A Man After God's Heart

by L. Burrows, Kingston-upon-Thames | Category: The Life And Times Of David | Nov 1972

Although the over-ruling hand of God was clearly seen in the appointment of Saul as king, he was in fact the choice of the people, who wanted a king to save them from the Ammonites (1 Sam. 12:12). Saul the son of Kish, with his commanding stature and military bearing, was the man for them (verse 13), so God gave them their desire. Samuel seems to have expected great things of the new king, as evidenced by his bitter disappointment when Saul failed (1 Sam. 16:1), which is probably why the Lord went to some length to emphasize that the next king would not be selected for his manward appeal but on the basis of those hidden qualities which can be fully seen by God alone (1 Sam. 16:7). Long before Saul's successor was publicly identified as David the son of Jesse and officially anointed king, the Lord declared through Samuel that He had "sought Him a man after His own heart, and ... appointed him to be prince over His people" (1 Sam. 13:14). It was necessary also that God's man should satisfy further exacting requirements probably not disclosed to Samuel. These concerned the ancestry according to the flesh of Israel's Messiah (Rom 1:3) and the typifying of the sufferings and future reign of the Christ in the sometimes sorrowful and sometimes glorious events of David's life.

Although David's many royal qualities are evident in his great deeds recorded in Scripture, his ultimate worth is to be found, as with all truly great men, in his behaviour in adversity. He will always be remembered for his early victory over Goliath and his many military triumphs, but his real greatness is better demonstrated in the virtues of generosity and forbearance he so often displayed. Saul, Ishbosheth, Abner and Absalom had each at various times threatened David's life or his throne, but he had no pleasure in their deaths. He said to the assassins of Ishbosheth, "When one told me, saying, Behold, Saul is dead, thinking to have brought good tidings, I took hold of him, and slew him in Ziklag.... How much more, when wicked men have slain a righteous person ... shall I not now require his blood of your hand, and take you away from the earth?" (2 Sam. 4:10,11). When he mourned the death of treacherous

Absalom his subjects were mystified, and Joab, completely oblivious of David's deep feelings, accused him of loving those that hated him and hating those that loved him (2 Sam. 19:6). Joab's brother Abishai, of similarly loyal but insensitive character, figured in a poignant incident in David's later years which emphasized his deep appreciation of the mind of the Lord. As David fled from Absalom who had usurped the throne in Jerusalem, Shimei, one of the more despicable of Saul's adherents, threw stones at the exiled monarch and cursed him with slanderous words, but David refused to intervene. He fully understood the reason why the hand of the Lord was thus heavy upon him in judgement. He had become deeply involved in sin and although he subsequently found repentance and restoration of soul, God's holy name must be vindicated; there were matters to be put right which would cause him much suffering (2 Sam. 12:1-15). So it was that when Shimei, resenting David's ascendancy over the house of Saul, took advantage of David's weakness to obtain revenge, Abishai's bloodthirsty longing to slay the Benjamite was quite unacceptable to the king. The galling insults were part of God's dealings with him for his sin. He now saw his sinful nature as it was in the eyes of God, and having no desire to escape from the divine chastening, stayed the hand of the son of Zeruiah with the words, "Behold, my son, which came forth of my bowels, seeketh my life: how much more may this Benjamite now do it? Let him alone, and let him curse; for the LORD hath bidden him" (2 Sam. 16:11). Dust and stones fell around David and curses fell on his bowed head; has such self-abasement been surpassed anywhere but at the Cross?

Scripture makes no attempt to hide David's sin. It frankly records the stark reality of Israel's greatest king descending to the depths of evil, throwing into sharp relief his otherwise godly life which fully justified the divine appraisal, "a man after My heart, who shall do all My will" (Acts 13:22). With this quotation the apostle Paul reminded the Israelites of Pisidian Antioch that David was the man of God's choice and that in him was prefigured the Messiah. Furthermore, "the holy and sure blessings of David" were not only applicable to David himself but would have their true fulfilment in the Messiah, who was none other, declared Paul, than Jesus of Nazareth, and these blessings were made sure because He was raised from the dead, never to see corruption (Acts 13:34,35). David indeed dispensed blessings to his subjects in greater measure than any other king of Israel, but these are not the ones referred to by the prophet Isaiah whom Paul quoted (55:3). What the Holy Spirit is here drawing attention to is the great unconditional promise made to David and the royal line of Judah. In spite of human frailty, from which David was not immune, God in His sovereignty will bring to the world the eternal Messianic blessings through a Descendant of the son of Jesse. Come what may, the dynasty of David would never pass away.

Of all the divine promises made to man, that concerning David's Seed can be reckoned one of the most remarkable. A highly significant and instructive aspect of this covenant with David was the occasion upon which God disclosed its details. It was on the day that David announced to Nathan his intention to build a habitation for God on earth (2 Sam. 7). In contrast to Saul, who never in his lifetime cared for God's house (1 Chron. 13:3), the "man after God's heart" had from early in his reign made great efforts to establish the worship of God in its proper form. In last month's article in this seri6s is recounted the way in which David kept his solemn vow that he would not rest until he had found "a place for the LORD, a tabernacle for the Mighty One of Jacob" (Psalm 132:4,5). David experienced divine guidance at every step in the unfolding of God's purpose as to the design and location of the Temple, but when the king made known his resolve to devote all his resources to the actual building project, God could conceal His pleasure no longer. Divine rewards are always most appropriate. Since David cared for God's house, God would prosper David's house in the most generous manner. Speaking of the heir to the throne and his great Descendant, He said, "My mercy shall not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before thee. And thine house and thy kingdom shall be made sure for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever" (2 Sam. 7:15,16). Thirty-seven verses of Psalm 89 of Ethan the Ezrahite are devoted to this theme; over and over again the unfailing promise to David is reiterated; the complete reliability of the mercies of God to David's descendants is given such prominence that we are led to conclude that none other than the Messiah can be in view. The sure mercies of David were possible of accomplishment only in the One "who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh, who was declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection of the dead; even Jesus Christ our Lord" (Rom. 1:3,4).

Thus Scripture clearly declares that the man after God's heart is a divinely appointed type of the Son of God. David the tender-hearted shepherd, the merciful king, the saviour of God's people, the lover of God's house, the willing servant of the counsel of God, is portrayed in God's word as a type of Him who came to do the will of God perfectly and of whom His Father said, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased".

L. Burrows, Kingston-upon-Thames | Nov 1972
The Life And Times Of David