The Old Testament tells us that God’s chosen people, the people of Israel, saw that the other nations had kings and they wanted one as well. They no longer wanted to be subject to God’s sovereignty and asked his prophet, Samuel, to take their petition for a king before God. Heavenly Father allowed Saul to be their first king, and this worked out for a little while, but Saul became arrogant. He disobeyed God and ignored the directives and instructions God had ordained. 1Samuel 15:10-11(NLT) states, “Then the LORD said to Samuel, “I’m sorry that I ever made Saul king, for he has not been loyal to me and has refused to obey my command.” Samuel was so deeply moved when he heard this that he cried out to the LORD all night.” Samuel was distraught because he loved Saul, but we must note that emotions are secondary when it comes to the truth of God’s Will and Word.
God instructed Samuel to find a man named Jesse, because one of Jesse’s sons would be the next king. This points to another truth that is very important to our faith. God always has a plan for our good. Romans 8:28 tells us that He causes all things to work together for the good of those that are called according to His purpose. Even before Saul’s disobedience, God was raising up a new king. In our everyday lives, we are often faced with circumstances that seem insurmountable. We can’t imagine there’s a fix or a solution because things are so stacked against us. God tells us in 2Corinthians 12:9 that His power works best in our weakness, and He always knows what’s best. He demonstrated this to the people of Israel repeatedly, and He has continued to do the same for us.
1Samuel 16:1 says that after Samuel had mourned over God’s rejection of Saul, Heavenly Father told him that he had mourned enough, and he needed to get it together and handle the business at hand. He instructed Samuel to fill his flask with olive oil and get moving to Bethlehem. There, he’d find Jesse and his sons. He further instructed Samuel to take a heifer with him and tell the town’s people that he would be offering a sacrifice to God.
When Samuel arrived, he took one look at Jesse’s son, Eliab, and thought he was the one. Like Saul, Eliab looked the part of a king, but he was not the one God chose. 1Samuel 16:7(NLT) tells us, “But the LORD said to Samuel, “Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The LORD doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” Samuel had a great responsibility. A lot was at stake, but he was about to make a huge error in judgment, and many of us do the same thing. We are much too focused on outward appearance, and we judge people according to how they look. Samuel made this mistake as well. He wasn’t focused on the heart of the person, and this is what’s most important to God, the heart.
David was God’s choice, and he ultimately became king because he had the heart that God was looking for. Act 13:22(NKJV) states, “And when He had removed him, He raised up for them David as king, to whom also He gave testimony and said, ‘I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My own heart, who will do all My will.’” This record of God choosing a new king for the people of Israel is so important because it clearly defines for us what our Heavenly Father is looking for in us. He is looking for a heart that is loyal to Him.
Proverbs 4:23(NLT) warns us to, “Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.” To guard our hearts is to watch what goes in them and to also watch what comes out of them. It’s to put our emotions and feelings in check and to not allow them to rule our lives. This is very challenging for some people because we’ve been taught for so long that we can’t control our feelings. People will say things like, “The heart wants what the heart wants” and “You can’t control who you love.” Sayings like these might sound really sincere, but sincerity is no guarantee for truth. God’s Word is true. He’s instructed us to guard our hearts with all diligence, and He would not tell us to do something we’re incapable of doing.
David was not perfect. Like all of us, he made mistakes, but his heart remained loyal to do God’s Will. This is what God looks for in us. 2Chronicles 16:9(NLT) says, “The eyes of the LORD search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.” This verse is tremendously encouraging because it lets us know that God desires to strengthen our hearts so that we can remain under His covering. It also tells us that God is looking for those who are motivated by a desire to be committed to Him. None of us meet the mark every time. Romans 3:23 says that all of us have sinned against God and fallen short of His glory, but because of His amazing grace and enduring mercy, we can repent of our sins and He will forgive us.
God instructs us in Proverbs 3:5-6(NLT), “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.” This is such a profound piece of Godly wisdom, and it is probably one of the most quoted passages. It resonates so hugely with many of us because we understand the fight in our own minds and hearts to trust God when everything in our circumstances is crushing down on us. We just want to disappear because of the weight of worry, fear, and insecurity, but God tells us that these are the very circumstances in which we must trust Him the most. We can’t lean on our understanding—the understanding that tells us there’s no way out. Instead of listening to what the enemy says, we must listen to what God says and allow Him to lead us to the path of love, light, and victory in Christ!
This is what King David did many times. David had a heart that trusted God. In Psalm 3:1-6(NLT), David wrote, “1 O LORD, I have so many enemies; so many are against me. 2 So many are saying, “God will never rescue him!” 3 But you, O LORD, are a shield around me; you are my glory, the one who holds my head high. 4 I cried out to the LORD, and he answered me from his holy mountain. 5 I lay down and slept, yet I woke up in safety, for the LORD was watching over me. 6 I am not afraid of ten thousand enemies who surround me on every side. 7 Rise, O LORD! Rescue me, my God! Slap all my enemies in the face! Shatter the teeth of the wicked! 8 Victory comes from you, O LORD. May you bless your people.”
We cannot give the Lord a portion of our hearts, He desires and deserves our whole hearts. And when we do give our whole hearts to God, He will show Himself strong on our behalf, no matter what struggles we face. King David understood this. He didn’t always get it right. His awful and grotesque plot to get Bathsheba to be his wife by arranging for her husband’s death proved he could be full of himself at times. But David would humble himself before God and admit when he was wrong. He would repent and atone for his sins, and he did this because he honored Heavenly Father and valued his relationship with Him. This was David’s heart toward God, and because of Christ, we can do better. We can love God with all that we are, live holy and blameless before Him, and allow His love to be the motivation for everything that we do. ■
Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
“Develop A Heart Like David”, written for victoryinjesuschrist.life. Copyright© 2022. All rights reserved. All praise and honor to God through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.
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