What Made David a Man After God’s Own Heart

This morning as I read through my devotions, I came to the conclusion that God’s classification of David’s spiritual greatness is more complex than I originally thought.  Consider the negatives of David and then his reactions afterward:

1. He committed adultery and murder in the situation with Uriah and Bathsheba.  Yet he repented immediately upon confrontation by the prophet of God, when an illustration was given regarding the lamb being taken from the poor shepherd.  2 Samuel 12
2. He numbered the people (2 Samuel 18:1) in direct opposition to the Lord’s command but then David’s heart was completely crushed when he realized what he had done (2 Samuel 24:10).
3. He struggles to deal with the situation of Amnon’s sin toward Tamar in 2 Samuel 13.  Then when Absalom gets revenge by killing Amnon, David struggles to deal with that correctly too.  He allows Absalom to come back into Jerusalem due to Job using a woman of Tekoah to teach David a lesson in 2 Samuel 14, but in so doing David refuses to see Absalom and thus causes a great bitterness to grow in Absalom’s heart, which leads to Absalom turning Israel’s heart against David in 2 Samuel 15.  David then is so broken by the entire situation that he cries out at Absalom’s death, “O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! would God I had died for thee, O Absalom, my son, my son!” (2 Samuel 18:33)

David was a man of discernment but naivety.  He loved the Lord but was weak in his flesh.  He was willing to do the hard thing for God at times yet failed to do the obvious simple right things at times.  He would fight with all he had for holiness but then would let the littlest sin cause him to stumble.  Simple put - DAVID WAS JUST LIKE US!

Paul said it best under inspiration in Romans 7:14 to 25:

“For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin. For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I. If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good. Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.  I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.”

We are sinners that live a body of flesh that will fail us every time we trust in it.  Yet as saved people, our spirit longs to live for God as Jesus points out in Matthew 26:41, “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

What made David great in God’s formula was/is the following:

1. David clearly was not sinlessness but he always had a repentant heart.  He never made excuses for his sin, but took full responsibility for his actions and even begged God to punish him instead of the others his sin impacted.
2. David was humble enough to make no excuses for his sin.  He would ALWAYS return to God when he failed God.
3. He would always seek wise counsel from others when he was walking in the right and seldom trusted his own thoughts of what was right, though he was seen as speaking as the voice of God by others (1 Samuel 29:9).
4. He often lived in the moment but always walked long term for eternity.  He did foolish things due to momentary lapses of judgement, but not based upon continuing rebellion against God.  His flesh overtook him from time to time, but his heart was always given to God.
5. He seldom made the same mistake twice because he learned to adjust his walk with God and others.  In other words, he learned form his mistakes.
6. He almost always gave people the benefit of the doubt.  Case in point, his son Absalom, whom was trying to destroy David’s kingdom and take the throne, yet David was grieved at his death and blamed himself.  As a matter of fact, David was so grieved by his actions toward Absalom that Joab had to chide David in 2 Samuel 19:4-8.
7. David NEVER got angry with God - NEVER!  This may be the greatest action that lead to God’s classification of David as the “man after His own heart.”  Whenever David was in the midst of turmoil or strife, he would write a song of praise to God and, to the best of my knowledge, NEVER once questioned or blamed God for anything.  Oh that I could say the same thing - David ALWAYS saw God as good!!!!