God’s Own Heart

As a young Christian, I was always puzzled by the Bible’s description of King David as “a man after God’s own heart” (1 Samuel 13:14, Acts 13:22).

Wasn’t David an adulterer and murderer?

Hardly the stellar example of a godly man I would pick.

Start With King Saul

The story of David starts with King Saul. Saul became king when he was 30 years old and reigned over Israel for 42 years.

1 Samuel 13 describes the turning point for Saul. The Israelites were battling the Philistines at Gilgal. Saul waited seven days for Samuel to show up and make an offering to God on behalf of Israel – an offering that would hopefully guarantee a military victory.

But Samuel was late.

Saul made the burnt offering himself, something only priests were permitted to do.

And then Saul tried to justify his decision to Samuel:

I thought, ‘Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not sought the Lord’s favor.’ So I felt compelled to offer the burnt offering.” (1 Samuel 13:12)

That excuse didn’t hold with Samuel, who announced to Saul:

“You have done a foolish thing,” Samuel said. “You have not kept the command the Lord your God gave you; if you had, he would have established your kingdom over Israel for all time. But now your kingdom will not endure; the Lord has sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him ruler of his people, because you have not kept the Lord’s command.” (1 Samuel 13:13-14)

Enter King David

David was a successful king, finally taking control over the entire Promised Land.

But David was not immune to sin either, as 2 Samuel 11 and 12 show us.

Instead of fighting with his armies as had been his pattern, David sent them off and remained in Jerusalem one Spring.

One hot night, King David wandered up to the palace rooftop to cool off. He spied Bathsheba bathing on the roof of an adjoining building.

She was beautiful. She was also married to Uriah the Hittite.

That didn’t stop David. He slept with Bathsheba, and she became pregnant.

David tried to “fix” the problem first by trying to trick Uriah into spending the night with Bathsheba, providing a legitimate explanation for her pregnancy.

When that failed, David had Uriah killed, making his death look like a war casualty.

The Important Question

How could an adulterer and murderer be considered “a man after God’s own heart”? Surely those characteristics didn’t describe God’s Heart.

David’s Response to Failure

David’s failures should come as no surprise to us. Sin is part of our human nature. It’s us saying to God, “You’re not enough.” Sin is craving the created rather than the Creator.

The key to the phrase “God’s Own Heart” is in David’s response when confronted with his sins by the prophet Nathan.

Then David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” (2 Samuel 12:13).

Yes, David had wronged Bathsheba, Uriah, and the baby who would die shortly after childbirth.

But David recognized that all sin was an affront to God’s holy nature.

A King’s Heart For God

We can learn more about David’s heart by reading the many beautiful Psalms he penned. Through them, we see David’s:

• Reverence for God:
  • “O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens.” (Psalm 8:1, 9)
  • “Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom.” (Psalm 145:3)
• Repentance for his shortcomings:
  • “Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love… For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me.” (Psalm 51:1, 3)
  • “Do not bring your servant into judgment, for no one living is righteous before you.” (Psalm 143:2)
• Recognition that his sins were ultimately against God:
  • “Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the Lord.’ And you forgave the guilt of my sin.” (Psalm 32:5)
  • “Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger or discipline me in your wrath. Have mercy on me, Lord, for I am faint.” (Psalm 6:1-2)
• Reliance on God’s strength, protection, and faithfulness:
  • “I love you, Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer… I called to the Lord, who is worthy of praise, and I have been saved from my enemies.” (Psalm 18:1–3)
  • “The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me.” (Psalm 28:7)

The same God who helped David overcome Goliath (1 Samuel 17:37) was there to help him overcome other challenges and temptations.

Your Heart For God

Does David’s life encourage or discourage you?

It can be frustrating to watch the hero of a story fail, as King David did.

As king, David lived his life in a fishbowl. David was constantly watched by the nation of Israel, as well as the surrounding countries.

The story of King David and Bathsheba should serve as a reminder

• As Christians, others are watching us. We too are in a fishbowl.
• They will see how we deal with our failures.
• We need to demonstrate our Christian faith amid our struggles, our victories, and our progress

Dig into your faith as the world watches.

 

Prayer: Heavenly Father, when I fail, remind me of King David’s response. Let me remember your majesty and glory, repent of my sins, realize that all sin is an affront to your holiness, and rejoice in the mercy and grace You offer all of Your children. 

 

All images are generated by ChatGPT.