Having a heart after God’s own.
Acts 13:22
22After 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.’
Today I want to compare the lives of two men, Saul and David. Saul was a man rejected by God, David was a man who would reign with God’s anointing upon his life, and become an predecessor to Jesus. Why did God reject Saul and yet anoint David. What sins did Saul commit that caused him to fall from grace, while David ruled with God’s blessing? Let us look at the sins that they both committed in human terms. Imagine a big set of scales.
On one side we have the sins of Saul that caused him to be rejected. Firstly, in 1 Samuel 13, Saul offers up burnt offerings to the Lord instead of waiting for Samuel to arrive as he should have done. Saul demonstrates disobedience and a fear of man. This in human terms is a reasonably serious sin, but nothing too major. Saul’s second sin is found in 1 Samuel 15, where he fails to follow the Lords instructions in failing to totally destroy the Amalekites. Again we have disobedience, but surely, simply failing to destroy something isn’t that bad? Saul did commit many other sins after this, such as consulting the witch of Endor and trying to spear David, but it is at this point that Saul is already rejected, and so we can’t really take them into account.
Let’s weigh David’s sins on the same scales then. We have the time when he took a census of all his troops. The Bible describes this as one of David’s greatest mistakes, but in human terms, it is only probably as bad as Saul offering up a sacrifice instead of waiting. Next we have a bit more serious misdemeanour, the incident with Bathsheba. Adultery has got to be at least as bad as Saul keeping some of the plunder for himself. The scales must be pretty balanced now, if not tipped slightly towards David being the greatest sinner. But hang on, we haven’t finished yet, what about murder. David had an innocent and faithful man killed on the battlefield. Surely now, the scales must be truly weighed towards David being rejected rather than Saul?
If Saul was rejected as king, why not David? The Bible makes it clear that while Saul sinned, because he had a heart that sought after his own benefit, David, despite struggling with sin, had a heart that was firmly after God’s own. David is described again and again as a man whose heart is after Gods own. David’s desperate desire to serve God, despite struggling with sin, is probably the reason that more space in the Bible is dedicated to him than any other character, including Jesus. There are many other characters that could be described as after Gods own heart such as Joseph, Joshua, Daniel, Paul, and of course Jesus. It is because David failed so many times, and yet still managed to seek after God, that we find him easier to relate to than other Biblical heroes.
It was David’s heart, that caused God to punish him, rather than reject him. David was punished, and very severely at times, but God was still able to use him mightily because his heart was after God’s. Saul was majestic and looked every bit a king on the outside, David was a king from the heart. When God chose David, what was it about his heart that he recognised as being like his own? Well if you were to look at ten different sermons, you would probably get around 30 different legitimate answers to this question. Today I have picked out three of the main characteristics that David possessed, and Saul lacked, that caused God to give him the title, ’a man after His own heart’.
David trusted God, rather than fearing men, he had a humble and servants heart, and he knew how to repent. I want to use these things as a check list, to see if we too have a heart after God’s own.
Trusted God, rather than Fearing Man.
David had learnt to trust God as a shepherd. Little by little he had taken on greater challenges. He was so protective of his fathers flock that he was willing to take on a lion or a bear in order to save them. When it came to Goliath, he didn’t cower in fear like the rest of Israel, because he feared only God, and he had learnt to trust Him.
1 Samuel 17: 33-35
33 Saul replied, "You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are only a boy, and he has been a fighting man from his youth."
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."
Saul on the other hand had offered his sacrifice out of a fear of man. Samuel was later than he was expecting. The enemy lay before him and his troops wanted to know that God would be with them. Saul hadn’t learnt to trust God fully. He feared men more than God and this caused him to offer up a sacrifice, rather than leaving it to the priest. Saul had also taken plunder from the Amalekites, partly out of fear of man.
1 Samuel 15:24
24 Then Saul said to Samuel, "I have sinned. I violated the LORD’s command and your instructions. I was afraid of the people and so I gave in to them.
David’s trust in God had been built up during his years of working as a shepherd boy. He had faced challenges and had trusted God to help him rather than fear the danger. On each occasion his faith had been built up. When we face challenges at work or in other areas of our lives, how are we dealing with them? Do we let the enemy take ground, or do we face up to the challenge and trust God to give us victory? If we can’t do this in our daily lives, then how can we expect to stand when Goliath sized problems come our way?
Jesus knew how to trust the Father, and not to fear man. He wasn’t afraid of upsetting people. He took on the greatest Goliath of all, death, and won victory. If we want a heart like Gods own, then we too must start to take the stand.
Had a Humble, servants heart.
David had also learnt the art of humility and servant-hood. The great prophet Samuel had come to town. The elders of the town were nervous. Samuel had invited Jesse and his family to a sacrifice that he was making. It was a great honour and Jesse’s sons passed by Samuel like models on a catwalk. Where was David when all of this was going on? Was he joining in with the festivities and rubbing shoulders with the rich and famous? No, he was in the field, tending to the sheep. David’s desire to serve rather than seeking honour, set him apart from his brothers. He demonstrated this quality again and again. After defeating Goliath and earning the right to marry Saul’s daughter, he didn’t feel himself worthy to become the kings son in law.
Saul on the other hand acted out of pride and out of what he could gain. When he attacked the Amalekites he wanted the plunder for himself. Instead of being obedient and destroying everything, he kept the best of it. He even then went a set a statue up in his own name.
1 Samuel 15: 7-12
7 Then Saul attacked the Amalekites all the way from Havilah to Shur, to the east of Egypt. 8 He took Agag king of the Amalekites alive, and all his people he totally destroyed with the sword. 9 But Saul and the army spared Agag and the best of the sheep and cattle, the fat calves and lambs-everything that was good. These they were unwilling to destroy completely, but everything that was despised and weak they totally destroyed.
10 Then the word of the LORD came to Samuel: 11 "I am grieved that I have made Saul king, because he has turned away from me and has not carried out my instructions." Samuel was troubled, and he cried out to the LORD all that night.
12 Early in the morning Samuel got up and went to meet Saul, but he was told, "Saul has gone to Carmel. There he has set up a monument in his own honour and has turned and gone on down to Gilgal."
How different are the attitudes of David and Saul? But whose attitude do we most resemble? What are your motives for working either at home, at work, or in the church? Is it for gain, position or honour, or is it for the satisfaction of knowing that we are serving God? Whether you work as an evangelist, a plumber, a house wife or anything else, what are you motives?
Do I work for gain? There is nothing wrong with earning money, but it shouldn’t be the primary motive for our work. Ask yourself, would still do the job your doing if you had to take a pay cut, or the conditions were less favourable?
Is it for honour? Would you still work as hard for the church, or at work, if nobody could see what you are doing? Is the quality and quantity of or work as high when we are not supervised as when we are?
So often, a young Christian’s greatest desire can be to become a church paid mister or evangelist, rather than serve God in some other area of work. The reason often is because they see the position as being attractive, rather then because they are called to it.
Instead our primary motive for any work should be to serve God. It should be in the peace that comes from knowing that we are in the right place with God. When David was in the service of Saul, he didn’t leave until he had to, because he knew that God had put him there. Our leaders, ministers and bosses, can sometimes make outlives difficult. David’s boss threw a spear at him twice, but David still didn’t serve him with any less respect. How would we fair in those circumstances?
1 Thessalonians 4: 11&12
11Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you, 12so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.
We are actually told that it should be our ambitions to work and lead a quiet life. Jesus lived without seeking honour and with His primary motive being to follow the will of His Father. He might be the king of kings, but He is also the worlds greatest servant.
Like Jesus, It didn’t matter whether David was working as a lowly shepherd boy, or exalted to the position of king, his primary motive was to serve God to the very best of His ability. Do we also have a heart after Gods own in this area of our life? Are we happy to serve Him where ever God puts us?
He knew how to repent.
As we mentioned earlier David committed some very serious sins. According to old testament law he should have actually been put to death for his actions. When you read of how David treated his faithful servant Uriah, we can see how far it is possible for any man of God to fall. David however, had the error of his ways pointed out to him by the prophet Nathan. David accepted his sin and the punishment that goes with it. After the son born to David and Bathsheba dies, David enters the house of the Lord and worships God.
After David had took a census of the fighting men of Israel and Judah, the Lord was especially angry with him. Again David immediately repents. He is offered three punishments and chooses to be punished at the hand of God Himself. David is also especially grieved at the fact that others are suffering because of his sin. He pleads with God that the punishment should be brought on him. This is the sign of a man who is truly repentant.
David doesn’t hide his sin or make excuses for it. He simply turns from it, excepts the blame, and throws himself into the hands of God. Even in his failings, David shows that he has a heart after Gods own.
How does Saul react in the same situation. When Saul is confronted by Samuel after he made an unauthorised offering to God, he tries to blame Samuel and make excuses. ’Well Samuel if you hadn’t of been late...’
1 Samuel 13: 11&12
11 "What have you done?" asked Samuel.
Saul replied, "When I saw that the men were scattering, and that you did not come at the set time, and that the Philistines were assembling at Micmash, 12 I thought, ’Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not sought the LORD’s favor.’ So I felt compelled to offer the burnt offering."
When Saul fails to obey God in destroying the Amalakites, his approach is even more imaginative. Firstly he tries to make Samuel believe that he has fully carried out his instructions.
1 Samuel 15: 13&14
13 When Samuel reached him, Saul said, "The LORD bless you! I have carried out the LORD’s instructions."
14 But Samuel said, "What then is this bleating of sheep in my ears? What is this lowing of cattle that I hear?"
Saul tries desperately to cover up his sin. ’Oh yes I have completed the job just as you instructed... baaa.... oh sorry, just clearing my throat... moo.’ His cover was blown and his sin had found him out, and so he tries a slightly different tack. He now tries to make out that he wasn’t being disobedient after all, in fact, he was actually doing God a favour.
1 Samuel 15: 15
15 Saul answered, "The soldiers brought them from the Amalekites; they spared the best of the sheep and cattle to sacrifice to the LORD your God, but we totally destroyed the rest."
When Samuel challenges Saul on this, Saul insists again that he was only trying to please God. Eventually Samuel forces Saul to admit his wrong, but even then he makes excuses and blames the men he was with.
Saul’s inability to repent and admit his failures mean that he is rejected. It is David’s ability to repent that meant that God could forgive him. David demonstrates that his heart is for God in his desire to rid himself of sin and live a life of holiness.
1 John 1:9
9:If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
To confess means more than just to say, ’Sorry Lord.’ The word means to agree with. We have to agree with God about our sins. We must see the serious of the sin from his perspective. If you have committed an act of sexual immorality, then you have to realise the seriousness of that sin. That because of it you deserve to go to hell. It is an act of rejection to God. It is an act that will cause the judgement of God. Once you agree with God about the seriousness of the sin, like David did, then he will forgive us and purify us from all unrighteousness. Psalm 51 is a demonstration of true repentance.
Once we have done that we can return to the state mentioned in 1 Corinthians 6:11
11:And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
What is our attitude towards sin? Do we throw ourselves into the hands of a merciful God accepting the consequences of our actions, or do we try and hide it or justify it? ’Surely that doesn’t matter, its only a minor deviation.’ ’It doesn’t matter if I steal from the tax man, because I am tithing it, so I’m really doing God a favour.’ Only when we stop kidding ourselves and justifying our sin, can we truly have a heart like Gods own. God is calling his people to Holiness.
Conclusion.
David had a heart after Gods own because he trusted God rather than fearing man, had a humble, servants heart, and knew how to repent. We are never going to have an impact in our church, in our town, or in our workplaces unless we too have that kind of heart.
If we do have a heart after Gods own, life doesn’t promise to be easy but it does promise to be productive. You only have to read about David’s life to work that one out.
Saul spent his life pursuing David. Saul had a huge army of professional soldiers around him, and yet David had the opportunity to end Saul’s life on two separate occasions, with only a band of no hopers to aid him.
1 Samuel 22: 1&2
1 David left Gath and escaped to the cave of Adullam. When his brothers and his father’s household heard about it, they went down to him there. 2 All those who were in distress or in debt or discontented gathered around him, and he became their leader. About four hundred men were with him.
David won many wars with an army made up of people who simply had nowhere else to go. How was David able to turn such a unsightly rabble into a formidable army? It is because they recognised that David had a heart after Gods own, and it gave them hope.
We are living in a dying world. More and more people are finding themselves in distress, in debt or generally discontented with a meaningless life. If we live our lives with a heart after Gods own, we will draw people from this lost world to us and make them into a mighty army. Lets seek after Gods heart this morning.
