33) “it is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect.”
When lame, (Isaiah 35:6) “Then will the lame leap like a deer and the mute tongue shout for joy.”
In Greetings, (Judges 11:34) “When Jephthah returned to his home in Mizpah, who should come out to meet him but his daughter dancing to the sound of tambourines!”
In telling a story, I Samuel 29:5) “Isn’t this the David they sang about in their dances: Saul has slain his thousand, and David his tens of thousands?”
In time of mourning, (Psalm 30:11) “You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy.”
In times of abandoned worship, O II Samuel 6:16) “As the ark of the lord was entering the City of David, Michel daughter of Saul watched from a window. And when she was King David leaping and dancing before the Lord, she despised him in her heart.”
For the festivals, (Ex12:14) “-you shall celebrate it as a festival to the Lord, (Ex. 23:14) “Three times a year you are to celebrate a festival to me”.
For holy processions, (Psalm 42:4) “These things I remember as I pour out my soul; how I used to go with the multitude leading the procession to the house of God with shouts of joy and thanksgiving among the festive throng.
Ministering before the Lord, (I Chronicles 14:4, 7 “He appointed some of the Levites to minister before the ark of the Lord, to make petition, to give thanks, and to praise the Lord, the God of Israel.” “That day David first committed to Asaph and his associates this psalm of thanks to the Lord:”

V. How worship is expressed in movement
Singing and jumping for joy, (Psalm 5:11) “But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, and those who love your name may rejoice in you.
By God refreshing us, (Psalm 68:9) “You gave abundant shower, O God; you refreshed your weary inheritance.”
By leaping and giving thanks, (Psalm 28:7) “The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trust in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song.”
Singing for joy, (Psalm 149:5) Let the saints rejoice in this honor and sing for joy on their beds.”
By spinning and taking delight, (Isaiah 65:19) “I will rejoice over Jerusalem and take delight in my people;”
With trembling, (Psalm 2:11) “Serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling.”
With great delight, (Zephaniah 3:17) “The Lord your God is with you, he is might to save. He will take great delight in you,”
By jumping and shaking off, (Isaiah 58:6) “….to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke to set the oppressed fee and break every yoke.” (Psalm 146:7) …….the Lord sets the oppressed free.
By Gods strength, (II Samuel 22:33) “It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect.”
By stamping and springing about, (Ecclesiastes 3:4) “-a time to morn and a time to dance.”
With Tambourine and Harp, (Psalm 149:3) “Let them praise his name with dancing and make music to him with tambourine and harp.”
By whirling about, (II Samuel 6:14) “David, wearing a linen ephod, danced before the Lord with all his might.”
Circle dances, and festivals (Ex 12:14) “This is a day you are to commemorate; for the generations to come you shall celebrate it as a festival to the Lord – a lasting ordinance.
By kneeling, (I Chr. 16:29) “ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name. Bring an offering and come before him; worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness · With the hand extended, (I Chr. 16:4) “He appointed some of the Levites to minister before the ark of the Lord, to make petition, to give thanks, and to praise the Lord the God of Israel:”
Falling Prostrate in homage to God, (II Chr. 20:18) “Jehoshaphat bowed with his face to the ground, and all the people of Judah and Jerusalem fell down in worship before the Lord.”

VI. The Church and Worship/Dance
A. Restoration
The time period this author lives in is the church age. The church age and its believers in Messiah are to be involved in “the restitution of all things” (Acts 3:20-21). One of the sacred ways being restored is dance.

The dance being restored becomes a powerful means for bringing freedom; freedom to the dancer and freedom to those being danced over. (Zeph 3:17) Several passages earlier quoted give the description of what takes place in the dance in the processes of gaining freedom. In Isa.58:6 – it means to undo; Psalm 146:7 – to looseth; IISamuel 22:33 – and He maketh all mean to jump, shake off, and untie. (nathar 5424). As noted in Make His Praise Glorious (p.3a ) “The word also means “to terrify”. It carries the idea that the enemy is terrified by the rejoicing saints of God; and also denotes the thought that dancing before the Lord will cause a loosening or “shaking off” of fear, bondage and timidity.”

Debbie Roberts in Rejoice, A Biblical Study of Dance writes:
“Restoration is simply taking what is God’s in the first place, using it for His glory, and giving it back to Him. Dance began in the heavenlies by the creation of God. Lucifer’s fall corrupted its purity. We are regaining control of the arts and using them to worship Jesus. God is going to restore all things that belonged to Him from the beginning – those things spoken by the Holy prophets: (p. 47)

And he shall send Jesus Christ which before was preached unto you: whom the heaven must receive (retain) until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.” Acts 3:20-21

“But this is a people robbed and spoiled; they are all of them snared in holes, and they are hid in prison houses: they are for a prey and none delivereth; for a spoil, and none saith RESTORE. Who among you will give ear to this? Who will hearken and hear for the time to come?” Isaiah 42:22-23

“And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpillar, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you.” Joel 2:25

“And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generation; and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in.” Isaiah 58:12

Realizing the church is called into the ministry of restoration, what is the church being loosed from and restored to? The church is being delivered from, loosed from, the one who has come “to steal, kill and destroy” (John 10:10a). The church is also involved in the restoration of worship and praise lost in Lucifer’s (Satan) fall to the earth and his work of corruption: Isaiah 14:12-17, Ezekiel 28:13-15“The work of restoration will be revealed in seven areas: truth will unfold, III John 4; ministries will function in the body of Christ, Ephesians 4:11-l6; the people will be restored with joy and healing, Isaiah 66:14; worship and praise will be completely lifted from the heart and not ritualistic, Jeremiah 31:12-13; years of sowing toil, hard work and desert experiences will be reaped. We will receive time to do again what God commands us to do, Joel 2:25; we will be instructed in righteousness and have sure paths to dwell in, Isaiah, 58:12;the kingdom of God shall be revealed in the earth, I Corinthians 15:24 Present Day Truths, K.R. Iverson, Portland, Oregon, (Rejoice, pg 52)

B. Priestly Position
The role and call of a dancer in the church as she or he fulfills the destiny of restoration is that of a priest. It is a holy calling of being separated. It is a call to clean hands and a pure heart.

Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who shall stand in his holy place? He that hath clean hands and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully. Psalms 24:3-4

“Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and bodies washed with pure water.” Hebrews 10:22

The priesthood is a place of dedication, consecration, and separation unto God and on behalf of the people.

Even the garments worn by the priest represent God in some form, and tell a spiritual truth visually of who God is and how he is adorned. The garments worn were not costumes, they were a visual revelation of who God is; they “put on Godly priesthood”

For the priestly/dancer the garments are symbolic reminders of what God has done for us and who God is in character and truth. The priestly garments are to represent the beauty and glory of God.

C. Prophetic Position
Dancing in the church is also a fulfillment of prophecy. Jeremiah 31:4 declares; “I will build you up again and you will be rebuilt, O Virgin Israel. Again you will take up your tambourines and go out to dance with the joyful.” The church will be adorned in tabrets and will dance. The church’s responsibility to the prophetic and the knowledge of scripture is critical as seen in Daniel 9:2. Daniel was reading scripture, and understood what he was reading from the prophecy of Jeremiah concerning the 70 year exile. Understanding what he read he knew it was time to act upon that prophecy. He therefore embarks on a time of prayer, petition and fasting.

Daniel became an instrument of deliverance for his people and so must the dancer be that instrument by knowing what has been prophesied, then acting upon it. This results in the power of the prophetic.

D. Sanctification
Juliette Eymann brings additional insight into the significance of dance in the church when she writes of its relationship to the sanctification of our bodies: “ For many generations the church has worshipped god with “hear and soul and voice”, but has been unwilling to use the Body in worship. This is due to an underlying notion that the flesh is “unclean”, and therefore not suitable as a vessel of worship. But as the ongoing work of Sanctification increases in the church, more and more worshippers of this “redemption of our bodies” as the final work of God is in us. See 11Cor. 5:2-5, I Thes. 5:23. Praise dancing outwardly signifies the work of holiness and redemption, which Christ has done in us. “ (Make His Praise Glorious, p. 7)

“I beseech you therefore, brethren by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.” Romans 12:1

Sanctification (hagiasimos 38) is used regarding a separation of God. (I Cor. 1:30, II th3ss 2:13, I Peter 1:2). (Vines Expository Dictionary of the Bible) The position of the believer is one of being and set apart, but also, there is an ongoing work of sanctification befitting those who answer the call to be a priestly dancer.

“It is God’s will that you should be “sanctified”; that you should avoid sexual immorality; and each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable – not- like the heathen, who do not know God. For God did not call us to be impure but to live a holy life.” I Thess. 3-5, 7