Like many people, King David is one of my favorites in the Bible. His faith in God, his absolute love for God – were both demonstrated throughout his life, and of course – every Sunday school student remembers the story of David and Goliath 1 Samuel 17. Perhaps there is no better example of David’s complete love and faith in God than this story; while grown men and seasoned soldiers were afraid, David, was fearless, trusting that God would guide and help him.
But what has always captured my attention is that God called David “a man after God’s own heart”. In Acts 13 Paul refers to the removal of Saul as King in 1 Samuel 13-14 , saying “He 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”.
What was it about David that was deserving of such a pronouncement? Clearly, God knows our heart even from a young age, but to say “after My own heart”, kind of makes you take note. David is known for great highs and lows. When he followed God’s will, God allowed him triumph and after triumph; and when he wasn’t following God’s will, David committed some of the most well known sins in the Bible. His sin with Bathsheba among them.
David had many wifes’ and even more concubines, but despite this the story of David and Bathsheba highlights how all of us struggle with sin. Even those called by God “a man after my own heart”. The story unfolds as the army of Israel is sent out to battle, yet David remained in Jerusalem. One evening as he walked outside, high up on the King’s house, he saw a woman washing herself. While knowing that she was married to Uriah (an elite soldier in David’s army), David brought her to his home and had sex with her – then sent her home. Some time later, Bathsheba sent word that she was pregnant. To try and cover this up, David ordered Uriah home from the battlefield – in hopes that he would lay with Bathsheba. When this failed, he sent Uriah back to the battlefield and gave orders, to place him out in front of the battle where he was killed. https://www.bible.com/bible/1/2SA.11.KJV
God was greatly displeased with David and the punishment was severe – losing a child, “raising evil against thine own house”, but through it all, David’s faith and loved for God never waivered. David repented, and God restored him. In all seasons, he poured his heart out to God in his writings throughout the Psalms, writing almost half of the 150 of the Book of Psalms.
While there are many books on this topic, a good place to start is “A Man After God’s Own Heart” by Jim George. Link: https://www.amazon.com/Man-After-Gods-Own-Heart/dp/0736959696/ref=dp_ob_title_bk
Prayers from Dad 