#25 A Man After God’s Own Heart

With “a man after my own heart” endorsement from God, it’s needless to say that David’s heart was often in the right place. From humble beginnings as a field worker, God’s plan placed David at the forefront of the Israelites as their leader for 40 years. From defeating neighboring countries to writing Psalms, he was a man among men. However, even with all his love and reverence for God, he was not immune to the sinful nature of the human heart. The life of David tells the story of God’s redemptive grace from an interesting perspective. It’s told from a position of power and weakness, simultaneously. It’s told from the position of someone who was destined to reach the top of the power ladder and rule everything, did it, lost it all, and eventually reclaimed what was lost. David’s story reflects how even with good intentions and a heart to serve God, we are yet still susceptible to the power of sin. But, even so, God is willing to restore us if we let Him.

David’s origin mirrors that of a humble servant. Out in the fields, he was completing the tasks his father had given him. Now, while he’s busy following orders, there’s a prophet in Jesse’s house looking for the next king. All of David’s brothers were present and inspected for kingship; none of them were chosen. Instead, Samuel asks Jesse if all his sons are present, to which he replies, no. David is summoned from the fields and is anointed to be the ruler of Israel. Now, this is a pivotal moment for him. At this point, he knows his ultimate destiny and could begin to act like a king, outwardly righteous and haughty. (This is one of the reasons that Saul is rejected, as king, by God.) However, unlike the king before him, David takes a humble position and resumes his duties, waiting on God to make His move. Over the next few years, those movements begin to happen. David slays Goliath, which establishes his name within Saul’s army. He secures a place within the palace by playing the harp for Saul and creates a family bond with his son, Jonathan. Saul attempts to kill David on multiple occasions, but God protects him. Eventually, he becomes the king, just as he was anointed to be.

Now, this is where the story begins to take off. As mentioned earlier, David has received favor from God. He’s blessed beyond anything he could have imagined, and his legacy will be established for generations to come. With all of this going for him, what happened? The answer is simple, sin. One fateful night, his lustful heart got the better of him. He took a wife who didn’t belong to him. After finding out she was pregnant, he attempted to hide his guilt and make it look like her husband was responsible for the pregnancy. With his plans falling apart at the seams, he eventually decides to have her husband, Uriah, sent to the front lines to be killed.  Because of his actions, David watches his family tear itself apart. Rape, incest, murder, and mutiny are just a few of the things he must endure as punishment for sin. However, even in this horror story, God’s grace never leaves him. Slowly, David’s kingdom comes back to him, albeit at the cost of his son. This is what was written about David’s reign. “Then David rested with his ancestors and was buried in the City of David. 11 He had reigned forty years over Israel—seven years in Hebron and thirty-three in Jerusalem. 12 So Solomon sat on the throne of his father David, and his rule was firmly established.” (1 Kings 2:10-12)

So, how does this story lead us to the Gospel of Christ? Let us look at Adam in comparison to David. The beginning of their stories is obedience. Adam is tending to the garden as he was commanded by God. Similarly, David is in the field, following the commands of his earthly. The biggest distinction between the two is that Adam is considered perfect, as in he’s sinless. Adam is the face of all humanity, and David is anointed as the face of Israel. Eventually, they both make decisions that change, not only their lives but of those around them. Adam and Eve eat the forbidden fruit and David engages in a forbidden act. Both of them rebelled against the Lord and tried to hide their guilt. Adam is punished by not only having the garden taken away from him but also cursing humanity with the various consequences of sin. David has the kingdom taken away from him, loses a child, and runs from the place he called home.

The message of the Gospel can be summed up in one concept; redemptive grace. It’s the idea that humanity was granted the gift of redemption through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and not through good works. Both Adam and David were good men; matter of fact, Adam was literally perfect. The decision to sin is what caused the great men to fall. However, God did not leave them helpless and hopeless. He gave them consequences, but redemption and restoration were coming soon. Jesus Christ took the place of Adam as the perfect human and paid the price that we couldn’t. He didn’t leave us to suffer without offering a way back home to him. Similarly, David’s life is in shambles for a long time. However, he constantly asked God to forgive him of his folly and to create a way back home. With the death of his son, Absalom, the way was made. Eventually, David was able to return home and lived out the rest of his life in the place where he belonged. While Adam never went back home to the garden, he was able to return home to his Creator at the end of his life, and the death of Christ gives us the same opportunity.