November 5, 2000

1 Samuel 16, 17; 2 Samuel 7

David: A Man after God’s Own Heart

  1. Introduction
    1. This article appeared in September in USA Today - For tae kwon do star Esther Kim, age 20, going to the Olympics has been a long-time dream. She came very close to embracing that dream at the Olympic trials, where she was scheduled to fight her best friend, Kay Poe, who was ranked number one in the world. But Poe had injured her knee in the semi-finals match and could barely stand up. Obviously Kim could have easily defeated Poe. But she believed such a match-up would hardly be fair. In an instant, she decided to forfeit, automatically sending Poe to the Olympics. The moment she made her decision, Kim knew it was right. "I thought, It's not like I'm going to be throwing my dream away. I'm just going to be handing it over to Kay." Kim's magnanimity was affirmed when she was given the Citizenship Through Sports Award, which recognizes exemplary citizenship, sportsmanship, ethical conduct, and community service. In addition, the International Olympic Committee agreed to pay for her and her father (coach of Kim and Poe) to go to the Sydney Olympics. Though some people were critical of her decision, Kim knows she made the right decision. She says, "Even though I didn't have the gold medal around me, for the first time in my life, I felt like a real champion."
    2. Kim showed true character, something we often struggle with in our daily lives. I don’t know if Kim is a Christian or not, but the sacrifice she made would be fitting for a heart that is after God’s own heart. And today we are going to take a look at a man who was identified as having a heart after God’s own heart.
  1. Scripture Passage
    1. The first passage of Scripture we are going to refer to is found in Acts 13. Please don’t turn there, because we’ll be going right away into 1 Samuel 16. But let me read to you what Paul said in Acts 13:22 – "After removing Saul, he made David their king. He testified concerning him: ‘I have found David son of Jesse a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.’"
    2. 1 Samuel 16:1-7 - The LORD said to Samuel, "How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and be on your way; I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem. I have chosen one of his sons to be king." 2 But Samuel said, "How can I go? Saul will hear about it and kill me." The LORD said, "Take a heifer with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the LORD.’ 3 Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what to do. You are to anoint for me the one I indicate." 4 Samuel did what the LORD said. When he arrived at Bethlehem, the elders of the town trembled when they met him. They asked, "Do you come in peace?" 5 Samuel replied, "Yes, in peace; I have come to sacrifice to the LORD. Consecrate yourselves and come to the sacrifice with me." Then he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice. 6 When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and thought, "Surely the LORD’s anointed stands here before the LORD." 7 But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."
    3. 1 Samuel 16:9-13 - 10 Jesse had seven of his sons pass before Samuel, but Samuel said to him, "The LORD has not chosen these." 11 So he asked Jesse, "Are these all the sons you have?" "There is still the youngest," Jesse answered, "but he is tending the sheep." Samuel said, "Send for him; we will not sit down until he arrives." 12 So he sent and had him brought in. He was ruddy, with a fine appearance and handsome features. Then the LORD said, "Rise and anoint him; he is the one." 13 So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the LORD came upon David in power. Samuel then went to Ramah. Verse 13 is very significant. "From that day on the Spirit of the Lord came upon David in power."
    4. The first test of that power came when the Israelites were confronted with Goliath. He insulted and challenged their army for forty days before David showed up on the scene. Let’s see David’s response to Saul in 1 Samuel 17:34-37 - 34 But David said to Saul, "Your servant has been keeping his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, 35 I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it. 36 Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God. 37 The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine."
    5. Now let’s turn to 2 Samuel 7. The Lord has just spoken to David through the prophet Nathan. 2 Samuel 7:18-25 - 18 Then King David went in and sat before the LORD, and he said: "Who am I, O Sovereign LORD, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far? 19 And as if this were not enough in your sight, O Sovereign LORD, you have also spoken about the future of the house of your servant. Is this your usual way of dealing with man, O Sovereign LORD? 20 "What more can David say to you? For you know your servant, O Sovereign LORD. 21 For the sake of your word and according to your will, you have done this great thing and made it known to your servant. 22 "How great you are, O Sovereign LORD! There is no one like you, and there is no God but you, as we have heard with our own ears. 23 And who is like your people Israel—the one nation on earth that God went out to redeem as a people for himself, and to make a name for himself, and to perform great and awesome wonders by driving out nations and their gods from before your people, whom you redeemed from Egypt? 24 You have established your people Israel as your very own forever, and you, O LORD, have become their God. 25 "And now, LORD God, keep forever the promise you have made concerning your servant and his house. Do as you promised, 26 so that your name will be great forever. Then men will say, ‘The LORD Almighty is God over Israel!’ And the house of your servant David will be established before you. 27 "O LORD Almighty, God of Israel, you have revealed this to your servant, saying, ‘I will build a house for you.’ So your servant has found courage to offer you this prayer. 28 O Sovereign LORD, you are God! Your words are trustworthy, and you have promised these good things to your servant. 29 Now be pleased to bless the house of your servant, that it may continue forever in your sight; for you, O Sovereign LORD, have spoken, and with your blessing the house of your servant will be blessed forever."
    6. This prayer of David gives us a little insight into why God said that David was a man after His own heart.
  1. David’s Heart

A. The first thing we can see about David’s heart was that David knew very well Who to focus his thinking on. Psalm 1:1-3 – Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. 2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. 3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither.

Whatever he does prospers. A heart after God focuses itself on God and the things of God.
  1. David readily admitted when he had done wrong. Psalm 51:1-6 shows us his heart after he had been confronted with the sin of committing adultery with Bathsheba and murdering her husband - Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. 2 Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. 3 For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. 4 Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are proved right when you speak and justified when you judge. 5 Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me. 6 Surely you desire truth in the inner parts; you teach me wisdom in the inmost place. A humble heart that readily admits its sin to God is one after Him.
  2. David knew where his strength came from. Psalm 18:1-3 - I love you, O LORD, my strength. 2 The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. 3 I call to the LORD, who is worthy of praise, and I am saved from my enemies. A heart after God knows that God is its only strength.
  3. David praised God no matter what the circumstances. Psalm 30:4 and 5 - 4 Sing to the LORD, you saints of his; praise his holy name. 5 For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning. A heart after God praises Him no matter what the circumstances.
  4. David trusted God no matter what the circumstances, realizing that He alone is in control. Psalm 56:3 and 4 - 3 When I am afraid, I will trust in you. 4 In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me? A heart after God’s own heart will trust in His love and mercy no matter how things appear to be.
  5. David’s only hope for rescue and help in times of trouble was God. Psalm 33:20-22 - 20 We wait in hope for the LORD; he is our help and our shield. 21 In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name. 22 May your unfailing love rest upon us, O LORD, even as we put our hope in you. A heart after God’s own heart will hope only in God for help and rescue.
  6. David loved God and encouraged others to love Him too. Psalm 31:23 and 24 - 23 Love the LORD, all his saints! The LORD preserves the faithful, but the proud he pays back in full. 24 Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the LORD. A heart after God loves Him and leads others to love Him too.
  7. David knew God on a personal level, and that knowledge depended on being upright or pure in heart. Psalm 36:10 - Continue your love to those who know you, your righteousness to the upright in heart. A heart after God’s own heart knows God personally and strives to be pure before Him.
  8. From David’s writings we can see some of the characteristics of his heart, one that was after God’s own heart. A heart after God focuses its attention on God and the things of God, honestly and openly confesses its sin to God, knows that its strength is in God alone, praises God for His faithfulness no matter what the circumstances, trusts God no matter what, puts its hope for rescue and help in God along, loves God and encourages others to love Him too, and knows God on a personal level because it is pure. There are many other characteristics that we could go into, but these we have looked into define the basic character of David’s heart.
  9. Illustration – I read this quote in Leadership Journal that I’ve used before, but it bears repeating: When God measures a man, he puts the tape measure around the heart, not the head. Nancy Ortberg, in Matters of the Heart, wrote: I am by words and actions constantly revealing the state of my heart. When we lived in a small valley town in California, I was Christmas shopping one day. It was rather late in the season, and I had to run out and get a few last minute things. At Christmas time, you know what it's like simply to find a parking spot in the jungle. I finally spotted this old couple walking very slowly to their car. I thought, If I can follow them down the aisle and wait for them to get into their car, that parking space will be mine! So I waited patiently with my blinker on. The couple put their gifts in the trunk, and he opened the door for his wife. I thought, There's no time for chivalry. Get in the car and go. They pulled out slowly, and as I was ready to turn in, a beat up, old van pulled in front of me and took my space. I got out of my car and had a chat with the driver. Had my mother been there, she would have washed my mouth out with soap. I chatted so long and hard and with such interesting words that he backed out of the parking space. I felt good initially. I thought, I'm good. I stood up for my rights. I'm pretty feisty. But then, the verse came into my head that says, "The things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a man 'unclean'" (Matthew 15:18).The painful truth is the Bible says the condition of my heart is reflected by what comes out of my mouth and how I live my life. Many days after that I came to the conclusion I was wrong. I told God my actions and words did indeed reflect the condition of my heart, and I wasn't proud of it.
  10. David knew, as we deep down know, that the condition of the heart is what matters most to God.
  1. So What?
    1. Christians tend to focus on outward behavior. So we ask ourselves questions like this: "Am I doing the right thing?" "Oops, I did the wrong thing!" "He did the wrong thing!" "Don’t they know what they are doing?"
    2. Maybe what we should ask is "Is God concerned about behavior?" The answer has to be "yes." But God is concerned about more than just our behavior. He is concerned the condition of our heart. So the question we should ask ourselves is "What is the condition of my heart? Does my behavior consistently reflect what I believe? If not, what is wrong in my heart?" Those are the questions we have to ask ourselves. Those are the issues that make looking at the condition of David’s heart so important to us.
    3. Thomas Paine wrote ‘Tis the business of little minds to shrink; but he whose heart is firm, and whose conscience approves his conduct, will pursue his principles unto death. Anne Frank wrote And finally I twist my heart round again, so that the bad is on the outside and the good is on the inside, and keep on trying to find a way of becoming what I would so like to be, and could be, if there weren’t any other people living in the world.
    4. What does Jesus Christ want to do with your heart? How does He want to transform your heart? What is keeping Him from doing it? These are the questions all of us need to consider today.
  1. Conclusion
    1. We’re going to take a few minutes of quiet to listen to what God is saying to each one of us. Let’s be quiet before God and just listen.
    2. What does Jesus Christ want to do with your heart? If He is telling you today that He wants to transform your heart, come forward as a sign that you are giving Him permission to do just that, to transform your heart into what He desires. Come forward and kneel and pray.
    3. Let’s pray.
 1