So michal goes out to greet David, and sees him acting in this way and she despisede him for it. What exactly about his actions did Michal despise? The Radak comments that, "And she despised him in her heart - When she saw him from the window, she despised him in her heart because she thought it was not honorable for the king to behave in the manner of the common people, even before the ark, and afterwards, when he went to his house, she said directly, "What was honored today..."
Going back to what I had mentioned earlier, Michal was the daughter of King Shaul who had a completly opposite leadership style to that of Davids, so when she sees her husband behave in a manor which she views as degrading, she cannot help herself but to despise him for it.
Jumping ahead to verse twenty, or pasuk chaf, we see the situation between David and Michal escalate.
Michals comments are clearly sarcastic. It is so ingrained in her mind what the supposed leadership style of what a king is meant to be by the wayt aht her father acted. She cannot even imagine someone of Davids stature, in her words, "exposing" himself. To her, leadership is about image preservation.
According to the Abarbanel, on his comments on Davids specific words of "before God", that if David acted lowly in the way he treated the average person, then Michals comment would be justified, but it was in the presence of God that he acted in a way that she describes as lowly.
According to the midrash, it is known that one of the reasons that Shaul was deposed is that he put himself and the members of his court above the presence of Hashem. As it is clear from these actions, David sets aside his own honor to celebrate authentically before Hashem. To david, royalty is about brining honor to God by serving him and thereby setting an example for the people. In regards to Shaul, he placed his own dignity as the focal point of his leadership style.This is one of the main reasons that Shaul looses his kingship. The reason for Davids longevity as a ruler is because of his humbled ad devout priorities. As seen in the following pasuk, this is all of the proof that David needs that his way of leadership is far superior to that of Shauls.
In the above verse, David resolves any potential argument michal could have had with him. God deposed her father and made David king in his place, what farther proof does he need that he is doing things right?
According to the Alshich, Michal argues that even if the respected individuals saw davids behaviour as a way of praising God, what would the "lowly" servants think of him? Davids response is that the behaviour of the king should not e determined byu the opinions of his people, as such was Shauls exscuse to Shmuel Hanavi when he got his kinghsip taken away.
The Rambam comments that Davids behaviour is the model for divine service, which must be done in happiness, בשמחה. And that those people who let their own sense of dignity get in the way of divine service are sinful and foolish, as seen in Hilchot Lulav 8:15. Michasl response to his actions were a reflection of the mentality of her father.
The Radak in his commentary on this pasuk makes an interesting statement. The last two words are, "עממ אכבדה". Among the maidservants I will be honored, these people who you spoke so nastily about, theu understand and appreciate my humility before God, and will therefore respect me for it.
The Midrash expands that David said to Michal, "You call them Emahot, maidservants, but where I call them Imahot, mothers". (you would need the vowels for this to make sense, I can send them to you in a picture). This is because they will bring about generations of Hashems servants into the world. According to thwe midrashic interpretation, the next passuk wouold be understood in this context,the maidservants would be the future mothers of Bnei Yisrael and Michal would not.
There is an issues with this because Michal already had a son. According to the Radak, this pasuk means that from that day on, because of her haughtiness before Hashem and David, she had no more children.
Another interpretation mentioned in the Midrash is tat Michal bore no children in her lifetime, and that she had a son and died in childbirth. This would explain wy the pasuk says that she would have no children until the day of her death, but not including that day.
The lesson to be learned from this story: It is important that the navi described Davids uninhibited dancing, as this must be significant as to how we must serve Hashem.
The Rambam says that this is proof of the expression of joyous abandonment in the preformance of Hashems commandments, and the preformance itself is a great mitzvah. Anyone who fails to feel and show such joy in order to maintain his "dignity" is worthy of punishment
Michal was a great and righteous woman, whose criticisim of David is purely an expression of her philosiphy of what divine service should look like, which is based on her fathers actions.
Their is a stark difference between two leadership styles present in this story. That of Shauls, which is all about dignity and self preservation, is sometimes imortant, but can become fatal if ones priorities are skewed. To be a leader is not always about sitting on a throne, rather it is about being down in the trencehs with your people. We must all be willing to risk some sense of what our own personal sense of dignity means to real be the leaders we need to e. Wether it is in a formal setting, or in the opresences of freinds, we can notr be discouraged by the way our enthusiasim comes off, as pure and joyous service of God, is to be exalted.