A Man After God’s Own Heart I. Base Text: 1 Samuel 13:14 II. Context and Interpretation A. Saul’s reign had barely begun; he and his army had gathered at Gilgal to fight the Philistines, who had encamped in Michmash (1 Samuel 13:1-7) B. Saul wished for Samuel to come and offer sacrifice before the contest, but it seemed Samuel was delayed; Saul then took it upon himself to offer the sacrifice, because he was losing his army (1 Samuel 13:8-12) C. Samuel chides Saul: YHWH would have established Saul’s kingdom in Israel forever, but now He would seek a man after His own heart to lead Israel, since Saul had rebelled against Him (1 Samuel 13:13-14) D. Who would be that man after God’s own heart? David son of Jesse, as the narrative in 1-2 Samuel would make clear, and explicitly connected by Paul in Acts 13:22 E. What does it mean to be a man after God’s own heart? 1. Why was David called a man after God’s own heart? 2. What made him so different from Saul? 3. How can we learn to be men and women after God’s own heart? III. David, son of Jesse, a Man After God’s Own Heart A. We are truly introduced to David in 1 Samuel 17:1-58 1. Yes, he is first introduced as the seventh son of Jesse, anointed to be king, and a lyre player for Saul in 1 Samuel 16:1-23 2. Nevertheless, we begin to see aspects of David’s character in 1 Samuel 17:1-58 3. We can see why he is a man after God’s own heart: he maintains strong confidence, not necessarily in himself, but in YHWH working through him a. Note David’s approach to the situation in 1 Samuel 17:26 b. He remains confident in God (1 Samuel 17:34-36, 45-47) B. Throughout the rest of 1 Samuel, David will present himself as a humble servant, trusting in YHWH for his vindication, unwilling to kill Saul since he is YHWH’s anointed (1 Samuel 18:1-31:13) C. Even as David gains power after Saul’s death, he lamented over the death of Saul and Jonathan, and did not consent to treachery, even if it benefitted him politically (2 Samuel 1:1-4:12) D. David reigns with justice and moderation, gaining victory on account of his confidence in YHWH; when he transgressed flagrantly, he confessed it, and turned to God in repentance (2 Samuel 5:1-12:31) 1. Much about David’s character can be seen in Psalm 51, David’s response to the exposure of his sin 2. It has sadly been abused to suggest total depravity or original sin; we should not presume that its hyperbole borne out of emotional anguish represents reality 3. And yet it is full of emotional anguish as David grapples with what his sin means E. As David lives out the consequences of his actions, seeing his children rape and murder each other and even attempt to overtake his throne, David continues to accept his fate and trust in YHWH for redemption and deliverance (1 Samuel 13:1-20:26) F. Note well how David puts his trust in YHWH, and none other, when he accepts the sentence for having made an unauthorized census (2 Samuel 24:1-25, 1 Chronicles 21:1-30) G. In his older age David directed his efforts toward preparing to build a Temple for YHWH, having been disabused of doing so himself by YHWH earlier, and made all the arrangements for its service (1 Chronicles 17:1-27, 22:1-29:30) 1. His devotion to YHWH and His purposes can be seen in David’s retrieval of the Ark of the Covenant: at first they sinned in its transport, and Uzzah died; then it was faithfully brought to Jerusalem, and David danced before it (2 Samuel 6:1-15, 1 Chronicles 13:1-14, 15:1-29) 2. David made provision to organize the Levites for their service; he decreed the use of instrumental music in the Temple and those who would play them (1 Chronicles 23:1-26:32) 3. David made sure to exhort Israel, and his son Solomon, to get the Temple built (1 Chronicles 28:1-28) H. Thus, from beginning to end, David maintained great trust in YHWH over anyone or anything else IV. Saul vs. David A. When Samuel spoke of YHWH seeking a man after His own heart, David had not yet been called; it is an indictment of Saul’s behavior (1 Samuel 13:1-14) B. We gain much by seeing why Saul fell short and David succeeded C. YHWH commissioned Saul to exact vengeance on the Amalekites: he did so, but did not entirely exterminate Amalek as he had been commanded; he insisted that he had utterly destroyed Amalek and brought back sacrifices for YHWH, and was sharply rebuked for not listening to YHWH but seeking to do what he imagined YHWH would want (1 Samuel 15:1-35) D. When the Spirit of YHWH came upon David and departed from Saul, Saul became jealous of David and continually sought his death; whereas David showed Saul mercy on two occasions, Saul continually thirsted for David’s demise until his own death (1 Samuel 18:6-26:25) 1. Saul went as far as slaughtering a whole town of priests because he was confident they supported David over him (1 Samuel 22:6-19) 2. David would not harm Saul, the anointed of YHWH; Saul did not feel the same way in return! E. When Saul no longer heard from YHWH by ephod or prophet or dream, he turned to a necromancer even though he had recently expelled them out of the land; the Chronicler considers his doom to be a direct consequence of this behavior (1 Samuel 28:1-25, 1 Chronicles 10:13-14) F. We can see a sharp contrast between Saul and David 1. Saul is no atheist; he is not even condemned for idolatry, even though the original names of one of his sons and one of his grandsons strongly suggests service to Baal (Ishbaal, Meribbaal; cf. 1 Chronicles 9:39-40) 2. In his mind, Saul is a believer in YHWH who trusts in him 3. And yet Saul really trusts in his own ways: when the times become difficult, he will do whatever he feels he needs to do in order to succeed a. Samuel is delayed? Saul will make the sacrifice himself b. Exterminate Amalek? Surely YHWH would appreciate some sacrifices; Saul keeps a portion alive and to take back to Israel c. Not hearing from YHWH? Saul consults a necromancer to speak with Samuel 4. David, on the other hand, truly trusts in YHWH a. Consider David’s response to the threat of Goliath: he is motivated by Goliath’s disdain for YHWH and His people, not confidence in his own strength (1 Samuel 17:1-58) b. David’s two major lapses are well-attested, but otherwise he is always seen to truly seek the will of YHWH, calls upon Him, trusts in His strength to succeed G. In this way we can see why Samuel tells Saul that YHWH seeks a man after His own heart: one who seeks to trust in YHWH, not in himself V. Becoming Men and Women After God’s Own Heart A. We can understand why YHWH chose David and removed His Spirit from Saul: David trusted in YHWH fully B. Yet it is within the Psalms that we can truly discern the deep faith of David; and it is in the Psalms of David where we can learn how we, also, can be men and women after God’s own heart C. Psalm 3:1-8: a cry of distress when enemies are nigh, written while fleeing from Absalom (cf. 2 Samuel 15:1-17:29) D. Psalm 4:1-8 also expresses deep faith E. Psalm 6:1-10: another cry of distress on account of enemies, yet ending in faith in YHWH F. Psalm 8:1-9: David’s meditations upon seeing the stars of the heavens G. Psalm 13:1-6: a short Psalm manifesting much confidence in God F. Psalm 14:1-7: chastisement of the fool who presumes God does not see G. Psalm 16:1-11: David’s confidence in God’s sustenance H. Psalm 19:1-14: The heavens and the Law testify to God’s majesty I. Psalm 22:1-31: anguish turned to vindication J. Psalm 23:1-6: iconic H. ...and we have only explored a few of the psalms of David! I. How can we become men and women after God’s own heart? We must trust God fully and deeply like David did! J. But how can we accomplish that? A way forward would be to imbibe David’s meditations in the Spirit in the Psalms, to make his words our own, to grow in them until we can cry them out without any hint of hypocrisy or inconsistency! VI. Conclusion A. YHWH sought a man after His own heart, and found him in David B. David was not perfect, but he proved trustworthy; he privileged his relationship with YHWH and trusted Him, deeply trusted Him, in every respect C. And so 2 Samuel 7:1-29: YHWH would make David’s house last forever D. David was after YHWH’s own heart, loving Him and ruling well over His people; from David would come YHWH in the flesh, Jesus of Nazareth; He is the one we should follow and embody (Romans 8:28, 1 John 2:3-6)! E. Invitation Scripture, Meditation, and Application 1: “But now thy kingdom shall not continue: YHWH hath sought him a man after his own heart, and YHWH hath appointed him to be prince over his people, because thou hast not kept that which YHWH commanded thee (1 Samuel 13:14). Saul did not fully trust in YHWH; Samuel thus declared that YHWH would find for Himself a man after His own heart to rule after him. That man would be David. We do well to put our trust in God and be a man or woman after His own heart! 2: And David spake to the men that stood by him, saying, “What shall be done to the man that killeth this Philistine, and taketh away the reproach from Israel? for who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?” (1 Samuel 17:26) David’s faith is his striking characteristic even from the beginning. David is not awestruck or afraid of Goliath; he sees a man reviling YHWH and His people, and fully trusts in YHWH to overcome him. We do well to develop a faith like David and trust fully in God! 3: In God have I put my trust, I will not be afraid / What can man do unto me? (Psalm 56:11) If we truly want to understand David’s faith we must turn to the Psalms. David eloquently gave voice to his faith and trust in YHWH no matter the circumstance. In so doing David gives a voice for the people of God throughout time to develop and grow in their faith as well. May we make the message of the Psalms are own and trust in God in Christ! 4: “He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom for ever” (2 Samuel 7:13). David was a man after God’s own heart; he ruled well over Israel, just as YHWH would have him do. David would become the model for all future kings. YHWH promised to maintain His kingdom forever. This promise was ultimately fulfilled when YHWH took on flesh and dwelt among us as Jesus of Nazareth, the embodiment of the divine character. May we trust in Jesus and follow in His ways!