* David: A Man After God's Own Heart

"You acted foolishly," Samuel said. "You have not kept the command the LORD your God gave you; if you had, he would have established your kingdom over Israel for all time. But now your kingdom will not endure; the LORD has sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him leader of his people, because you have not kept the LORD'S command." --(1 Samuel 13:13-14)

David was a man after God's own heart. He was a shepherd, a mighty warrior, a musician and to his downfall, a ladies man. The Bible gives many details of David's life and quickly dispels the idea that he was holy enough to be a man after God's own heart.

· He had many wives

· He was not always the best disciplinarian of his kids

· He lacked integrity. In the story of Tamar, David knew that she had been raped by her half-brother, but he did nothing.

· He committed adultery & participated in a murder. He committed adultery with Bathsheba and then to cover it up ordered her husband's murder.

Why in the world could David be called a man after God’s own heart?

There were many reasons David was a man after God's own heart. Here are just a few:

David had a contrite heart: he didn’t live in denial, excuses, and blame
After David committed adultery with Bathsheba and had her husband killed to cover up the sin, God sent Nathan to him to confront him with his sin. We see the real heart of David in this incident. Many people when confronted with their own sin want to kill the messenger or deny responsibility, or blame others. But look at how David reacted:

Then David said to Nathan, "I have sinned against the LORD." Nathan replied, "The LORD has taken away your sin. You are not going to die." --(2 Samuel 12:13)

David could have said, "Well Bathsheba should not have been bathing out in the open." Or he could have blamed the servants who went to get her for him. There are thousands of things David could have pointed to, but he didn't. He confessed his sin with a contrite heart.

David had a wiling heart towards God
David was willing to do whatever God asked him to do. As we have seen David had his faults, but God knew his heart. He knew that David loved Him and would do whatever He asked him to do. He wanted to please God more than man. He was willing to pay the price of following God.

After 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.’ --(Acts 13:22)

We can be encouraged that David was very human like all of us. He had hurts, habits, and hang-ups, he had temptations, he fell into sin, but he reacted in a way that was Godward. He quickly repented and his heart was sincere. To use the old expression, he got back on his horse. In this case, his horse was riding with His God.

More on why David was a man after God’s heart:

David loved the Word of God
"Oh, how I love your Holy law!" - Psalm 119:97
This psalm expresses his great love for God's Word - Psalm 119:47-48

* It protected him from sin - Psalm 119:11

* It revived him in affliction - Psalm 119:50

* It gave him great peace of mind - Psalm 119:165

David loved to pray
"I will call upon him as long as I live" - Psalm 116:1-2
His love for prayer was based upon the fact God had answered him before - Psalm 116:1-2

* It was based upon the fact that God had greatly blessed him - Psalm 116:12-13

* It was based upon the fact that prayer brought God close to him - Psalm 145:18

David loved to praise God
"Seven times a day I praise You" - Psalm 119:164

* He praised God because of His righteous judgments

* He praised God because of His greatness and lovingkindness - Psalm 95:1-7

* He was determined to sing praises as long as he lived - Psalm 104:33

David loved unity among the brethren
"Behold, how good and pleasant it is..." - Psalm 133:1

* David knew the value of good friendship and unity, as exemplified in the relationship he had with Jonathan - 1 Samuel 18:1

* He also knew the terrible pain of division within a family- 2 Samuel 13

David hated every false way
" I hated every false way" - Psalm 119:104

* His hatred was based upon his understanding of God's precepts - Psalm 119:104

* His hatred affected his selection of activities and friends - Psalm 101:3-4,6-7

David's heart sought after God. He quickly assumed responsibility for his horrible actions by repenting. When David understood his mistake, he correctly assumed responsibility for his poor choice. He sinned! He did not blame others to justify himself! David's attitudes have some powerful things to teach us about our failures.