After God's Own Heart

King David is one of the most significant people in all of the Bible. Acts 13:22 shows us that God saw David as “a man after God’s own heart”. He is the only man that is ever referred to in such a way. What made David a man after God’s own heart? What made David so special? And how does this change the way that we ought to live?

First of all, King David was chosen specifically by God to lead (1 Samuel 16:10-13). Samuel went to the house of Jesse and went through all of his sons and God told Samuel that David was the next king. From a very early age, David had been selected by God to lead. Second of all, David’s heart was “fully devoted to the Lord” (1 Kings 15:3). His heart was not torn between numerous things, it was 100% completely and fully sold out for the Lord. Thirdly, David walked obediently with the Lord and kept his commands (1 Kings 3:14). He was constantly walking with the Lord and never strayed from the path. He kept God’s laws and was obedient to all that God commanded of him. Fourthly, David did what was right in the eyes of the Lord for his entire life, except for his one infamous mistake. This mistake of course is his affair with Bathsheba/the murder of Uriah, and his weak attempt to cover it all up. Every other thing that David did was right in the sight of the Lord.

There is one thing that set David apart from other men almost entirely. He made one epic mistake and that is perhaps what he is most famous for. But everything else he did was right in the sight of the Lord. However, when he did make this mistake and realized his sin and his brokenness, he did something that might just have been the very center of what made him a man after God’s own heart. He repented. In Psalm 51, David cries out to God in anguish and brokenness and repents as purely and sincerely as is humanly possible. Though it sets David apart from most men that almost everything he did was right in Gods eyes, what really set him apart was how he responded the one time that he did mess up.

Live like David lived. Lead like David led. Devote your heart to the Lord, walk obediently with Him, do what is right in the eyes of the Lord, and when you do mess up, run to the Lord, fall on your knees, and cry out to God in repentance. That’s what made David a man after God’s own heart.