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[This post is a part of my series on infertile women in the Bible, Barren + Biblical. Click here to return to the Barren + Biblical homepage.]
Even though she is not the last woman (chronologically) in the Bible to go through infertility, I’m writing about Michal last. I’ve been dragging my feet writing about her for two reasons: 1. She never ends up with children (interestingly enough she is left off of many people’s lists of infertile women in the Bible); and 2. The circumstances surrounding her childless life — and the way it is worded in the Bible — make me wonder if she was really going through “infertility,” at least as we think of it today.
You’ll see what I mean:
A brief recap:
1 Samuel 18 tells of Michal and David’s love story. Essentially, Michal (whose father was Saul, whose brother was David’s best friend Jonathan) falls in love with David. It appears that David also loved Michal, as he was eager to do what was needed (present 100 Philistine foreskins to King Saul) to marry her.
Then, 1 Samuel 19 goes on to tell the story of Saul trying to kill David (due to jealousy). But Michal steps in, warning David of her father’s plan, and helping him escape through the window. She covers for him when her father comes, laying an idol in the bed and putting a blanket over it, pretending it’s David and that he’s sick.
In 2 Samuel 6, however, David and Michal’s story takes a turn. Michal sees David celebrating when the ark of the Lord enters the city. David is “leaping and dancing,” and Michal watches and “despises him in her heart.” (v. 16)
Then it gets even worse. When David gets home, Michal rebukes him, calling him “vulgar” for “disrobing in the sight of the slave girls.” (v. 20) David replies that he “will celebrate before the Lord” and “become even more undignified” and “be humiliated in my own eyes.” (v. 21-22)
Verse 23? “And Michal daughter of Saul had no children to the day of her death.”
Yikes.
Why?
In a world where people are constantly reminding us that all of the seven infertile women in the Bible end up with children, they often forget the eighth who didn’t: Michal.
Although there are other women in the Bible whose children are never mentioned (so they may or may not have been childless), Michal is the only one that the Bible explicitly tells us never had children. Our first question, of course, is why?
When investigating this passage and reading several commentaries on it, I came across 3 main theories. Bear in mind that I am not a Bible scholar, but here are the theories (and my own take on them…to be taken as my personal opinion, not as fact). You should investigate them and decide for yourself:
1. Punishment
I immediately balk at this theory — and even hesitate to include it — as it doesn’t seem to quite fit with what I know about God. But it’s worth discussing, because that’s what it seems like at first glance, doesn’t it?
And it is true that in the Old Testament, there are instances of God closing wombs because of sin. For instance, check out Genesis 20: God closed the wombs of Abimelek’s wife and female slaves because of Abraham and Sarah’s lie. And other people in the Old Testament were punished because of sin — remember how Moses wasn’t allowed to enter the Promised Land because of a sin he had committed in Numbers 20?
However, God’s punishments in these two OT stories show God disciplining His beloved children. God opened up the wombs of the people again; Moses was allowed to see the Promised Land from the mountain. God is merciful and forgiving.
A different story?
This story, however, is different: Michal never has children. It almost seems like she committed an irreversible and unforgivable sin by rebuking David, resulting in the permanent punishment of a childless life.
As I’ve already alluded to, I’m not totally on board with this theory. Although God does discipline His children out of love, people in the Bible (or in life, for that matter), never seem to end up with what they deserve. (How did Rachel end up with children if you have to earn them? Why did an “upright and blameless” woman like Elizabeth have to go through infertility? And although it doesn’t relate to infertility specifically, don’t even get me started on the story of Job.)
And let me guess: You know some sinful people who have children too?
If we all had to earn blessings, no one would have any.
Regardless of your take on this story, I want to be clear that you cannot earn children or any other blessing. God is not punishing you with infertility because of some random past sin. Jesus has already come to take away and forgive our sins. In the New Testament, Jesus uses the example of a man born blind to explain that the seemingly inexplicable suffering we endure is not a result of sin (see John 9). God uses infertility — along with everything else that happens to us, good or bad — for His plan and purposes.
And now, to the two other theories:
2. David + Michal
Another theory, one that I’m a bit more inclined to believe, is that David was no longer intimate with Michal after she rebukes him.
Perhaps Michal’s lack of children is a direct result of her sin, leading to her husband not wanting to be intimate with her ever again. (Also keep in mind David had plenty of other wives!) Our actions in this life do sometimes have direct consequences.
Another reason this theory seems likely to me: The way it is worded. The Bible says, “She never had children to the day of her death.” The Bible does not say that God closed her womb, like it does in other stories, but rather that she never had children. This does make me wonder if Michal was really going through infertility as we think of it today — if she was not intimate with her husband, is it infertility (as we think of it)? Maybe, maybe not.
3. She refused the blessing of children
A third theory that I think is interesting: When David came home to bless his household, Michal came out to meet him first to rebuke him (v. 20). He never got a chance to bless her or his household. Perhaps Michal refused the blessing that was intended for her (children?).
Is it possible for us to refuse the blessings that God has intended for us? I’m not entirely sure.
I don’t think we’ll ever know for sure why Michal never had children. God’s ways are not our ways. Perhaps there is a fourth theory that I didn’t even mention: Maybe the reason for Michal’s childless life is something that is only explicable in God’s eyes. Maybe it is not even related to any of the three theories above.
The takeaway
It’s hard to know exactly how to categorize this odd story in the Bible. Either way, this last story is a reminder that not everyone has children. In fact, in the midst of people constantly telling me, “Oh, you’ll have kids eventually!” this story is almost a little bit refreshing to me: Not everyone has children, not even in the Bible.
And perhaps the real challenge is not figuring out why you are still childless, or why Michal never had children. We spend so much time trying to figure out WHY things happen that perhaps we are forgetting to focus on what really matters.
Perhaps the real challenge is trusting God, even while we’re asking why. The real challenge is continuing to follow God, no matter what we’re going through. In the midst of infertility, let’s focus on the real challenge: Finding contentment in Him, not in our circumstances. And rejoicing in Him above all else, even in the midst of suffering.
[This post is a part of my series on infertile women in the Bible, Barren + Biblical. Click here to return to the Barren + Biblical homepage.]
