After God’s Own Heart

Message by the Rev Jeffrey Khoo at True Life Adults’ Sunday School, 26 September 2010

“But now thy kingdom shall not continue: the LORD hath sought him a man after his own heart, and the LORD hath commanded him to be captain over his people, because thou hast not kept that which the LORD commanded thee” (1 Sam 13:14). “And when he had removed him, he raised up unto them David to be their king; to whom also he gave testimony, and said, I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfil all my will” (Acts 13:22).

David was called a man after God’s own heart. To be a man after God’s own heart is to be a man who desires what God desires, a man who will submit to the will of God and obey His Word. How did David show himself to be a man after God’s own heart? He did it by his

(1)   Love for God (David v Goliath)

In 1 Samuel 17, we find the Philistines taunting and threatening Israel. They had a champion warrior named Goliath. He was a giant—nine feet tall and heavily armed (vv4-7). He spoke proudly against the armies of Israel. He spoke blasphemously against the God of Israel.

King Saul and his men “were dismayed, and greatly afraid” (v11). Why? It was because they loved themselves and not God. They were afraid for their lives. They showed very little regard for the glory and honour of their God. Their faith was practically non-existent. They forgot how the God of their fathers—Jehovah Himself—had crushed mighty Pharaoh and his gods, and all the Canaanite armies to give them the Promised Land. Considering how the Lord had delivered them so wonderfully and mightily from their enemies, there was no reason for them to be frightened of Goliath. Instead of being afraid, they should have been filled with righteous anger at this boastful infidel who had spoken so wickedly against the living and true God.

On the other hand, we have young David who was zealous for God’s glory and honour. He loved His God and Saviour, and felt compelled to defend God’s Holy Name. David’s love for God and righteous anger against blasphemers are well captured in Psalm 139:21, 22, “Do not I hate them, O LORD, that hate thee? and am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee? I hate them with perfect hatred: I count them mine enemies.”

Moved by his love for God and fired up with holy indignation, David stepped up to fight Goliath. “And David spake to the men that stood by him, saying, What shall be done to the man that killeth this Philistine, and taketh away the reproach from Israel? for who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?” (v26). In the battlefield, David with godly confidence said to Goliath, “Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied. This day will the LORD deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcases of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. And all this assembly shall know that the LORD saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the LORD’S, and he will give you into our hands” (vv45-47).

We know this famous story. Goliath was slain by David’s sling and David beheaded Goliath with the Goliath’s own sword, and the Philistine army was routed and soundly defeated.

Do you love the Lord? If you love the Lord you will obey His commandments. Jesus said, “If ye love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15). If we love Christ, we must hate sin. We must hate all forms of worldliness and unbelief. We must also expose and refute the heretical teachings of false pastors and teachers who speak against Christ and His Word, who deny His virgin birth, His miracles, His substitutionary atonement, His resurrection, who deny the perfect inspiration and perfect preservation of the Holy Scriptures, who say God’s Word is not infallible and inerrant but contains mistakes, who say we do not have God’s Perfect Word today and deny we can be certain about God’s Perfect Word to the last word, letter and syllable (Matt 5:18).

(2) Hope in God (David v Saul)

King Saul was very jealous of David for the Lord was with him (1 Sam 18:12). Saul wanted to have David killed. David knowing Saul’s evil intention fled for his life and hid in the wilderness of Engedi (1 Sam 24:1). Saul when he heard that David was in Engedi went with 3000 men to hunt him down. In Engedi, Saul went to ease himself in a cave. Unknown to him, David and his men were in that cave. David could have easily taken Saul’s life but did not. He merely cut a piece of cloth from Saul’s robe. Later, David felt bad that he had done so. Why? He told his men, “The LORD forbid that I should do this thing unto my master, the LORD’S anointed, to stretch forth mine hand against him, seeing he is the anointed of the LORD” (1 Sam 24:6). “And David said to Saul, Wherefore hearest thou men’s words, saying, Behold, David seeketh thy hurt? Behold, this day thine eyes have seen how that the LORD had delivered thee to day into mine hand in the cave: and some bade me kill thee: but mine eye spared thee; and I said, I will not put forth mine hand against my lord; for he is the LORD’S anointed” (1 Sam 24:9, 10).

Although David was already anointed king by the prophet Samuel according to God’s decree (1 Sam 16:13), David was in no hurry to take the crown from Saul. That was because he would not play God. Since it was God who put Saul on the throne, then only God had the right to dethrone him. Although Saul was wicked in his ways, he was still the Lord’s anointed, and David must honour the man whom God had anointed as king. When one honours the king, one honours God (Rom 13:1-6, 1 Pet 2:13-17).

David did not want to sin against God. He did not want to run ahead of God. He had to be patient and wait on the Lord to do all things according to His own good time. So, David hoped in the Lord to avenge the evil that Saul had done to him. David told Saul, “Moreover, my father, see, yea, see the skirt of thy robe in my hand: for in that I cut off the skirt of thy robe, and killed thee not, know thou and see that there is neither evil nor transgression in mine hand, and I have not sinned against thee; yet thou huntest my soul to take it. The LORD judge between me and thee, and the LORD avenge me of thee: but mine hand shall not be upon thee. As saith the proverb of the ancients, Wickedness proceedeth from the wicked: but mine hand shall not be upon thee. After whom is the king of Israel come out? after whom dost thou pursue? after a dead dog, after a flea. The LORD therefore be judge, and judge between me and thee, and see, and plead my cause, and deliver me out of thine hand” (1 Sam 24:11-15).

Many a time when we are persecuted by our enemies, we are tempted to be impatient and take matters into our own hands. We want our afflictions and sufferings to go away quickly and so try to solve our problems by some worldly way. In times of tribulation, we should seek God first. Seek God in His Word and through prayer and He will direct our paths and deliver us from all our troubles. Psalm 43 captures well the hope that was in David, “Judge me, O God, and plead my cause against an ungodly nation: O deliver me from the deceitful and unjust man. For thou art the God of my strength: why dost thou cast me off? why go I mourning because of the oppression of the enemy? O send out thy light and thy truth: let them lead me; let them bring me unto thy holy hill, and to thy tabernacles. Then will I go unto the altar of God, unto God my exceeding joy: yea, upon the harp will I praise thee, O God my God. Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.

(3) Faith in God (David v David)

There was a very low point in David’s life when he sinned against God. Although a man after God’s own heart, David was not sinlessly perfect. In a moment of weakness, he fell into temptation and committed adultery with Bathsheba who was already married to Uriah —one of his faithful soldiers. David even schemed to have Uriah killed in battle. The Bible tells us that “the thing that David had done displeased the LORD. And the LORD sent Nathan unto David” (2 Sam 11:27, 12:1). Nathan the prophet rebuked David for his sin. David when rebuked confessed his sin immediately and cried, “I have sinned against the LORD” (2 Sam 12:13). Unlike Pharaoh David did not harden his heart. Unlike Saul he did not try to excuse himself from his sins. He was quick to repent and was deeply remorseful. That is why David was a man after God’s own heart. His heart was not rebellious against nor resentful towards God’s rebuke and chastening.

Psalm 51:1-4 reveals David’s broken and contrite heart, “Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me. Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.” David prayed for forgiveness and trusted in the Lord who can save him from his sins, “Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice. Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit. Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee” (Ps 51:7-13). The faithless heart will never pray such a prayer to God.

Are we sensitive to God’s rebuke? Are we quick to repent? The Lord rebukes us through His Word and by His Spirit. Many a time, He uses His servants to preach against our sins. If we have the faith of David, we will be ever ready to confess our sins and repent of our ways when we are convicted by God’s Word and chastised by His Spirit.

A man after God’s own heart is thus a man of faith, hope and love. Be sure you possess these virtues in your life.

What a Production!

Dear Judith (and Deborah)

What a production! Your book is one long sermon written by True-Lifers. The testimonies are filled with Scripture dear to True-Lifers. I intend to be blessed as I read every verse and the Bible quotations so very real to the writers.

I also enjoy the photographs so well done that I am able to recognize friends that I knew while at FEBC and at True Life.  

I am closer to being with the Lord. Amen! At age 90 in June I am limited to a walker, and don’t drive, so I am dependent on my children, and they care.

Enclosed is a check for 50.00 for mailing the church weekly and a check for 20.00 for my copy of the True Life Testimonies “In the Steps of Our Saviour”.

Gramps

(A letter from Dr Arthur Steele, founder of Clearwater Christian College, Florida, upon receiving the True Life Sabbatical Jubilee Magazine