David, a Man After God’s Own Heart
Mike Bonner
Israel wanted a king, that they may be like the nations around them (1Samuel 8:6). This disappointed Samuel for he thought they were rejecting him, but God had to tell him, “for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them” (1 Samuel 8:7). God therefore gave them a king in His anger and took him away in His wrath (Hosea 13:11). After Saul stepped out of his role as king and felt compelled to take upon himself the role of priest, God rejected him as king (1 Samuel 13:12). Samuel told Saul after this event, “the LORD has sought for Himself a man after His own heart, and the LORD has commanded him to be commander over His people, because you have not kept what the LORD commanded you” (1 Samuel 13:14). That man would be David who trusted in Him and honored Him with his life.
What type of man was David? Did David love the Lord? Was David perfect? Was David willing to make things right after his failures? David was known as the sweet psalmist of Israel (2 Samuel 23:1). Being from the tribe of Judah, he was from the kingly tribe of which Jesus also came. He was obedient to the will of God in that he understood roles and authority. When he had the opportunity to kill Saul, on multiple occasions, he refrained because of his respect for God. Notice this, “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 24:6). There are many lessons to learn from David in this arena of life. We must learn to obey God regardless of what man may say or do.
David was a warrior as well. On a few occasions he had to fight in wars and on one occasion he took the fight to a man named Nabal. This man, Nabal, was a disrespectful man who did not want to acknowledge or help David and his men in time of need (1 Samuel 25:10-11). David did not take the disrespect well and proceeded to take the fight to Nabal (1 Samuel 25:13). At times, even the best tempered people can find themselves in positions where someone else is needed to calm them down before it gets extremely ugly. This was the case with David, for Abigail intervened and stopped David from avenging himself but rather allowed the LORD to avenge him (1 Samuel 25:32-35; Romans 12:19). Vengeance is Mine saith the LORD, I will repay.
Did David love the Lord? Absolutely, he did. David’s respect and love for the Lord is the reason he did not kill Saul. He loved the word of God deeply as well. Notice some of David’s own words, “I delight to do Your will, O my God, and Your law is within my heart” (Psalm 40:8). He claimed the LORD to be his shepherd and knew he would be provided for by Him (Psalm 23). To be a man after God’s heart, one has to love and honor the word of God. Paul honored and loved the words of Christ in that he said this by inspiration, “let the word of Christ dwell in you richly…” (Colossians 3:16). If we are going to be like David, we must love the LORD our God with everything we have and not allow anything to distract us from doing the will of God from the heart.
Was David perfect? We know Paul’s words to the Romans in chapter three, “for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God…” (3:23). No, David was not perfect in that he made multiple blunders and transgressions in life. He sinned with Bathsheba and killed her husband (2 Samuel 11:1-12:15). He numbered the people without authority from God (2 Samuel 24:1-17). He was not the best father nor did he treat Michal as well as he could for he was absent most of the time (2 Samuel 3:1-6:23). One thing we can learn from David, he had the habit of making things right. On two of these things listed of David, he literally said these words, “I have sinned” (2 Samuel 12:13; 2 Samuel 24:10). The very fact he acknowledged sin in his life and God forgave him (yet the consequences were still applied to him) demonstrates his beautiful life as God’s man.
David was not only willing, but he actually made things right with God, and the LORD blessed him because of his attitude and actions. This is one of the things that made David a man after God’s own heart. He literally behaved himself well before man and God, for the LORD was with him (1 Samuel 18:5; 14-15, 30). Are we willing to be like David and make our wrongs right? David’s attitude was seen in how he responded to God’s punishment. In Psalms 32 and 51, we see David noticing how God imputed (did not hold the sin against him) his sin. David was willing to pour his heart out to God and said these great words, “create in me a clean heart, O God…” (Psalm 51:10).
In conclusion, we can learn so much from David, the man of God. We can also learn to be humble, gracious and merciful as David was. Let us seek to be people who love the LORD with all of our heart, soul, and mind. May the church at New Boston seek to encourage, enhance and exhort one another in the most holy faith. May the Most-High God be glorified through His Son.