10 Reasons David’s Called “A Man After God’s Own Heart”
(Part 10 David Was “Just a Man”)
“And when He had removed him, 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” (Acts 13:22)
In the last 9 articles I’ve tried to offer insight from the life of king David that may be, in part, motive for the LORD to call him “a man after My own heart”, and of course the key to understanding God’s statement about David comes via the last six words of His statement, “who will do all My will”. Doing all the will of God is what makes anyone close to the heart of God. Being trusting, reverent, respectful, loving, humble, able to recognize your own sin then institute change, being merciful, and forgiving are all traits that would enable anyone to become a good leader and thus, cause God to be pleased with you. Yet, there is no doubt David had many great qualities, but we must recognize, “David was just a man”. This is important for us all to realize for in this statement I am saying that if David, with all his imperfections did it, being just a “man” after God’s own heart, so can you.
Like all of us, David was not without his faults. We have all seen strong storms with powerful winds that can make a tall strong tree bend. In each of our lives and in the life of David there are times when the storms come with fierceness, bending us and trying to break us spiritually. These storms are temptations such as the “the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life” (1 John 2:16), not of the Father but of the world. Many events in the life of David sought to bend and break him, and cause him to fall from grace and again I emphasize, if David withstood these, being just a man, so can you and I. We may not be powerful kings ruling thousands, but we all can by the grace of God and by the power of the gospel of Christ keep our hearts leaning, and depending on the Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ. David was not without faults, but he inclined his own heart Godward before, after and during temptations.
For example, remember after “Joab gave the sum of the number of people” it was written that “David’s heart condemned him”, and caused him to say LORD, “I have sinned greatly in what I have done; but now, I pray, O Lord, take away the iniquity of Your servant, for I have done very foolishly” (2 Sam. 24:9-10). I have sinned, you have sinned, “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23), and like David all can pray the LORD takes away our iniquity. In this case David was trusting in the flesh, in the ability and strength of men, and not in His God. Each of us must learn to lean on the LORD and trust in His promises to deliver us and care for us. David said, “Trust in the Lord, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness” (Psa. 37:3). David wrote that, “Indeed heaven and the highest heavens belong to the Lord your God, also the earth with all that is in it” (Deut. 10:14), and “The earth is the Lord’s, and all its fullness, the world and those who dwell therein” (Psa. 24:1). We belong to God and the reason we have food on the table, rain for the crops, and a roof over our heads, is God. He is all powerful, and we are not, He can lead us in victory in spite of our weaknesses and our final victory has nothing to do with the strength of others, nor of ourselves, but in the resurrected Savior Who has overpowered flesh and blood, Who will raise us up in victory because we remain, “steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord” (1 Cor. 15:58). For, “If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Rom. 8:31).
David also was weak in the area of fatherhood which resulted in many of his children bringing him sorrow and shame. Recorded in 2 Samuel 13 Amnon rapes his sister Tamar (vs.12-14), brings shame on Tamar and the whole family (vs.19-20) and the scripture tells us, “when king David heard of all these things, he was very angry” (v.21). Then we read of Absalom who two years later deceived his father the king (vs.26-27), then carried out a plot to kill Amnon by getting him drunk, then commanded his servants to kill him (vs.28-29). When David hears of it he—“tore his garments and lay on the ground” (vs.30-33). Then in verse 39 we read “King David [f]longed to go to Absalom”. We know from chapter 14 that David refused to see Absalom when Joab brought him back (2 Sam. 14:24), and only after two years more (2 Sam. 14:28), reluctantly admitted him to his presence. David abstained from going forth against Absalom when he should have arrested and punished Absalom for rape and for murder. Yet we hear nothing of a punishment that fits the crime. Was David too busy or too soft to instruct and correct his children? Had David brought down upon those boys the rod of correction when they first began their wicked deeds, or had he executed the penalty of disobedience upon them as he heard of their misconduct, he might have saved them and himself from some of the sad results that followed. I can imagine that Solomon may have reminisced these kinds of things just before he wrote, “He who spares his rod hates his son, but he who loves him disciplines him [a]promptly” (Prov. 13:24) or “Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it” (Prov. 22:6). But let us remember, that in all this, God used him! David’s life is testimony to the greater ability of God to work through weak, frail, and sinful people, like me and you, to accomplish His purposes. Always remember then, “You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:4).
As just a man, David was not without limitations. David, like us all, at times need strength we don’t have within us just to get through the day. We learn from David that he was not too proud to admit it, nor too proud to ask. He said one time, “My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and [a]appear before God?” (Psalm 42:2) and “The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid?” (Psalm 27:1). He had faults and troubles and limitations yet in all this, one of the most beautiful things about his life—he was not too proud to hold out his hand for help.
Finally let us remember that David, along with many other men and women, is mentioned in the “heroes-of-faith” of Hebrews 11. “32 And what more shall I say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon and Barak and Samson and Jephthah, also of David and Samuel and the prophets: 33 who through faith subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, 34 quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, became valiant in battle, turned to flight the armies of the aliens” (Heb. 11:32-34).
These were all just people who, because they walked in faith, were divinely enabled, and did remarkable deeds beyond their own natural abilities. So can you! Remember, “I can do all things through [a]Christ who strengthens me” (Phil 4:13).
In Love
David Scarpino
“…our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. 18 But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up” (Daniel 3:17-18)