David lived one of the most remarkable lives in history. We find his story in 1 Samuel 16-31, 2 Samuel 1-24, 1 Kings 1-2, and 1 Chronicles 11-29.

God commanded the prophet Samuel to anoint one of the sons of Jesse as king over Israel. When Samuel saw Eliab, Jesse's eldest son, the prophet thought, "Surely the LORD's anointed stands here."

But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." (1 Sam 16:6-7, NIV; compare 1 Sam 17:13, 28; 1 Chron 2:13)

Rather than Eliab, the Lord chose Jesse's youngest son David (1 Sam 16:8-13).

David was certainly not a perfect man, and yet Scripture calls him "a man after God's own heart" (Acts 13:22). Why? What qualities in David endeared him to the Lord?

David lived in a time and culture much different from our own. As king over Israel, he held more responsibility and more personal authority than most of us can imagine. These factors sometime make it difficult for us to relate to David and to understand his actions. Nevertheless, in this series of Bare Roots, we will reflect on David's life and try to see him as God saw him.

First, David was "a man after God's own heart" because he openly acknowledged the true God -- the Creator of heaven and earth, the God of Abraham and Isaac, Jacob and Moses.

In a time when kings largely determined the religion of their subjects, David never once bowed his knee to the false gods of the surrounding nations. Instead, he brought the Ark of the Covenant -- the symbol of God's heavenly throne -- into Jerusalem, inviting God's presence as Ruler in his capitol city (see 2 Sam 6, especially v. 2). He appointed priests to teach the nation God's ways, as well as singers and musicians to lead them in worship (see 1 Chron 15). He planned a magnificent Temple, donating his own fortune to its construction (see 1 Chron 22-29, esp. 29:3-5). David made knowing God and serving God the guiding focus of his kingdom.

In doing so, David set a fine example for the rulers who followed him. He became the standard by which biblical writers judged his successors. To illustrate:

As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the LORD his God as the heart of David his father had been. He followed Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and Molech the detestable God of the Ammonites. So Solomon did evil in the eyes of the LORD; he did not follow the LORD completely as David his father had done. (1 Kgs 11:4-6)

Asa did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, as his father David had done. He expelled the male shrine prostitutes from the land and god rid of all the idols his fathers had made. He even deposed his grandmother Maacah from her position as queen mother, because she had made a repulsive Asherah pole. Asa cut the pole down and burned it in the Kidron Valley. Although he did not remove the high places, Asa's heart was fully committed to the LORD all his life. He brought into the Temple of the LORD the silver and gold and the articles that he and his father had dedicated. (1 Kgs 15:11-15; compare 1 Kgs 14:7-9; 15:1-5; 2 Kgs 14:1-6; 16:1-4; 18:1-7; 22:1-23:25)

King David made some bad decisions during his reign, but he got the biggest decision right: He gave his core allegiance to the Lord by faithfully loving Him, honoring Him, and serving Him all the days of his life. That commitment made David "a man after God's own heart."

Reflect...

1. Read the accounts of the reigns of Ahaz in 1 Kings 15:11-15 and Josiah in 2 Kings 22:1-22:30. How did these kings compare to David in their faithfulness to God?
   
   
2. Jesus tells his disciples: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind" (Matt 22:37-38), quoting Deut 6:5); "Seek first [God's] Kingdom and His righteousness" (Matt 6:33); and "Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life" (Rev 2:10). How does Christian discipleship compare with David's way of living?

Christopher A. Davis, Ph.D.
Professor of New Testament
Hope International University
Fullerton, California

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