David, a man after God's heart
"David", what made him a "man after [God's] own heart" (Acts 13:22)? Sure he was once a humble shepherd who wrote many psalms but at the end of the day he was also mighty king who abused his position and trust, committing adultery with one of his loyal soldier's wife and then had him murdered in order to cover up his sin (2 Samuel 11). How does someone like this get singled out as one of God's own?
Before answering this question we need to understand the heart of God. While God is just and holy, not able to tolerate any sin (spoken of as a "consuming fire", Hebrews 12:29), He is also a gracious and loving God, "Not willing that any should perish" (2 Peter 3:9). Given the tension between God's holiness and our sinful carnality (where our righteousness is seen as filthy rages, Isaiah 64:6, and that there is none righteous, no not one, Romans 3:10) how is it possible that anyone could be a person after God's own heart? And how is it possible that any of us could be reconciled to Him, never mind used by Him. Researching the original meaning of the word "filthy" in Isaiah emphasises the degree of separation that exists between us and a Holy God; but I will leave that for you to research further.
Given that our most righteous acts are polluted before God, good works will definitely never succeed at bringing us into God's presences and seeing that the first post-crucifixion believer to be ushered into Glory was one of the thieves crucified with the Lord (Luke 23:43), good works are not required or necessary for our salvation. While a separate study in itself, I will however add that should there not be the fruit of good works in our lives then we do need to question whether or not we are truly grafted into Him i.e. whether or not we are indeed His child, born-again into His family, and newness of life.
Back to David, while he did everything to cover his sin and justify his adulterous relationship with Bathsheba, he was not able to hide it from God (Psalm 139). As a result of his sin and ensuing cover-up, God was forced to expose him publicly (2 Samuel 12:7). And it is through this situation that we see the heart of David and why God continued to love Him. The very moment that his sin was exposed, he softened his heart, allowing God's conviction to pierce through his heart and confessed, "I have sinned against the LORD" (2 Samuel 12:13). His confession was not one based on sorrow for being caught out but rather grief for transgressing against God. Repentance as described in 2 Corinthians 7:11, "ye sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, what clearing of yourselves, yea, what indignation, yea, what fear, yea, what vehement desire, yea, what zeal, yea, what revenge!". And while there would still be negative consequences in David's life because of his actions, God immediately put his sin aside (2 Samuel 12:13).
Besides his repentant and penitent heart, David also lived fully dependent and committed to the Lord. In short he could not imagine his life without God. The following are a few of the many verses that he wrote that support this sentiment.
- As the hart pants after the water brooks, so my soul pants after You, O God. (Psalm 42:1)
- My soul longs, yea, even faints for the courts of Jehovah; my heart and my flesh shout for joy to the living God. (Psalm 84:2)
And while his songs declare is dependence and need of God, his actions did too? He very seldom did anything with out first asking God for His direction (and the one time he didn't ask, was when he stayed away from battle and landed up committing his infamous sin). Just read through the books of Samuel and Chronicles and you will see how often the phrase "David inquired or the Lord/God" is used. It definitely appears to be used to describe his modus operandi more than any other person mentioned in scripture. And when it came to addressing problems and challenges in his life, he usually deferred to the mercy of God, depending on Him to see him (David) through the situation. This is clearly illustrated when on a number of occasions he had the opportunity to kill his adversary Saul but refused to do so (1 Samuel 24:6, 1 Samuel 26:9).
So what does this mean for me? In short, how strong is my passion for the Lord? Am I willing, no wanting Him to mold me into His image, even if it means exposing those deep secrets in my life? Do I hate sin (not just because it's wrong but because it grieves my Father God)? Is my reaction to my sin that of 2 Corinthians 7:11? An finally as I serve the Lord I needn't be concerned about trying to work my way to Glory but rather I can rest in His grace knowing that I am "accepted in the Beloved" (Ephesians 1:6) and that as I simply submit to Him that my life (just like a fruit tree bearing fruit) will naturally yield the fruit of good works to His praise and glory.
Like David may my prayer be, "Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me" (Psalm 51:10). And then my I let Him do the Work.