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Heart After God


Annette

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Hi Guys 

It's a cold windy day this morning.  The ground is covered in a white blanket of snow. That just said as a side.

I have been reading about David, and wondering what it is about David that made him known as a man after God's own heart. 

Look forward to reading what you share. 

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2 hours ago, Annette said:

Hi Guys 

It's a cold windy day this morning.  The ground is covered in a white blanket of snow. That just said as a side.

I have been reading about David, and wondering what it is about David that made him known as a man after God's own heart. 

Look forward to reading what you share. 

A heart after God is something that I have always wanted for myself. What does that mean? 

Over the years I have come to see it means (for me) a denial of all of me. My very self, all that I was born with in Adam. Me, myself, I the sinner that was birthed, it was and is a continual reckoning that person dead and a continual presenting myself to God as a living sacrifice. That He might do in me and with me that which pleases Him. A heart that would willingly give up all of themselves that the all of Christ would have free rein in the heart and life.  

Still a work in progress, but if I can have;

“all of Him and nothing of me” 

I will have run my race well. 

Blessings, 

Much love in Christ, Not me 

Edited by Not me
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Bear with me.....

  • 2 Samuel 15:13 says that the hearts of the people were after Absalom.
  • Ezekiel 11:21 says that the people's hearts walked after the heart of their detestable things.
  • Ezekiel 20:16 says that the people's hearts went after their idols and verse 33:31 says their hearts went after their covetousness.

When the Bible says "after the heart" of something, it means in pursuit of that thing, in devotion to that thing, housing your "seat of appetites" there.

  • 1 Samuel 13:14 says that God went looking for a man after his own heart.  By the unfolding of the story, we can assume is was David.
  • Paul says in Acts 13:22 that God announced that he found David as the man after his own heart who would fulfill his (God's) will.  In this we can know it was David.

David was devoted, in pursuit of, and housed his seat of appetites in God's heart.

Not always.....but in his ultimate pursuit, God's heart was his goal.

Some people take David being a man after God's own heart to mean that David was somehow divine or the most Godly man on the planet, someone others cannot match, or someone who didn't make mistakes or was a goody-goody.

Not so:

  • King David had multiple wives.  Deuteronomy 17:17 said that the kings of Israel were not to do that.  It cost him a Godly relationship with not only his wives, but his children.  And terrible things happened in his family because David never made his children tow the line.
  • David planned on murder in his heart of innocent men when Nabal insulted him.  I know he was tired and was in a mental turmoil in having to deal with Saul, however, that does not excuse his desire to kill every man and boy on Nabal's property.
  • David, in hiding from Saul, made friends with the Philistines.  The same Philistines who mocked God when he was a young man and as a young man killed Goliath for it.  He and his men and families lived in Ziklag for a year and 4 months.  David was in deep despair and depression because of Saul.  He and his men raided from nearby Philistine towns to meet their needs.  They don't want the Philistines, with whom they are living, to tell what he is doing, so every time he and his men raided a town, they killedeveryone to keep the truth of what they are doing a secret.  If some did ask, he would lie and say that he and his men had raided towns in Judah - from his own people.  Murder, lies, coverups.
  • Some wonder how David could take Bathsheba knowing that she was another man's wife.  Some wonder how he could kill Uriah to cover it up.  These people haven't read 1 Samuel 27-30.  In fact, 2 Samuel 12 - 24 gives the account of David's suffering for his sins.
  • David purposely takes a census of his fighting men.  Some that is a clear violation of God's law.  It was so offensive that even JOAB was disgusting by it and refused to count all of the tribes.

 

HOWEVER...…..

What proves that David is a man after God's own heart - pursuing God's heart, devoted to it is the fact that David REPENTS of his sins and as far as we know doesn't commit that same sin after he repents.

  • Psalm 51 and quite possibly 33 is David's wonderful song of repentance and is THE example of how we should repent before God.
  • When David was murdering and raiding, King Saul was also in deep despair because God rejected him as King.  David turns to God.  King Saul turns to a witch. King Saul dies.  David lives.
  • When David counted the people, God gave him three choices of a punishment.  David chose sending a plague to the people have thousands of them die brutal deaths.  David was grieved over that choice and begged God to transfer the plague to him and his family.  God refused, but God also was not happy in the destruction of the wicked.  God told his death angel, "ENOUGH!"
  • David loved God's word, his precepts, and laws.

Thank GOD that my sins are not listed in the Bible.  What about  you?

What if, like King David, our lives - the good, the bad, and the ugly - was in PRINT for the world and for eons of generations to see.  I'd crawl in a hole and wish to die.

David sinned and sinned terribly, as we do.  But David always returned to God and his heart.  His pursuit was to be holy as God is holy.

 

 

 

 

Edited by Jayne
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@Annette :)This is such a good question! Thanks for asking it.

I've had loved ones who have asked me the same (especially in light of David's adultery with Bathsheba followed by setting her husband up to be killed in battle when she got pregnant with David's child.)

The first thing that stands out about David is his faith...In all the land there was not one other person who would rise to the challenge to fight Goliath!  "And David said, “The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” And Saul said to David, “Go, and the LORD be with you!” (1 Samuel 17:37) Hebrews 11:6 tells us that without faith it is impossible to please God. Faith is very important to God. It is a theme woven throughout the Bible over and over. So David's trust in the Lord was key to their close relationship.

David was also a man of worship. He is described as "the sweet psalmist" in 2 Samuel 23:1. All those beautiful songs that are part of our Bible today poured forth from his innermost being. "“O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: because his mercy endureth for ever.”Psalms 118:1 This was a reoccurring cry of praise from David.

He was a man of zeal who put his all into everything he did. For example: he danced before the Lord with abandon in 2 Samuel 6:14 “And David danced before the LORD with all his might"

God said of David that he was one who would fulfil his will. "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 must have loved God deeply to have grieved as deeply as he did in the anguished words of Psalm 51. Yes, he fell big but he also repented hard. He could not bear the thought of being separated from God. "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." Psalm 51:11-12

I'm sure there are more reasons and I look forward to following this thread and hearing everyone's thoughts. :) 

 

  

 

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2 hours ago, turtletwo said:

@Annette :)This is such a good question! Thanks for asking it.

I've had loved ones who have asked me the same (especially in light of David's adultery with Bathsheba followed by setting her husband up to be killed in battle when she got pregnant with David's child.)

The first thing that stands out about David is his faith...In all the land there was not one other person who would rise to the challenge to fight Goliath!  "And David said, “The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” And Saul said to David, “Go, and the LORD be with you!” (1 Samuel 17:37) Hebrews 11:6 tells us that without faith it is impossible to please God. Faith is very important to God. It is a theme woven throughout the Bible over and over. So David's trust in the Lord was key to their close relationship.

David was also a man of worship. He is described as "the sweet psalmist" in 2 Samuel 23:1. All those beautiful songs that are part of our Bible today poured forth from his innermost being. "“O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: because his mercy endureth for ever.”Psalms 118:1 This was a reoccurring cry of praise from David.

He was a man of zeal who put his all into everything he did. For example: he danced before the Lord with abandon in 2 Samuel 6:14 “And David danced before the LORD with all his might"

God said of David that he was one who would fulfil his will. "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 must have loved God deeply to have grieved as deeply as he did in the anguished words of Psalm 51. Yes, he fell big but he also repented hard. He could not bear the thought of being separated from God. "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." Psalm 51:11-12

I'm sure there are more reasons and I look forward to following this thread and hearing everyone's thoughts. :) 

 

  

 

Swidl ,   you are loved dear sister .    Onward in the LORD and let all that has breath praise the LORD .

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10 hours ago, Annette said:

I have been reading about David, and wondering what it is about David that made him known as a man after God's own heart. 

 

6 hours ago, turtletwo said:

I've had loved ones who have asked me the same (especially in light of David's adultery with Bathsheba followed by setting her husband up to be killed in battle when she got pregnant with David's child.)

 

6 hours ago, turtletwo said:

He was a man of zeal who put his all into everything he did.

I do not know the answer, but I believe turtletwo probably nailed it, in that David, like Paul, were on fire for the Lord, sold out. Both had great zeal. David ran the race all out but frequently lost his direction. Whereas, Paul, was running all out (ignorantly) for God, killing Christians, the wrong direction. God, seeing this man on fire for God, wanted him on His team, and He changed Paul's direction.   

I really don't begin to compare ourselves to these great men of the bible. But to receive a little hope for our coming home, it is good to remember this verse of scripture below.

Commentary Matt 11 (11) "There hath not risen a greater.—John the Baptist The greatness of men is measured by a divine not a human standard. The prophet, who was more than a prophet, the herald or the forerunner of the kingdom, was greater in his work, his holiness, his intuition of the truth, than the far-off patriarchs, than David or Solomon, and, than the conquerors and the destroyers, such as Alexander, Pompey, Herod, on whom the world bestowed the title of “the great” ones"

Yet, see what God tells us below.

Matt 11,11   "Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he"...............................Ponder that........default_cool2.gif.60d187ea154a94f4bac0d8e3ea50a862.gif

 

 

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John preached repentance.  David was an illustration of true repentance.  

God's grace and help have sustained me through the last few years.  Many times I have refrained from doing things that might not be pleasing to God because I didn't want to lose that fellowship. 

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Daniel, David, Job, Moses, and a whole slew of others were after pleasing God.

Yahweh was central to their lives and even when they fell short, they did not curse God...

For me, the only words of comfort sometimes are: Even though You slay me, yet will I bless You...

Edited by Justin Adams
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.

Psalm 119:3
 
They also do no iniquity; they walk in His ways.
ASV
Yea, they do no unrighteousness; They walk in his ways.
AMP
They do no unrighteousness; They walk in His ways.
Yes, they do no unrighteousness [no willful wandering from His precepts]; they walk in His ways.
BRG
They also do no iniquity: they walk in his ways.
CSB
They do nothing wrong; they walk in his ways.
CEB
They don’t even do anything wrong! They walk in God’s ways.
CJB
They do nothing wrong but live by his ways.
29 minutes ago, Justin Adams said:

Daniel, David, Job, Moses, and a whole slew of others were after pleasing God.

Yahweh was central to their lives and even when they fell short, they did not curse God...

For me, the only words of comfort sometimes are: Even though You slay me, yet will I bless You...

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