(Shane Scott on)
Dancing and the Bible

Introduction.
1.Dances are the primary social activity for young people in school. To what extent can a young person who wants to honor Jesus participate in dancing?
2.In this lesson we will examine the biblical texts that mention dancing, and draw some obvious conclusions.

Discussion.

I. Dancing Is Not Inherently Wrong.

A. What is dancing?
1. The most basic definition is "movement to music."
2. Is all "movement to music" wrong? No!

B. Biblical examples of acceptable dancing:
1. Dancing was a part of Old Covenant worship--Psalm 149:3; 150:4.
2.Dancing was also a traditional form of celebration among the Jews--Ex. 15:20; Judges 11:34; 1 Sam. 18:6; Psalm 30:11; Ecc. 3:4; Luke 15:25.

C. Some observations:
1.Dancing is not inherently wrong or immoral, or else God could not have condoned it.
2. Some important qualifiers:
a.These texts cannot be used to justify dancing in our worship today, since they are purely Old Testament examples.
b. The dancing of the ancient Jews was not male-female dancing.
(1)"While the mode of dancing is not known in detail, it is clear that men and women did not generally dance together." H.M. Wolf, Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible, II:11-12.
(2)"Even on those occasions where both sexes participated in the sacred professional dances, they always danced separately." Nelson's Illustrated Bible Dictionary, p. 276.
c.Therefore, to use these verses to justify any and every kind of dancing is incorrect.

II. Some Dancing Is Wrong.

A. The key issue is the contradiction between lust and purity.
1.We are to avoid "lasciviousness" ("sensuality," NASB)--Gal.5:19.
a.Defined by Thayer as "unbridled lust, excess, shameless...filthy words, indecent bodily movements, unchaste handling of males and females."
b. It is that which fosters lust.
2. Lust is a two-edged sword.
a. We must avoid lust--Matt. 5:28.
b. We must avoid causing lust--Rom. 14:21.

B. Biblical examples of sinful dancing.
1. The Israelites at Sinai (Ex. 32).
a."Play" is Heb. sahaq, "indulge in revelry" (NIV), has a sexual connotation (see Gen. 26:8).
b. All these factors (dancing, drinking, carousing) led to sexual impurity.
2. The dance of Herodias' daughter (Matt. 14).
a. The obvious pleasure Herod gained was in lustful fantasies.
b. This shows that merely watching some dancing can lead to lust.

Conclusion.
1. What conclusions can we draw.
a. Dancing is not inherently wrong.
b. The popular form of dancing today is clearly wrong.
2. How should we deal with dancing?
a. Young people should avoid them (Rom. 13:14).
b. Parents should substitute wholesome, happy activities (Eph. 6:4).