“The Lord has sought out for Himself a man after His own heart, and the Lord has appointed him as ruler over His people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you” (1 Samuel 13:14, NASB).
Samuel the prophet said these words to Saul the king. God had rejected Saul as king and was in the process of appointing a new king.
God rejected Saul because of his acts of disobedience. To reduce the chance of having a repeat occurrence with the new king, God raised the bar. The new king had to have a special kind of heart. The question is, what does it mean to have a heart after God’s own heart?
Literally, Samuel was saying that God sought out for Himself a man “according to His own heart.” Saul was not that kind of guy. He showed no respect for the will of God. He chose to follow His own will. Obviously, he was not a good fit for being the king of the nation of God’s chosen people.
Reflections of David’s Heart
As humans, we can’t see a person’s heart. “Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7, NASB). But the Bible reveals the following things about David, and they give us a glimpse of his heart:
a. Appreciation for God’s Anointing. Out of envy, King Saul repeatedly pursued David’s innocent blood. Though Saul was a wicked man and opportunities presented themselves for David to kill Saul, David would do Saul no harm. “For who can stretch forth his hand against the Lord’s anointed, and be guiltless?” David said concerning King Saul (1 Samuel 26:9, KJV). David honored Saul solely because David valued God’s anointing.
Sad but true, many people today dishonor God’s anointing upon His servants. In doing so, they dishonor God also.
b. A Life Devoted to Obeying the Lord. “David did what was right in the sight of the Lord, and had not turned aside from anything that He commanded him all the days of his life, except in the case of Uriah the Hittite” (1 Kings 15:5, NASB). This was David’s legacy. As they say, talk is cheap. David’s life of obedience to God demonstrated in no uncertain terms that he was a man after God’s own heart.
c. Treasured God’s Word in His Heart. It is believed that David wrote Psalm 119. In verse 11 of that psalm, the psalmist writes, “Your word I have treasured in my heart, That I may not sin against You” (NASB). This verse applies to David’s heart, even if he did not pen this particular psalm. For no one can successfully pursue the heart of God unless he treasures the Word of God in his heart.
A Heart After God’s Own Heart Does Not Mean Literal Perfection
Can God use us if we don’t have a heart that’s after His? Of course, He can. Most believers fail to measure up to the metric of having a heart after God’s own heart. But the more we incline our thoughts and actions toward those of God, as revealed in the Scriptures, the more God can use us to do those things He will not commit to just anybody.
Furthermore, to have a heart after God’s own heart does not mean we are perfect or that we are qualified for the task. Before God instructed Samuel to anoint David as the new king, each of his seven brothers came before Samuel to be considered for the job. But God rejected every one of them (see 1 Samuel 16:10).
God did not choose David because David was perfect. Remember his sinful act with Bathsheba and against her husband? And David certainly did not have the experience. He was the youngest of his father’s eight sons. But God saw something in David that was more important than his lack of perfection or experience. He saw in David a heart that panted after His own.
How committed are you to pursuing the heart of God?
Copyright © 2023 by Frank King. All rights reserved.