Thought for the Week

I was thinking of something off and on. It is said of King David, “He is a man after God’s own heart.” In Acts 13:22, Paul has been recounting the unfolding of God’s plan of salvation. David is one of the stars in a long list of people God used to bring about this plan. The claim was first given in I Samuel 13:14 when Samuel tells King Saul God has rejected him as king and sought for a man after His own heart. So what is this man like? Actually, when the claim was made, David was likely a young teenager. He was engaged in shepherding his father’s flock of sheep. Shepherds were not very popular people. Samuel knew God had chosen someone from Jesse’s family to be the next king. David’s brothers thought of him as a “bratty kid, too big for his britches.” His father had forgotten about him when Samuel asked to meet Jesse’s sons. Samuel had not found the one for whom he was seeking among the first seven of Jesse’s sons and Samuel asked if there were any more. Only then did Jesse send for him. God saw great potential in David. It reminds me of what Samuel said, “Man looks on the outward appearance but the lord looks on the heart.” God saw something very special in David’s heart. As he matures, we can see some special qualities. 1. He was a poet/song writer. But it was not so much his talent. It was that God was the Focus and Object of his songs and poems. 2. He was brave. He faced down and killed a lion and a bear that threatened his sheep. Remembering this, he faced down and killed a giant who had been mocking God and the Israelite army. But David’s trust was not in his fighting skill. His bravery came from his trust in God. 3. He was loyal. He formed a life-long friendship with Jonathan. Long after Jonathan was dead, David supported Jonathan’s crippled son. 4. David was fair and generous. When some of David’s men became too exhausted to continue in battle, David let them rest then gave them a fair portion of the spoils of victory. 5. David wanted to honor God by building a temple in which to worship Him. God forbade that but David went about preparing the most elaborate building supplies so his son, Solomon, was able to actually build the temple. It is true God blessed David. But it was not simply because David was talented, brave, loyal, fair, and generous. There came a day that David worshipped God by dancing, with all his might, before Him. When confronted for this by his wife, David humbly proclaimed he would do more if he could. David was not perfect. He sinned. But when confronted for his sin, David genuinely repented and sought forgiveness from God. I think the key to David’s life was what God said of him, “He will do everything I want Him to do.” We know David fearlessly put his life on the line for God. True David loved God because God first loved him. No one can love God before God loves him. But once God declares and demonstrates His love, people have a chance to respond. Many simply absorb God’s love. Some return a portion of God’s love. David was one of the rare ones who gave back to God love in as full a measure as humanly possible. David was precious to God. David wrote, “As a thirsty deer pants after the water in a brook, so my soul longs for Thee O, God.” You and I may not ever become famous, or a king but I pray we will long to be in God and have Him in our hearts in full measure.

Scriptures to Read

Psalm 46:1

I Samuel 17:45

II Samuel 9:1, 6-11

II Samuel 12:13, 16, 20-23

II Samuel 6:13-15, 17-19, 21-22

II Samuel 7:18-23

II Samuel 7:23-29