After His Own Heart
Greetings church family!
Scripture calls Abraham "a friend of God." God called Job, "a man of perfect integrity." Jesus said of John the Baptist, "of all who have ever lived, none is greater..." What a privilege it is to have God say such honorable things said about you! That said, I think God gives David my favorite compliment of all – “a man after His own heart”.
What exactly does that mean - to be a man after God's own heart? I'm adopted, and I look nothing like my adopted parents. That was always a thing for me growing up. Don't get me wrong, I love my adoptive parents dearly! But I always wondered what it would be like to have someone in the world who looked like me, who took after me in appearance. I teared up big time when my son was born, because that wonder had finally met its realization! Could it be that David's heart resembled God's heart? David's inner being resembled God's inner being. That's possible, but I believe the phrase takes on a deeper meaning. What if David being "a man after God's own heart" means David sought after God's heart? What if it means he was continually in pursuit of the things that brought God honor and pleasure?
2 Samuel 11-12 tells of a time in King David's life when he definitely was not seeking after God's heart. David coveted the wife of one of his soldiers, so he concocted a plan that ended with the soldier's death. Now that he had this woman himself, he took her as his wife. David was convinced he'd gotten away with it, but the prophet Nathan confronted him with his sin. David, as king, could have ignored Nathan's rebuke. In fact, he could have had the prophet killed for confronting him. Instead, 2 Samuel 12:13-14 reads, "David responded to Nathan, 'I have sinned against the Lord.' Then Nathan replied to David, 'And the Lord has taken away your sin; you will not die. However, because you treated the Lord with such contempt in this matter, the son born to you will die.'”
Two things stand out. First, David admitted his sin. Second, Nathan tells David that the Lord has "taken away your sin" (forgiven his sin). David is humble enough to admit his sin, and the Lord is gracious enough to forgive his sin.
Here's the interesting part. Psalm 51 is a psalm of repentance by David regarding this sin. He writes it after already knowing he is forgiven by God. Why would he repent if he's already been forgiven? The answer is, David is a man who is after God's heart. He doesn't do it to gain salvation. Rather, he does it because he deeply honors his relationship with God. David wants to take time to express what's on his heart to connect with God's heart. This is so powerful. It teaches us that our relationship with God should be just as important to us as the salvation we receive from God.
In salvation, God pursues our heart to rescue us from the clutches of sin. In relationship, we are invited to pursue God's heart. Here's the good news! In Jeremiah 29:13, God promises that "You will seek me and find me when you search for me with all your heart."
Be blessed!
Pastor Chris
