A pastor once said, “The moment I walk into a church, that church becomes imperfect, flawed.” In other words, there is no perfect place or perfect person on this earth. The Bible reveals this from beginning to end. In fact, the Bible is filled with flawed people… people who rebelled, strayed, sinned, and worshiped idols. What’s astonishing is that some of those people were leaders who received God’s favor. And King David fits this profile exactly. Paul wrote about him and reminded his readers that David was called by God “a man after His own heart.” But how is that possible? Didn’t David commit adultery and murder someone? Didn’t David lust after a married woman and go to extreme measures to cover up his sin? The answer to these questions is YES.
So, why did God bless David so much? Why is David’s line the one that Jesus came from? Because God doesn’t look at the outward, He looks the heart (1 Samuel 16:7). And David’s heart is what made him stand out among other leaders in Israel. I’m pretty sure we would all want God to say the same thing about us, right? So with that said, it’s worth our time to examine David’s heart. Here are four features we find in David’s heart…
Astounding FAITH! David exemplified this when he walked down into the valley and with absolute confidence, slew the 9-foot giant, Goliath. He knew God was stronger and bigger than his fear. He believed God could do it. And this faith carried him throughout his reign. Do you know God can take care of your circumstances? Do you believe God is BIGGER than what you’re going through? Faith begins with knowing and believing. If we know God can and we believe He will, then we will rest in Him. Our fears will take a back seat to God’s power and strength. And this faith will give us the ability to walk in confidence like David did.
Lover of God’s LAW! Out of the 150 Psalms, David is credited for writing over half of them. And throughout his journals, he tells of his love for God’s law often. He says in Psalm 119:47: “How I delight in your commands! How I love them!” We learn that David meditated on them (Psalm 119:15-16). God still honors those who love His Word, studying it, meditating on it, and living by it. Let me ask… Do you love God’s Word that way? Do you go to His Word in the morning and think about it throughout the day? Do you want to dig deeper, wanting to know more?
Always THANKFUL! David writes in Psalm 28:7: “The LORD is my strength and shield. I trust him with all my heart.” It didn’t matter if things were going well for David or he was immersed in difficulties, it seems he was always thankful… thanking God for the good things, the strength He provided, and the way He saw God working. Maybe we should set our hearts in thankful mode as well.
Fell in REPENTANCE! This is the one thing that truly set David apart from others. When David was confronted with his sin with Bathsheba, he fell in repentance. Psalm 51 was written from this repentant heart: “Have mercy on me, O God, because of you unfailing love. Because of your great compassion, blot out the stain of my sins” (Psalm 51:1). David was truly sorry for what he had done and he asked God to forgive him. Repentance isn’t just asking God to forgive us, but it’s asking Him to change us and help us to learn from our mistakes. It’s willing to stop doing it and walk in a new way. Repentance recognizes our sin, admits it, and asks God to forgive us. But true repentance goes a step further… it says, “Lord, I choose to put this behind me and start new with You.”
David is a role-model for all of us. Let’s strive for a heart that truly pleases God.