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David & Michal's relationship does lead to marriage which is recorded in 1 Samuel 18:27. However, I was wondering how Christians who are seeking to date/court someone or are already in a courting/dating relationship can learn from David & Michal of the bible. A) We start off with Michal loving David which is clearly stated in 1 Samuel 18:20 (which could also suggest/hint/indicate that Michal & David did know each other before getting married, and so we can sort of assume that this was Not really an arranged marriage which is a common custom in ancient times, and also still quite a common custom presently practiced in the region of South Asia( Indian subcontinent ). To be more specific, it is Not like an arranged marriage where the man and woman may Only communicate for a really short period of time( like 5 minutes to an hour or so), and then decide to get an arranged marriage with the blessing of the man's family and the woman's family B) As premised by point A) above David & Michal did know each other for some period of time prior to their marriage. Therefore, we can probably assume that David knew that Michal had a household idol in her possession which is evidenced in 1 Samuel 19:13. Since David & Michal are both Jews in Ancient Israel, we have to wonder why David was Not troubled by the fact that his betrothed had a household idol which categorically violates the 1st commandment of the 10 commandments. So from a modern perspective, Christians who are dating/courting should make note of behaviours/actions that categorically violates their Christian faith. For example, if the person who you are courting/dating is repeatedly & knowingly listening to inappropriate music(i.e music with sexual connotations, bad language, etc.) then those would be clear warning sign that you should end the relationship, and Not marry said person C) When we read 2 Samuel 6:16-23 , we know that they are already married because it was previously mentioned that David married Michal in 1 Samuel 18:27. However, could Christians who are still in courtship/dating learn something from 2 Samuel 6:16-20 even though 2 Samuel 6:16-23 recounts a story about David & Michal after they were married ? Let me explain. The narrative in 2 Samuel 6:16-23 which emphasizes Michal's strong feelings of severe disgust/spite/embarrassment when she sees David's dancing during worship which may have been Unsophisticated/Inelegant/"Uncool" from her perspective. Subsequently, Michal harshly criticizes 2 Samuel 6:20 by saying a condescending manner: (2 Samuel 6:20b)......“How the king of Israel distinguished himself today! He uncovered himself today in the eyes of his servants’ maids as one of the foolish ones shamelessly uncovers himself!” Based how we read 2 Samuel 6:16-23 , we can probably assume that Michal was very arrogant towards David because he was dancing during worship. Do Not get me wrong, I understand if a spouse/(partner in courtship/dating) might mildly rebuke whomever they have married/presently courting/dating for singing too loudly in worship or dancing in a goofy manner. But I believe that Michal's response in 2 Samuel 6:20b is a lot harsher and a lot more critical than a mild rebuke. D) Finally, if we are Christians who are in courtship/marriage, we can probably make some noteworthy assumptions from 2 Samuel 6:23 which states: (2 Samuel 6:23) Michal the daughter of Saul had no child to the day of her death Some readers might say that due to Michal's overly harsh criticism of David, God would Not allow Michal to have children which is probably why Michal Never had any children till the day of her death, even if David may have continued to have sexual relations with Michal during their marriage. However, another perspective could lead us to assume that due to Michal's overly harsh criticism of David , David himself Stopped having any kind of sexual relationship with Michal which is probably why Michal Never had any children till the day of her death. This 2nd perspective would bring up the questions: "Should Christians who are in a courting/dating relationship just end their relationship ASAP( which is sort of symbolized by David Not having sex with Michal after her overly harsh criticism) with their partner after an experience similar to the one David had with Michal in 2 Samuel 6:16-23 ? In others, should we single Christians clearly make note of the fact that we should Never date/court someone who is overly harsh & excessively arrogant in life like 2 Samuel 6:16-23's Michal?"

Marriage of the Israelites was very different from our western marriage of today. Although there is a great amount no known know about Israelite marriage, it customs and bindings, the biblical references that speak on this essential topic us that many Israelite marriage customs were very different than those our modern western societies. Number one,it is known that Israelite girls were expected to have maintained their virginity when they got married—and according to Deuteronomy Chap 22:1 could even be put to death if they were found not to be—men were allowed to marry multiple women. It is hard to know how common polygamy, unacceptable as it is now, which entailed a husband the right of being married to more than one woman, really was in ancient Israel. Also, certain evidence tells us that compared to wifes, the husband had more control over whom they married. For example, Samson chooses his own wife in Judges 14, even though his parents disapprove of the match speaks of a somewhat strong, somewhat independent degree of independence for men for selecting a mate. Most likely, young girls of age were married around puberty whereas young men were somewhat older than who they were marrying. Though unions were generally based more on economic or social considerations than romantic ones, some texts, including the Song of Songs, show us that ideas of passion and romantic love were also not only present but strong in ancient Israel. Number two In order to marry woman, a man would give her father a gift called the Mohar that would officaily seal and begin the betrothal between betrothed. Betrothal was, and today still is, a much firmer commitment than today’s engagement. Though one might think of the betrothal Mohar as a purchase price, this is inaccurate. Anthropologists call this gift “bridewealth.” It is found in many societies throughout the world and is not considered human sale by the people of those cultures—Israelite wives were never thought of as slaves in biblical times, though Israelite men sometimes did their marry slave women or servants. Some length of time after the betrothal, wedding festivities, often involving several or even weeks of feasting, would occur. The relationship between husbands and wives was not as equal in the ancient Near East as in modern Western Society, including Israel. Ba‘al, one of the Hebrew words for “husband,” also meant “lord” or “master,” and many Israelite men had life-and-death power over women in the case of adultery, which in ancient Israel involved a woman having sex outside of her marriage or a man having sex with another man’s wife. Men, though, could have multiple wives and concubines and were allowed to go to prostitutes, thus monogamy was a one-way street in this culture.And is the main reason prompting Jesus to to say the rules for divorce in the Gospel of Matthew... Matthew 19:9 "And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery." Finally, i say in a firm, final summarization , not all biblical texts are in agreement on every issue regarding marriage perhaps it changed with the constant struggle between conservatism and liberality in different tribes climates and Eras, More suggesting that different Israelite communities and authors had diverse and sometimes colliding viewpoints on more male dominant or gender equal marriage and that Israelite viewpoints evolved over time. Many biblical customs would be unfamiliar or even objectionable to many people living in our present- day Sex obsessed western societies today. Still, when we read the impassioned romantic poetry of the Song of Songs, we realize that some things, don't, never can, and never will change with love and marriage, Thank you.

Adam Clarke commentary: Paul wrote: ----------------------------- let's not focus on the whole notion of castration.. i would like to focus on the 3rd section of Clarke's commmentary, "He that is able to receive". i am wondering if there is a way through Scripture that we can tell if there is a difference between being given this gift of God while still being virgin, and of course after having experienced sexual intercourse. is it even possible? is it possible to come to terms with this even after having children? can this dedication to celibacy in order to better focus on the kingdom of God simply be received if one wants it? or is one chosen by God for such angelic devotion? thoughts? love to you all and God bless.