David: A Man After God's Heart - A Journey of Redemption and Transformation
The story of David is about an ordinary boy raised to unexpected heights by an extraordinary God. The Son of Jesse, a simple shepherd boy, was chosen by God as the King of Israel. And the only figure in the Bible to be called: “A man after God’s own Heart.” David is given to us in many ways as a type of Yeshua, a preeminence of Him to come. In this story, we follow the journey of a single man through his falls and triumphs of life, and in every way, we see the fingerprints of God, piece-by-piece, allowing David to submit his life to God so that in every way he would become “one” with his savior.
As such, this is a story of God’s relationship with fallen man, and it expresses so clearly the grace and love of God towards us, ever pointing our eyes towards heaven so that we would continually seek the mercy of God and his gift of eternal life given through Yeshua. And this is also our story. Piece-by-piece, God is allowing us to submit to His will so that we will become one with our savior in every way. Are we not also struggling in this life journey, desiring to become men and women after God’s own heart? I say yes and yes, so let us begin with God’s story of David.
We must first understand the period in Israel. The nation had fallen into one of its darkest hours. It continued to deteriorate after the death of Joshua, each man living according to his will. Desiring to be like the nations, they chose for themselves a king who became an apostate and led the nation astray. Man’s failures are continually God’s opportunities for deliverance. God elected His anointed instrument in this dark hour to bring order to His people and deliver them from their enemies. This anointed one was David.
To the nation, David was less than nothing. He was the youngest of eight brothers, given the duty of tending to his Father’s sheep, a job traditionally required of bondservants. Here, immediately, we see Yeshua’s encumbrances. Yeshua also came from humble beginnings, the son of a carpenter sent by God to serve His people and gather his Father’s lost sheep. It is written, “But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence” (1 Corinthians 1:27-29, NKJV).[i]
Therefore, God is jealous of His honor and is pleased to select the most unlikely and unpromising instruments to execute His pleasure.
It is interesting to note that despite the sinful condition of the nation, God made a merciful decision to choose his own. It is written, “Now the LORD said to Samuel, “How long will you grieve over Saul, since I have rejected him from being king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and go; I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have selected a king for Myself among his sons” (1Samual 16:1). Forgiveness and deliverance from sin have always been God’s sovereign work, not ours. And in choosing His king, God looked at only one thing: the heart of David. “But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for the LORD sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7).
God not only looks at our hearts; he desires them fully. By faith in Yeshua, God sees our hearts as purified. We know that our hearts are not pure, at least not yet. God desires to build us up in faith and love so we would grow closer to Him. It is through this process that God transforms us and transforms us completely. Let me say plainly: it is His work in us, not ours. God is ever testing our faith; through the tribulations and triumphs of life, we learn and grow. “To know wisdom and instruction, To discern the sayings of understanding, To receive instruction in wise behavior, Righteousness, justice and equity” (Proverbs 1:2-3).
All understanding and wisdom come from God, yet to receive this knowledge, one must look at life’s circumstances, both His and others, and allow the spirit of truth to reveal the straight path of righteousness. It is one reason I teach King David’s story from the Bible. It is full of real-life experiences, and we can study these words through divine revelation and the power of the Holy Spirit and allow God to continue His transformation in us. It says,“For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say ‘No’ to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good” (Titus 2:11-14).
[i] All Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Bible (NKJV) unless otherwise noted, Thomas Nelson Inc., 1982.