In my first readings, I am struck with how often it says "The Lord was with David." I want the Lord to be with me. I want to feel Him leading and directing me. so I decided to study David and find out what it was that made him a man after God's own heart, and then seek to copy those characteristics. I don't think it is just one thing that gave David such a title, but rather the whole person that he was.
I have been reading the Psalms for weeks now, and the first thing I have learned comes from these poems, most of which were written by David. The entire first half of this book is one long cry out to God. David trusted God completely, and saw Him as his only source of strength, guidance, and protection. Whenever David was faced with a trial, his first reaction was to go to God for strength. When confronted with enemies, David cried to God for deliverance instead of trusting in his own strength and skill in war. Over and over again David refers to God as his Rock, his Strong Tower, his Strength and Deliverer. He knew where his protection was, he knew that strength could only come from one place.
So here I think we have the first characteristic of a man after God's own hear: complete trust in and reliance on God. A man after God's own heart must make god his first line of defense in a trial instead of a last resort. god must the his only source of strength and wisdom. Any advice received from man must be evaluated in light of God's Word and instruction.
Does David show these attitudes in his life and not merely his poems? Is there action along with the pretty words? There is. The earliest account of David shows us how he acted as a result of his trust in God.
The story of David and Goliath is one that everyone knows, but it is a story that is rich with teaching. When David comes to the battlefield, he sees the giant taunting the army of Israel, and the "men" of Israel fleeing in fear. David is confused. Why has no one gone out and killed this Philistine? He is defying the armies of the living God. Why are these men afraid? Aren't we God's chosen people? Will He not fight for us?
David was willing to go, to fight. When Saul told him he could not because he was "just a youth", David responded by telling the king that he was not trusting in his own strength. He tells Saul of how God had already delivered him form a lion and a bear before this, and David was trusting in that same God. Listen to how he says it:
"The Lord that delivered me out of the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear, He will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine."
"The Lord that delivered me out of the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear, He will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine."
Was Goliath and more dangerous than a lion or a bear? Was he somehow too big of a challenge for God? David didn't think so, and so strong must have been this show of faith and trust, that it convinced King Saul and he let David go. But first he tried to arm him with the weapons and armor of man. David put them off, however. Why? He said, "I cannot go with these, for I have not proved them." What a statement. What did David go with? What had he proved? God. God had proved Himself in that wilderness with the lion and the bear, and that was all the proof that David need to trust in Him completely. I Thess. 5:21 says we are to "Prove all things; hold fast to that which is good." David was holding fast.
So do you see how we need to follow this example? God has already proven Himself to us. You might not remember being saved from a lion or a bear, but we have an even better and surer proof than David did: the cross. This is where God proved Himself once and for all. Because of the cross, we can say boldly when we face our own giants " The Lord which delivered me out of the paw of sin and out of the paw of death, He will deliver me out of the hand of this trial that I am facing."
This is why David trusted in God, and this is why we also can trust in Him.
4 comments:
This characteristic is one that we could spend a lifetime trying to obtain and perfect without ever becoming perfect. We all have room for improvement. Very insightful, thank you!
Asa and Anna have been reading about George Muller. He was such a man of faith. He never wondered what would happen, never worried. He knew who provided and who defended. He would simply pray, with complete trust and humility. Once, an orphanage he ran, with 300children sitting down for breakfast, had absolutely nothing in the kitchen. Mr. Muller walked in and prayed, "Lord, we thank you for the food you are about to provide." And the town baker walked in, giving away the bread he had been baking since 2 that morning and the milkman broke down in front of the house and had to get rid of all of his milk. Such an example! To have such a inner peace... to know that everything you need is in His hands and that He will bring it to you.
And on a somewhat similar note, to quote Abraham Lincoln: Sir, my concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God's side, for God is always right.
I think it is very interesting to go back and watch David's rise, and his many of his falls. Its amazing to watch how God builds him up and gives him amazing victories against great odds, but then we also see God's righteous judgement on David in his faults. The man God had made the greatest king of Israel, He also would not allow him to build His temple because of the blood on his hands. So you can see in David's life the complete pro's and con's of following and not following after God. I think it is fearfully amazing how God denied David the honor of building His temple, which is something David desired to do greatly for God, because of all the blood David had on his hands.
What things in our life and walk with God will He deny us because of the "blood on our hands."
Maybe an encouragement to keep our hands clean.
Elyow'eynay...
I think you make an apt point about the blood on our hands. Often the Lord deny's us blessings even after we repent because of our shortcomings. May we ever be mindful of His ways, and never judge Him to be unfair.
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