Ps. Justin Paul
16th January 2011

King David was called many things in his lifetime - King, ruler, leader, composer of songs and psalms, a worshipper, a skillful harp player, a successful warrior, son, brother, husband, father… David had many titles, won many laurels, and received praise from those around him. But the thing of greater value is that the eternal God also testified about him.

1 Samuel 13:14 tells us that God sought (searched for) a man after His own heart, and His search ended with David. God searched for a particular (peculiar) kind of man, not an ordinary kind of man. God sought a man who would do what He wanted. God testifies about David in many verses of the Scriptures, some of them are 1 Kings 11:4, 1 Kings 14:8, 1 Kings 15:3, Acts 13:22…. It was almost as though David became the measure that God used to measure all men.

God weighs the heart. That’s why the Bible says in Proverbs 4:23, “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.” All sin finds its origins in the fertile soil of a sin-harboring heart. Yet when God looked at David’s heart, He saw what He had been looking for in man – someone who will delight to do His will. In any instances, David chose to obey and honor God over and above his own comfort. He chose to do what pleased God, rather than what He wanted to do.

How can we become more like David?

Mathew 6:21 says, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Mathew 5:8 says only the pure in heart will see God. Mark 12:30 says, “…love the Lord your God with all your heart…” God is not interested in our offerings if our hearts are not right with Him. David’s was. It does not matter what we do or what we attempt for God. What matters most, is whether our hearts are in tune with His, at all times. Saul, David and Solomon, all ruled for 40 years. However it is David who was considered the most successful. Solomon, David’s son, was the wisest man on the earth, but 1 Kings 11:3-13 gives reasons why his reign was not as successful as that of his father. His many wives and concubines led his heart astray.

What made David a man after God’s own heart? David had built the right foundation for a long-lasting relationship with God Almighty.

• David loved God for who He is. David was not enamored by the blessings. One of the Psalm’s (Psalm 16:2) he wrote has the following words, “…apart from You, I have no good thing.”  
• David was humble. He surrendered his will completely and accepted that God was in charge.
• David was reverent and respectful. Some trusted in horses and others in chariots, but David trusted in the God of his youth to be his Saviour. Psalm 23 was written out of a deep love and respect for God. Another time, David’s enemies raided and captured his family, his people, his livestock etc. Yet David didn’t run off in hot pursuit. Instead he took time to wait and seek God’s response to the problem. 
• David was repentant. This is probably the most important reason why David was successful. He was ready to repent and accept responsibility for what he had done. His mistakes were many. He was an adulterer, murdered, commandment breaker, an emotionally driven bad father, proud…. And yet it says in 1 Kings 15:4-5 that David did what was right in the eyes of the Lord except in the case of Uriah the Hittite. Even if we sin, we must learn to repent as David did. After the incident with Bathsheba, the prophet Nathan accused David of murder. David could have very easily sentenced the prophet to die. But instead David went aside to repent. He didn’t give excuses, instead he penned one of the most beautiful scriptures in the Bible, Psalm 51. And God forgave him.

David’s story is one of hope, hope that all of us can please God even as we live our lives everyday on this earth. Is it also a story of God’s grace and abundant love for us. Let us imitate David and turn our hearts, minds and wills over Him. He can do infinitely more with our lives than we can ever hope to do.