DAVID - "A Man After God’s Own Heart"
Everyone who knows the Bible knows that King David was a great man. His greatness was not in his bravery, even though he was very brave. It was not in the battles that he won, even though he won many. It was not in the glory of his reign, even though he had his share of glory. It was in his willingness to submit to the will of God and to humble his heart in repentance when he sinned.
In the Scriptures, there was no king who was the apple of God's eye, like David. The heart of God had a special affection for the man who was later described by the Lord as,"a man after My heart, who will do all My will.” (Acts 13:33).
Some may be baffled at how God still called David "a man after His own heart" even after he committed such terrible sins, including adultery, lying and murder! Ultimately, David and God's relationship is best understood through the lens of grace!
We learn much of David's character in the book of Psalms as he opened up his life for all to examine. David's life was a portrait of success and failure, and the biblical record highlights the fact that David was far from perfect. But what made David a cut above the rest was that his heart was pointed towards God.
To understand why David was a man after God's own heart, we need to see what characteristics he had to qualify for such an exalted description. Let's look at some specific features of David's life to discover what that entails:
LOVES GOD
➡️ "I love You from my heart, Lord, my strength!" (Psalm 18:1)
OBEDIENT
➡️ "God raised up for them David as king, to whom also He gave testimony and said: ‘I have found David, the son of Jesse, a man after My own heart, who will do all My will.’ " (Acts 13:22)
➡️ "Give me understanding, and I will keep Your law and obey it with all my heart." (Psalm 119:34)
➡️ "I shall keep Your law continually, forever and ever." (Psalms 119:44)
➡️ The Lord said to him: "Go up." David said: "Where shall I go up?" And God said: "To Hebron." So David went up there... . (2 Samuel 2:1-2)
FAITHFUL
➡️ David said: "The Lord, who has delivered me from the claws of the lion and the bear will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine."(1 Samuel 17:37)
➡️ David said to Goliath: "You come against me with a sword, with a spear and with a shield, and I come against you in the Name of the Lord of hosts, in the Name of the God of the host of Israel, whom you have reproached. Today, the Lord will give you into my hands and all the earth will know that Israel has a God. For the victory is of the Lord!" (1 Samuel 17:45-47)
➡️ "The Lord is my light and my salvation! Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life! Whom shall I be afraid of?" (Psalm 27:1)
HUMBLE
➡️ "Yes, nothing are the sons of man! Lying are the sons of men! If they are weighed all together on the scales, they would be lighter than a breath." (Psalm 62:9)
➡️ "Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am in trouble: my face, my soul, and my flesh have melted from grief; my life ends in sorrow and my years in sighs." (Psalm 31:9-10)
DEPENDANT ON GOD
➡️ "Have mercy on me, O God, in Your lovingkindness. According to Your great mercy, wipe away my transgressions!" (Psalm 51:1)
➡️ David asked the Lord, saying: "Shall I go and attack these Philistines?" Then David asked the Lord once again." (1 Samuel 23:2, 4)
➡️ David asked the Lord, saying: "Shall I pursue this troop? Shall I overtake them?" (1 Samuel 30:8)
➡️ David asked God, saying: "Shall I go up against the Philistines? Will You deliver them into my hand?" (1 Chronicles 14:10)
➡️ "Keep me as the apple of Your eye." (Psalm 17:8)
LOVED GOD'S LAW
➡️ "I delight in Your commandments, for I love them. I stretch out my hands to Your commandments, which I love, and I want to meditate on Your ordinances." (Psalm 119:47-48)
REPENTANT
➡️ "I confessed my sin to You and I did not conceal my iniquity. I said: 'I will confess my transgressions to the Lord. ' And you forgave the guilt of my sin." (Psalm 32:5)
➡️ "For Your Name's sake, O Lord, forgive my iniquity, for it is great." (Psalms 25:11)
➡️ So David said to Nathan: "I have sinned against the Lord." And Nathan said to David: "The Lord also has forgiven your sin; you shall not die." (2 Samuel 12:13)
➡️ "Have mercy on me, O God, in Your lovingkindness. According to Your great mercy, wipe away my transgressions! Wash me thoroughly of my iniquity, and cleanse me of my sin! For I acknowledge my transgressions well, and my sin is always before me. Against You, only You I have sinned and have done what is evil in Your sight." (Psalm 51:1-4)
THANKFUL
➡️ "I will wash my hands in innocence, and that is how I will surround Your altar, O Lord, so that I may proclaim with the voice of thanksgiving and tell of all Your wondrous works." (Psalms 26:6-7)
➡️ "Enter into His gates with thanksgiving and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name." (Psalms 100:4)
REVERENT
➡️ "I shout: 'Praise the Lord! ' and I am saved from my enemies." (Psalm 18:3)
➡️ "I will praise You, O Lord, with my whole heart! I will tell of all Your marvelous works. I will be glad and rejoice in You. I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High!"(Psalms 9:1-2)
DEVOTED TO GOD'S WORK
➡️ David said to Solomon: "My son, as for me, it was in my mind to build a house to the name of the Lord my God. Indeed I have taken much trouble to prepare for the house of the Lord... " (1 Chronicles 22:7,14)
MERCIFUL
➡️ King David said: "Is there any one of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness like the kindness of God?" And Ziba said to the king: "There is still a son of Jonathan, who is lame in his feet." David said: "Where is he?" And Ziba said to the king: "He is in the house of Machir." King David sent for him and was brought before him. Mephibosheth fell on his face and bowed. David said to him: "Do not fear, for I will surely show you kindness for Jonathan your father's sake, and will restore to you all the land of Saul your grandfather; and you shall always eat bread at my table." (2 Samuel 9:3-7)
PATIENT
➡️ "Truly my soul silently waits for God, from Him comes my salvation." (Psalms 62:1)
RESPECTFUL
➡️ "I will wash my hands in innocence, and that is how I will surround Your altar, O Lord. ." (Psalm 26:6)
➡️ "David’s heart troubled him because he had cut Saul's robe. And said to his men: 'The Lord forbid that I should do this thing to my master, the Lord's anointed, to stretch out my hand against him, seeing he is the anointed of the Lord." (1 Samuel 24:5-6)
In conclusion, David was a man after God's own heart because he had a deep desire to follow God's will and do "everything" God wanted him to do. He demonstrated absolute faith in God and was fully aware that God was in control of his life. David knew early on in life that God was to be trusted and obeyed!
David had a very close relationship with God! He depended on God for everything, involving the Lord and consulting with Him in ALL things! David was also depended on God's character, not his own. David knew he was chosen by God because of God's abundant, undeserved love; therefore he knew that he will only be forgiven and sustained by the same means. David doesn't appeal to anything he's done, but rather appeals to the very nature of who God is. Thus throughout his life, David would appeal to God, not his own rights, for God's favor to remain on him: "Keep me as the apple of your eye." (Psalm 17:8)
David was also truly thankful to the Lord for everything He had done for him and for everything he had. David's life was marked by seasons of great peace and prosperity as well as times of fear and despair, but through all of the seasons in his life, he never forgot to thank the Lord for everything! As followers of Jesus Christ, we would do well to follow David's lead of offering praise through thanksgiving to our Lord.
Yes, David's faith was tested on a grand scale, and he failed at times. But after he sinned, David was truly repentant. The mighty fall hard, and David's fall included adultery, lying, and murder. He had sinned against God, and he admits it, but admitting our sin and asking for forgiveness is only half of the equation. The other half is repentance, and David did that as well. He never blamed others for his mistakes. He did not make excuses based on family history, peer pressure or demands of leadership. He, instead acknowledged and mourned over his sins, he repented, seeked forgiveness and received the Lord's forgiveness!
Throughout the psalms which David wrote, it is not hard to see David's complete adoration for God's Word. Writing at various and often troubling times in his life, David repeatedly mentioned how much he loved God's perfect Word and sought to follow it exactly. Also notice how David "meditated" on God's statutes. God granted David understanding and wisdom through daily meditation. We would do well to not only read God's Word but also think about it throughout the day, for God loves us to think about Him.
If we want a relationship with God like David, to be blessed by God like David, then we must ask for and seek the grace of God that was given to David. Obedience is to be commended and sought after. Above obedience all Christians should seek the undeserved favor, blessings, love, and grace of God. David didn't deserve any of the good that he received. It was because of the character and faithfulness of God that he was blessed so abundantly, and the same is true of all Christians.
As a man after God's own heart, David is a role model for all of us to follow. David's example is a great road map for how we are to live our life. May the Lord help us be people aftet His own heart, and as David did, walk before Him in faithfulness, in righteousness and in pureness of heart with the Lord (1 Kings 3:6). AMEN!
