After
God’s Heart
“But now your kingdom shall not
continue. The LORD has sought for
Himself a man after His own heart, and the LORD has commanded him to be a
commander over His people, because you have not kept what the LORD commanded
you.” 1 Sam. 13:14
The “man after God’s own heart” was David,
the shepherd son of Jesse, the Bethlehemite.
There is so much to be learned about being a person after God’s own
heart, about having a deep, unbridled desire for the presence of God in our
lives. David gives us some insight into
such a desire for the presence of the Lord.
The text taken from 1 Samuel 13:14 is a result of Saul’s failure to obey
God, coupled with his failure to repent.
Saul exhibited little interest in repentance except when it was
self-serving. David, despite acts of
deception, adultery, murder, and much more, displayed a repentant heart. Time after time we find David turning to God
and repenting.
David was able to repent because he had a deep desire to
please God. Saul, on the other hand, was
obsessed in pleasing people. Saul was
distrustful and jealous, and so in many cases would quickly turn against those
closest to him. David was an example of
this, as Saul grew increasingly jealous over the talents and skill of his
armor-bearer. He sought to kill
David. Yet David acted in humble
submission to the position of spiritual authority in the person of Saul. Why?
The answer is found in the key of David’s desire to please God, not
man. God desired and required
submission. Saul was driven by the
flesh; David was led by the Spirit.
David became a man who continually inquired of the Lord
as to the next steps he was to take. He
relied upon God’s response in formulating his military strategies and advancing
his kingdom. When he failed to ask the
Lord, and problems arose, he was quick to remedy the problem. Saul failed to consult God. He chose instead to rely on advisers and even
consulted a medium on one occasion. He
was seeking answers from man, not from the Lord.
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