King David
When I think of David, my first association is” A man by the heart of God”. His is placed in the First and Second book of Samuel. David was a shepherd, a soldier, a prophet, the writer of Psalms, and the king of Israel. David was not perfect, he made a lot of mistakes, wrong choices, and he had sinned a lot. Never the less, God was using David for His great work. We learn from David that when he made a mistake, he always run back to God and ask for His forgiveness. God also loved David, and after his fall because David truly repented and asked for forgiveness.
For chronological reasons, it is better to read first the story of Saul and Samuel.
Introduction
The story and everything about King David begins in chapter 16, the First book of Samuel we read how God decided to replace king Saul with David: “And the Lord said unto Samuel, How long wilt thou mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? fill thine horn with oil, and go, I will send thee to Jesse the Bethlehemite: for I have provided me a king among his sons.” (1 Samuel 16:1, KJV). Since our Lord made His choice, it was time to relive it to the prophet Samuel. Samuel’s mission was to go to Jesse’s home and reviled the new king of Israel.
In the same chapter, we read when Samuel first saw Eliab that he was sure that he was God’s choice: “And it came to pass, when they were come, that he looked on Eliab, and said, Surely the Lord’s anointed is before him.” (1 Samuel 16:6).
We can learn a lesson from this, God does not look the outside look, He looks in people’s hearts. When they saw Elijah, they thought it was God’s choice, and as we read it in the next verse: “But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.” (1 Samuel 6:7, KJV).
God wants good heart!
God is saying here that on the outside looks when looking at Elijah he seems like he has all the qualifications to be the king. They were impressed by his appearance, his talents, his intellect, even strength, and beauty. They thought he was God’s choice. Someone can look religious, spiritual, from the human perspective, all the qualities to be a leader. Luckily for David, he was not chosen by a man. God also wants to say to them that they cannot see what qualifications is He looking for. When God saw Elijah’s heart, He revealed his heart was not the one God wants. God is looking for a heart-shaped as His.
Some people intend to show self rightness from the outside, but on the inside, their heart enjoys, and they wish if there were no restrictions. At the same time, they convince themselves they are holy.
The Bible says: “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee. ”(Proverbs 23: 7, KJV). The meaning is not the same, what he thinks in his heart and what he says. Therefore, Samuel has to continue his search for the new king.
In the next few verses, we read that Jesse asked seven of his sons to come so Samuel can see them. “Then Jesse called Abinadab, and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, Neither hath the Lord chosen this. Then Jesse made Shammah to pass by. And he said, Neither hath the Lord chosen this. Again, Jesse made seven of his sons to pass before Samuel. And Samuel said unto Jesse, The Lord hath not chosen these.” (1 Samuel 16:8-10, KJV). “And David said unto Saul, Who am I? and what is my life, or my father’s family in Israel, that I should be son in law to the king?” (1 Samuel 18:18, KJV)
The new king is found!
Now, Samuel knew that he should not look at the appearance, but wait for the Lord to show him who is His chosen one. In verse 11&12, Samuel asked Jesse, does he has more sons? Jesse said that there is one more, David, the youngest one, who took the sheep to pasture. Someone went for David. He was good looking, with brown eyes and handsome stature. The Lord said, get up and anoint him because he is my chosen one. “Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah.” (1 Sam 16:13)
David was meant to be the new king. The Spirit of Lord left Saul and came on David. The consequences of Saul’s sins and God’s leaving him were huge. The evil spirit possessed Saul. Immediately he ordered the servants to go and find a man who can sing and play well and bring him to Saul. The servants found David. Jesse sent David to see Saul, he gives him bread, and a bottle of wine, and a kid, and sent them by David unto Saul.
When David came to Saul and remained before him, Saul was so pleased that he gifted him extraordinarily; and he turned into his armor-bearer. Saul loved David so much that he sends a message to Jesses to let David stay with him. Later, we read in the final verse, chapter 16, what happened, when the Spirit of God had come upon Saul, that David took the harp, and beat with his hand; so the evil spirit left him. David found favor with Saul.
Highly Recommended:
Book The Life of King David: How God Works Through Ordinary Outcasts and Extraordinary Sinners
Book: Making of a Man of God, The: Lessons from the Life of David
Animated movie about Abraham and Isaac (25 min). It tells the story so well.
Like King David
God sees us differently than other people see us, and as we see ourselves. God only sees the heart. That means that we, too, should throw away every righteousness that is not from God. Every righteousness that comes from the outside looks doesn’t come from the Lord. Men and women, who pleased God’s heart, are the ones who would rather die than intentionally hurt God’s heart. They would rather stand alone than be surrounded by those who are from this world.
We live in the world, but we are not from the world. We should not isolate ourselves from the world, but we should not live by its rules. We, who have Christ in us, should spread His love. We should not look at who is, if someone is a man shaped by God’s heart, before looking into ourselves. The first person we should examine is us. The fact that we are sitting in the front row of church doesn’t mean that we are the holiest or closest to God. They, who have, no standard place in the church, are usually those who please God’s heart.
Those who are quietly praying and serving the Kingdom show the love of Christ on their faces. Ask yourself, can I be a man or a woman who needs God’s heart, like David? God listens to us, and He knows our hearts, He examines our thoughts, or we are on the path to eternal life. Ask God to make you a man and a woman, according to His own heart. Ask God to make you more of a man/woman like David. Glory to God who gave us this mercy, so that we can through the Blood of Christ, the power of the Holy Spirit, and the word of God so that we can be like David.