David[DÔöÇ├╝’vid]…–beloved.…The youngest son of the eight sons of Jesse the Bethlehemite, the second and greatest of Israel's kings, the eloquent poet and one of the most prominent figures in the history of the world (Ruth 4:17, 221 Sam. 16:13).

The Man After God's Own Heart

Volumes have been written on the trials and triumphs of David, a mountain peak among Bible characters, who was carefully chosen as Israel's second king by God Himself. David's father, Jesse, was a man of no great rank who lived in the little town of Bethlehem. In his youth David was trained to tend his father's sheep. Being the youngest of the family he was not brought into public notice, yet it pleased God to raise him from a low estate and set him upon the throne. He was overlooked by the prophet Samuel, but the prophet obeyed when God said, "Arise anoint him, this is he." All we can do in this study is to offer a brief sketch of David's eventful life. We view him as:

I. A Warrior. David was courageous as a champion and a great soldier (1 Sam. 17:402 Sam. 5:7). His fight with Goliath the giant made him a marked man. He had not the training of a soldier. As yet he had not reached the years of manhood. Dressed like a poor country shepherd lad, he had no weapons save his sling. Never were two warriors more unequally matched, but when David was victorious over Goliath there was no empty boasting, no reliance upon his own powers. God gave the victory and David gave Him all the glory. He became a man of war and because of that was not allowed to build the Temple (1 Chron. 28:3).

II. As a Musician. Because he was a skilful player on the harp he found himself in the presence of the wretched king, Saul, who could only be soothed by David's music. Poetic genius made him the sweet psalmist of Israel, and no poet has been so constantly used and quoted through the ages. His majestic psalms are the masterpiece of spiritual literature.

III. As a Saint. David was accepted as a child of God. The general trend of his life was spiritual (1 Sam. 13:141 Kings 15:5). What other man has had the reputation of being known as a man after God's own heart? Such an expression does not refer to any remarkable goodness in David, but to him as one whom God had chosen to be the ruler of His people. He was the man according to God's special choice. His psalms of praise, worship and meditation indicate the God-ward direction of his life.

IV. As a Sinner. David violated a divine law (Deut. 17:172 Sam. 5:13), yielded to his gross sin in a period of ease (2 Sam. 11) and was rebuked by the prophet Nathan (2 Sam. 12). David stained his character by his sin against Uriah and by the deceitful way he gained this gallant soldier's wife as his own. Such a grievous sin brought the bitterest anguish of heart. David's confession was not a cold, formal acknowledgment of guilt, but a true and heartfelt humbling of himself before God and a deep cry for pardon and restoration to divine favor as psalms thirty-two and fifty-one clearly prove.

V. As a Prophet. David had a prophetic gift given to few. He was one of those holy men of old moved by the Holy Spirit to set forth many glorious truths related to Christ as Saviour and Messiah. When we come to the New Testament we find the Psalms quoted from more often than any other part of the Old Testament.

VI. As a Type. Not only did David prophesy about Christ, he resembled Him in many ways. For example:

Both were born in the humble town of Bethlehem.

Both were of low estate on earth, having no rank to boast of, no wealth to recommend them to the world.

Both were shepherds-the one caring for sheep, the other for souls.

Both were sorely oppressed and persecuted but opened not their mouths.

Both came to kingship. David subdued his foes and had a kingdom stretching from shore to shore. Jesus was born a King, and is to have an everlasting Kingdom.

VII. As a Star. Does not the children's hymn urge us to be "a star in someone's sky?" David has lighted many a spiritual traveler on the way to heaven. Glory alone will reveal what his psalms meant to Christ and to His followers in all ages. Yet he is nothing compared to the Sun of Righteousness Himself. None can compare to David's greater son, the Lord Jesus Christ, who died and rose again to become our Saviour, Friend and King.

David

His name may mean: “Beloved”

His work: A shepherd by trade, David became the second king of Israel.

His character: A man of stark contrasts, David was a man who did nothing halfheartedly. Though he sinned terribly, his repentance was deep and lasting.

Scripture refers to him as “a man after God’s own heart.”

His sorrow: During his lifetime, David had to come to grips with his own sinfulness and the severity of God’s punishment like the death of his sons and his inability to build the temple.

His triumph: Under David’s leadership, the nation of Israel reached prominence like it had never known before.

Key Scriptures: 1 Samuel 17

Perhaps Isaiah was remembering David, the man whose courage, confidence, faith, contrition, and trust in God’s mercy knew no limits.

David lived without restraint. No giant would deter him. He took the promises of the living God for his own and seized life with the certainty of knowing that God was with him. This was the legacy of the “man after God’s own heart.”

Reflect On: 2 Samuel 22

…A Look at the Man

It’s the stuff of epic cinematography-hillsides filled with thousands of jostling soldiers, clattering armaments, and everything at stake. But the heart of the story of David and Goliath is real. It’s the story of a young man who threw himself at life with great abandonment, confident as he was in the goodness and power of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

There were two defining moments in David’s childhood. The first happened when Samuel visited his father’s home looking for the man who would someday be king. The youngest son and least likely candidate, David, came in from the pasture to receive the prophet’s anointing and then went back to work.

The second defining moment was when he encountered Goliath in a contest that would determine the outcome of a battle. Forerunners of the ancient Greeks, the Philistines were accustomed to deciding battles in an arena rather than between armies. In addition to saving lives, such contests indulged the desire to turn warfare into sport. The Philistine army must have thought they had it made with a warrior like Goliath in their ranks. But they didn’t reckon on the young boy who believed that God was capable of anything. Winding his way through the company of Israel’s soldiers, David’s innocent questions were met with shock and derision. But David was astounded by the Israelites’ lack of faith.

Even the king was afraid. “Don’t you know who you’re fighting for?” David asked Saul. “Where’s your trust in him?”

The courage David exhibited as a young man who defended his father’s sheep from wild animals and then defended God’s people from a godless thug lasted throughout his life. And the same confidence in the God of his fathers marked his life in the years that followed.

Though David wasn’t a perfect man, he confessed his sins with the same unfettered confidence in God that had marked his previous dealings. And because he never blamed anyone but himself when he fell, he received God’s mercy with no impediments.

Almost five hundred years later the prophet Isaiah would write:

Seek the LORD while he may be found; /

call on him while he is near. /

Let the wicked forsake his way /

and the evil man his thoughts. /

Let him turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will freely pardon (Isaiah 55:6-7

“What should we learn from the life of David?”……David was a man after God's own heart (1 Samuel 13:13-14) 13 "How foolish!" Samuel exclaimed. "You have not kept the command the Lord your God gave you. Had you kept it, the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. 14But now your kingdom must end, for the Lord has sought out a man after his own heart. The Lord has already appointed him to be the leader of his people, because you have not kept the Lord's command."

(Acts 13:22) 22 But God removed Saul and replaced him with David, a man about whom God said, 'I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart. He will do everything I want him to do.'!

We are first introduced to David after Saul, at the insistence of the people, was made king

(1 Samuel 8:5) 5 "Look," they told him, "you are now old, and your sons are not like you. Give us a king to judge us like all the other nations have."

(1 Samuel 10:1)1 Then Samuel took a flask of olive oil and poured it over Saul's head. He kissed Saul and said, "I am doing this because the Lord has appointed you to be the ruler over Israel, his special possession.

This choice of king, or even having an earthly king at all, was against the will of God, and although Saul was anointed by God through Samuel, he did not measure up as God's king. While King Saul was making one mistake on top of another, God sent Samuel to find His chosen shepherd, David, the son of Jesse

(1 Samuel 16:10)10 In the same way all seven of Jesse's sons were presented to Samuel. But Samuel said to Jesse, "The Lord has not chosen any of these."

(1 Samuel 16:13)13So as David stood there among his brothers, Samuel took the flask of olive oil he had brought and anointed David with the oil. And the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David from that day on. Then Samuel returned to Ramah.

David was believed to be 12-16 years of age when he was called in from tending his father's sheep to be anointed as the true king of Israel. As soon as the anointing oil flowed down David's head the Spirit of the Lord departed from King Saul

(1 Samuel 16:14)14 Now the Spirit of the Lord had left Saul, and the Lord sent a tormenting spirit that filled him with depression and fear.) The fact that evil spirits were tormenting Saul brought David into the king's service

(1 Samuel 16:21)21 So David went to Saul and began serving him. Saul loved David very much, and David became his armor bearer. Saul was pleased with young David, but this feeling vanished quickly as David rose in strength to slay the Philistine giant, Goliath, and win the overwhelming favor of the people

(1 Samuel 17:45-51)45 David replied to the Philistine, "You come to me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of Heaven's Armies-the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46 Today the Lord will conquer you, and I will kill you and cut off your head. And then I will give the dead bodies of your men to the birds and wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel! 47 And everyone assembled here will know that the Lord rescues his people, but not with sword and spear. This is the Lord's battle, and he will give you to us!" 48As Goliath moved closer to attack, David quickly ran out to meet him. 49 Reaching into his shepherd's bag and taking out a stone, he hurled it with his sling and hit the Philistine in the forehead. The stone sank in, and Goliath stumbled and fell face down on the ground. 50 So David triumphed over the Philistine with only a sling and a stone, for he had no sword. 51 Then David ran over and pulled Goliath's sword from its sheath. David used it to kill him and cut off his head.

The chant in the camp of Saul was taunting as the people sang out the praises of David and demeaned their king, causing a raging jealousy in Saul that never subsided (1 Samuel 18:7-8). 7 This was their song: "Saul has killed his thousands, and David his ten thousands!" 8 This made Saul very angry. "What's this?" he said. "They credit David with ten thousands and me with only thousands. Next they'll be making him their king!"

If you or someone you know has eked his way through life amid strife, conflict and continuous battles, then you might understand how David lived and felt throughout his lifetime. Although Saul never stopped pursuing him with the intent to kill him, David never raised a hand against his king and God's anointed (1 Samuel 19:1-2) 1 Saul now urged his servants and his son Jonathan to assassinate David. But Jonathan, because of his strong affection for David, 2 told him what his father was planning. "Tomorrow morning," he warned him, "you must find a hiding place out in the fields.

(1 Samuel 24:5-7)5 But then David's conscience began bothering him because he had cut Saul's robe. 6 "The Lord knows I shouldn't have done that to my lord the king," he said to his men. "The Lordforbid that I should do this to my lord the king and attack the Lord's anointed one, for the Lord himself has chosen him." 7 So David restrained his men and did not let them kill Saul. After Saul had left the cave and gone on his way,

He did, however, raise up a mighty army and with power from God defeated everyone in his path, always asking God first for permission and instructions before going into battle

(2 Samuel 5:22-23) 22 But after a while the Philistines returned and again spread out across the valley of Rephaim. 23 And again David asked the Lord what to do. "Do not attack them straight on," the Lord replied. "Instead, circle around behind and attack them near the poplar trees.,

2 Samuel 23:8-17). 8 These are the names of David's mightiest warriors. The first was Jashobeam the Hacmonite, who was leader of the Three-the three mightiest warriors among David's men. He once used his spear to kill 800 enemy warriors in a single battle. 9 Next in rank among the Three was Eleazar son of Dodai, a descendant of Ahoah. Once Eleazar and David stood together against the Philistines when the entire Israelite army had fled.10 He killed Philistines until his hand was too tired to lift his sword, and the Lord gave him a great victory that day. The rest of the army did not return until it was time to collect the plunder! 11 Next in rank was Shammah son of Agee from Harar. One time the Philistines gathered at Lehi and attacked the Israelites in a field full of lentils. The Israelite army fled, 12 but Shammah[d] held his ground in the middle of the field and beat back the Philistines. So the Lord brought about a great victory. 13 Once during the harvest, when David was at the cave of Adullam, the Philistine army was camped in the valley of Rephaim. The Three (who were among the Thirty-an elite group among David's fighting men) went down to meet him there. 14 David was staying in the stronghold at the time, and a Philistine detachment had occupied the town of Bethlehem. 15 David remarked longingly to his men, "Oh, how I would love some of that good water from the well by the gate in Bethlehem." 16 So the Three broke through the Philistine lines, drew some water from the well by the gate in Bethlehem, and brought it back to David. But he refused to drink it. Instead, he poured it out as an offering to the Lord. 17 "The Lord forbid that I should drink this!" he exclaimed. "This water is as precious as the blood of these men[e] who risked their lives to bring it to me." So David did not drink it. These are examples of the exploits of the Three.

God honored and rewarded this unconditional obedience of His servant David and gave him success in everything he did

(2 Samuel 8:6) 6 Then he placed several army garrisons in Damascus, the Aramean capital, and the Arameans became David's subjects and paid him tribute money. So the Lord made David victorious wherever he went. ……David mourned King Saul's death and put to death the one claiming responsibility for Saul's death

(2 Samuel 1:12-16)12They mourned and wept and fasted all day for Saul and his son Jonathan, and for the Lord's army and the nation of Israel, because they had died by the sword that day. 13 Then David said to the young man who had brought the news, "Where are you from?" And he replied, "I am a foreigner, an Amalekite, who lives in your land." 14 "Why were you not afraid to kill the Lord's anointed one?" David asked. 15 Then David said to one of his men, "Kill him!" So the man thrust his sword into the Amalekite and killed him. 16 "You have condemned yourself," David said, "for you yourself confessed that you killed the Lord's anointed one."

. Only after Saul's death was David anointed king over the house of Judah

(2 Samuel 2:4)4 Then the men of Judah came to David and crowned him king over the people of Judah.When David heard that the men of Jabesh-gilead had buried Saul,

, and even then he had to fight against the house of Saul before being anointed king over Israel at the age of thirty (2 Samuel 5:3-4). Now king, David conquered Jerusalem and became more and more powerful because the Lord Almighty was with him (2 Samuel 5:7). David was so enthralled with bringing the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem that he omitted some of God's instructions on how to transport the Ark and who was to carry it. This resulted in the death of Uzzahwho, amid all the celebrations, reached out to steady the Ark, and God struck him down and he died there beside it (2 Samuel 6:1-7). In fear of the Lord, David abandoned the moving of the Ark for three months and let it rest in the house of Obed-Edom (2 Samuel 6:11).……After the Ark was in its rightful place, David decided to build a temple of the Lord around it (2 Samuel 6:17). Because of David's bloody, battle-scarred record as well as his adulterous relationship with Bathsheba and the slaying of her husband, God denied his otherwise faithful servant the honor of building the temple, the house of the Lord (2 Samuel 6:5-14). This was surely a blow to David, but God assured him He would continue to make his name the greatest on the earth and forever establish the throne of David through David's son, Solomon. Instead of being angry with God and having a pity party, David sat before the Lord, praising Him and thanking Him for all the many blessings he had received in his life (2 Samuel 7:18-29).……David's battles did not end with his kingship but continued with the surrounding nations and within his own household. His sons connived and conspired to take control of the kingdom and they, as did Saul, threatened their own father's life. And as with the death of Saul, David mourned the death of his beloved son Absalom, showing a passionate and forgiving heart (2 Samuel chapters 15-18). David's broken heart and contrite spirit are what brought him the forgiveness of God and are what will bring him back to be the prince of Christ during Christ's millennial reign.

The Name of David

(2 Samuel 23:1-2) 1 These are the last words of David: "David, the son of Jesse, speaks-David, the man who was raised up so high, David, the man anointed by the God of Jacob, David, the sweet psalmist of Israel. 2 "The Spirit of the Lord speaks through me; his words are upon my tongue.

The name of David is uniquely important in Scripture. Except for the name of Jesus Christ Himself (of whom David is a remarkable type), no other name (not even Abraham or Moses or Paul) occurs nearly so often in the Bible.

In the New Testament–again other than Jesus Christ–David’s name is both the first mentioned

(Matthew 1:1)1 This is a record of the ancestors of Jesus the Messiah, a descendant of David and of Abraham:

and the last mentioned

(Revelation 22:16)16 "I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this message for the churches. I am both the source of David and the heir to his throne.[a] I am the bright morning star.".

As the “sweet psalmist of Israel,” David was largely responsible for this longest book in the Bible. As we see in 2 Samuel 23:1-2 above, his claim to divine inspiration in the writing of his psalms is perhaps the most meaningful and clear-cut statement on this subject by any of the biblical authors. It was both "The Spirit of the Lord” and“me” who spoke, giving “his word“apon“my tongue,” said David, in his last words, shortly before he died.

David was not a perfect man. We remember his grievous sin, not only against Uriah the Hittite, but even more against the Lord (2 Samuel 12:9-14), thus giving “great occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme.”

9 Why, then, have you despised the word of the Lord and done this horrible deed? For you have murdered Uriah the Hittite with the sword of the Ammonites and stolen his wife. 10From this time on, your family will live by the sword because you have despised me by taking Uriah's wife to be your own. 11 "This is what the Lord says: Because of what you have done, I will cause your own household to rebel against you. I will give your wives to another man before your very eyes, and he will go to bed with them in public view. 12 You did it secretly, but I will make this happen to you openly in the sight of all Israel."

David Confesses His Guilt

13 Then David confessed to Nathan, "I have sinned against the Lord." Nathan replied, "Yes, but the Lord has forgiven you, and you won't die for this sin. 14 Nevertheless, because you have shown utter contempt for the Lord by doing this, your child will die."

He had to suffer greatly because of this, but his repentance was genuine, and he was graciously restored by God to fellowship and service. The Lord’s own testimony concerning him was this:

Acts 13:22 22 But God removed Saul and replaced him with David, a man about whom God said, "I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart. He will do everything I want him to do"

It is little wonder that so many loving parents over the many centuries–both Jews and Gentiles–have named their own sons “David,” for the very name means “beloved.”

Last words of David.2 Samuel 23:1-2.This assertion seems to suggest that Psalm 18:1-51, which is substantially identical to II Samuel 22:1-51, was slightly modified by David shortly before his death. The revised version is incorporated here by the anonymous author of II Samuel. Since both versions are divinely inspired, there must be some reason for the inclusion of both the original and revised versions of Psalm 18 in the Biblical canon.

“How could David be considered a man after God’s own heart?”……To understand why David was a man after God's own heart, we need to see what characteristics he had to qualify for such an exalted description. In the book of Acts, the Apostle Paul is speaking before the men of Israel, and he tells them of God's feelings about King David. Speaking first of King Saul the Apostle Paul states, "After removing Saul, he made David their king. He testified concerning him: ‘I have found David son of Jesse a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do’" (Acts 13:22). The obvious question is, how could God call David "a man after His heart" when David was such a terrible a sinner, having committed adultery and murder? Much has been written regarding the meaning of the verse and its applicable value today. Much has also been written about David, especially in the books of 1 and 2 Chronicles and 1 and 2 Kings. However, we find much of his character in the book of Psalms as he opened up his life for all to examine. David's life was a portrait of success and failure, and it highlights the fact that he was far from perfect. But what made David a cut above the rest was that his heart, even in his most sinful moments, was pointed toward God. So what does it take to be a man after God's own heart? Let's look at some key characteristics of David's life to find out. ……First, David had absolute faith in God. Nowhere in Scripture is this point better illustrated than in 1 Samuel 17 where David as a young shepherd boy fearlessly slew the Philistine, Goliath. Shortly before the duel, we see direct evidence of David's faith in verse 37 where David says, “'The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.' And Saul said to David, 'Go, and the LORD be with you!'” David was fully aware that God was in control of his life, and he had faith that God would deliver him from impending danger. How else would one venture into a potentially fatal situation with such calm and confidence? David knew early on in life that God was to be trusted and obeyed. As we see in Scripture, David's faith pleased God, and he is rewarded for it by the Lord. ……Second, David absolutely loved God's law. Of the 150 psalms in the Bible, David is credited for writing over half of them. Writing at various and often troubling times in his life, David repeatedly mentioned how much he loved God's perfect Word. We find a beautiful example of this in Psalm 119:47-48: "For I delight in your commands because I love them. I lift up my hands to your commands, which I love, and I meditate on your decrees." It is not hard to see his complete adoration for God's Word. But also notice how he mentions that he "meditates" on God's statutes. God granted David understanding and wisdom through daily meditation. We would do well to not only read God's Word but also think about it throughout the day for God loves when we think about Him. "Blessed are they who keep his statutes and seek him with all their heart. They do nothing wrong; they walk in his ways" (Psalm 119:2-3).……Third, David was truly thankful. "I wash my hands in innocence, and go about your altar, O LORD, proclaiming aloud your praise and telling of all your wonderful deeds" (Psalm 26:6-7). David's life was marked by seasons of great peace and prosperity as well as times of fear and despair. But through all of the seasons in his life, he never forgot to thank the Lord for everything that he had. It is truly one of his finest characteristics. “Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name!” (Psalm 100:4, ESV). As followers of Jesus Christ, we would do well to follow David's lead of offering praise through thanksgiving to our Lord on a daily basis. ……Fourth, David was truly repentant. "It happened, late one afternoon, when David arose from his couch and was walking on the roof of the king's house, that he saw from the roof a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful. And David sent and inquired about the woman. And one said, 'Is not this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?' So David sent messengers and took her, and she came to him, and he lay with her. (Now she had been purifying herself from her uncleanness.) Then she returned to her house. And the woman conceived, and she sent and told David, 'I am pregnant'” (2 Samuel 11:2-5). The mighty fall hard, and David's fall included adultery, lying and murder. He had sinned against God and he admits it in 2 Samuel 12:13: "David said to Nathan, 'I have sinned against the LORD.' And Nathan said to David, 'The LORD also has put away your sin; you shall not die.'" But admitting our sin and asking for forgiveness is only half of the equation. The other half is repentance, and David did what we should all do: repent of our sins. Psalm 51 is David's prayer of repentance to God: "Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin!” (Psalm 51:1-2).……In conclusion, David demonstrated his faith seemingly on a daily basis which pleased the Lord. Throughout his life his faith would be tested on a grand scale and in the final analysis he passed most of the tests. David also loved God's law and he sought to follow it as best he could. He spent many days meditating on it and trying to apply it to his own life. He knew that God's law had the power to change lives if it was followed to the letter. Another important character trait that David exhibited was that he had the attitude of gratitude and was very thankful for his life. During his life he had all sorts of trouble, but David thanked God every day no matter the circumstances. And, finally, David was truly repentant. Let us not forget that he was a man just like us who sinned on a regular basis. But, despite his sin, he always loved God and sought to repent of those sins. He is a role model for all of us sinners who need to repent earnestly. David was indeed a man after God's own heart.