David - A man after God's own heart

“…the Lord has sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him leader of his people…” (1 Sam 13:14)

After years of wondering why David was a man after God’s own heart, I finally realize that I’ve wasted valuable time on a question God plainly answers. According to God Himself, if we desire a glimpse into His heart, we should ponder David’s heart! This revelation helped me understand why, even as a boy, I loved David so. Even though he is a pre-Christ figure, David is an outstanding model of everything a Christian should hope to be. He represents the very best and worst of us all. Studying him is like beholding a marvelous flower blossoming petal by petal, with each revealing why David is a man after God’s own heart—so much so that, to this day, much church liturgy is modeled after the contrition David expressed in the Psalms.

David was blessed in that shepherding, being a solitary vocation, afforded him intimacy with God. It is abundantly clear that David did not squander that time; he loved God with all his heart. He brought that magnificent, inspiring love straight from the field to King Saul’s palace through his music. David was neither afraid nor ashamed to praise God with singing and dancing.

It was this love for God that fueled the fiery zeal transforming David from a shepherd into a giant-slayer. He saw Goliath’s boasting as a direct affront to God and, in a righteous rage, asked what the army was too paralyzed by fear to realize: “…who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?" (1 Samuel 17:26). David was fully convinced that God would deliver the irreverent, defiant giant into his hands, declaring: “This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head” (1 Samuel 17:46).

David, like Paul, was a "chief among sinners"—an adulterer who went so far as to meticulously arrange the murder of Bathsheba’s husband to avoid exposure. Yet, when accused of his sin by the prophet Nathan, David so naturally, sincerely, and confidently sought after God’s grace that he believed wholeheartedly in His forgiveness. Consequently, God declared through Nathan, “The Lord has taken away your sin. You are not going to die.” David understood the vital importance of confession, contrition, and repentance.

David possessed a heart toward his children like the heart God has toward us. When one of David’s sons, Amnon, raped his daughter, Tamar, his other son, Absalom, waited for an opportunity to kill Amnon in revenge. Later, Absalom slept with David’s concubines during an attempt to usurp the throne. Even when David’s own field commander ended Absalom’s life for his treason, David’s heart ached. His tears flowed for his children and his family’s dysfunction—a dysfunction still common in families today. David’s faith in God was steadfast, making him uniquely familiar with God’s own heartache for us.

What is particularly unique about David—setting him apart from all other Old Testament characters—is his clear vision of God as his Redeemer, even though Christ had not yet arrived. David knew God’s mercy.

This article barely scratches the surface of the profound relationship between David and our Father. It is invaluable for us, as Christians, to recognize the importance of getting to know David through Scripture. He is an immeasurable model of a complete man of faith. He possessed a post-Christ heart in a pre-Christ world. And I no longer wonder why God found David to be a “…man after His own heart…”

Father. Thank You for the life of David, a man whose heart mirrored Your own in both its triumphs and its brokenness. Help us to seek Your face with that same raw honesty—to be as quick to repent as we are to praise. Transform our hearts to be like his: deeply dependent on Your mercy, fiercely zealous for Your glory, and always mindful of Your redeeming love. Amen

mgb