DANCE IN WORSHIP

DANCE IN WORSHIP

 And Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a timbrel in her hand; and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dances. (Exodus 15:20)

The nation of Israel has used dance as a form of worship throughout their history. Several  places within the Bible make reference to the use of dance as a form of worship. Many Christians are opposed to dance because of what the world has done with it. However, just because Satan has perverted something, doesn't mean that we as Christians should stop using it for Gods glory. The Bible says: ...all things were created by him, and for him(Col 1:16). 

The earliest mention of dance as a form of worship in scripture is in the book of Exodus, when the nation of Israel had just crossed the Red Sea. It says:

And Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a timbrel in her hand; and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dances.
Exodus 15:20

It is interesting that Miriam (the sister of Moses and Aaron) was called a prophetess, yet nowhere in scripture does it record a single prophecy that she brought fourth. However, praise dancing was taught in the school of the prophets. Apparently, the nation of Israel viewed dance as a prophetic gifting, and treated it as such.

One of the things that King David is known for in the Bible is his praise and worship. Much of the book of Psalms (songs of praises) was written by him, and the Davidic style of worship has been practiced in Israel for many years, even unto today. Today, the resurgence of dance, and other forms of the arts being used in worship in Christian churches is referred to as the reinstatement of Davidic worship. King David himself danced before the Lord, when he brought the Ark of the Covenant into Jerusalem.

  And David danced before the LORD with all his might; and David was girded with a linen ephod.

                                                              2 Samuel 6:14

David also refers to dance as a form of worship in some of the Psalms he wrote. For example:

Let them praise his name in the dance: let them sing praises unto him with the timbrel and harp.
Psalm 149:3
Praise him with the timbrel and dance: praise him with stringed instruments and organs.
Psalm 150:4

Okay, you might say, but this is all in the Old Testament, not the New Testament. Well, lets stop just a moment and think about that. Jesus, and Paul both said that in numerous places that they taught from the scriptures. What was that? It couldn't have been the New Testament, because that hadn't been written. No, in fact they were referring to the Old Testament, specifically the books of the Law. 

The New Testament church gained most of its style of worship from the Jews. Since the Jewish believers were used to dance as a form of worship, they naturally taught it to the gentiles. Therefore, the early Christians understood dance as a normal part of worship. In fact, one of the original deacons, elected in the sixth chapter of Acts was Prochorus. If you dig into his name, it means he leader of the circle dance. This 

 implies rather strongly that the early church accepted dance as a part of worship.  

 Dance has existed to some degree all through church history. Just to show one example, lets look at what could be considered one of the most structured, legalistic Christian denominations ever. Who is this? The Shakers. They were a offshoot of the Quakers in the early years of our country. The Shakers (or Shaking Quakers) lived in their own communities, remained celibate, denied themselves of physical pleasures, and danced before the Lord with all their might! There is something about dance that will take any worship service into a higher level than it can otherwise reach. One person truly dancing before the Lord (not before man) can take the entire congregation farther into His throne room, than they would otherwise have gone. 

Research info:

 http://maranathalife.com/teaching/jew-danc.htm