A King After God’s Own Heart
A look at David, the unlikely choice to help build the greatest Kingdom on Earth
It’s easy to imagine the men who became America’s Founding Fathers in 1776 hard at work in the small east room in Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. I envision them reading by lamplight, their fingertips black with ink, arguing about the wording of the Declaration of Independence.
I can picture Thomas Jefferson, author of the Declaration’s soaring prose, sitting quietly with the Virginia delegation in almost regal solemnity, refusing to enter the fray of amendments to his draft as they were shouted across the room.
Living near Philadelphia, I have stood in that room many times, pondering those simple chairs, writing desks, and famous green curtains and imagining the scene unfold. While God was certainly at work in the founding of the United States of America, the accomplishments of these men testify to their excellent qualities. They were world builders with the skill, experience, and intelligence necessary to birth a nation.
An Unlikely Choice
The contrast to Israel’s King David couldn’t be starker. David was possibly the least likely person to build a nation. He was a shepherd and musician; the runt of his family as a boy; and an afterthought to his father, Jesse.
But God used David to help build what one day will become the greatest Kingdom on Earth. Unlike the American founders, David wasn’t the obvious choice for the job. He wasn’t experienced in politics or educated at the College of William & Mary. He held no degrees or pedigrees; and as the youngest of Jesse’s eight sons, he would not even have inherited much wealth.
But God chose David—a man whom He Himself wanted for the task of building the nation: “The LORD . . . sought for Himself a man after His own heart” (1 Sam. 13:14). David may not have been regal or impressive, but he was God’s man for the job.
Certainly, David had many good qualities: He was brave, passionate, intelligent, tenacious, and had a tendency toward quick repentance. He even was handsome. But God didn’t say he chose David because of these good qualities. He chose him because of his willingness to live and rule humbly as God’s servant.
God knew David would submit to His leadership and sovereignty over Israel. And David humbly acknowledged his lowly state: “Who am I, O LORD God? And what is my house, that You have brought me this far?” (1 Chr. 17:16). David understood that God did not choose him because he was important. He was unimportant. Yet God called David “a man after My own heart, who will do all My will” (Acts 13:22).
David’s Achievements
Every time David succeeded as king, every time the nation prospered under his leadership, it was because David submitted to God’s sovereign will. David’s greatest accomplishments occurred when he submitted. And his greatest failures occurred when he didn’t.
The Wait. After he was anointed king, David likely waited about 15 years to take the throne. Some of those years were spent running from King Saul, who wanted to kill him. Yet, despite the waiting and persecution and an army of people who wanted him proclaimed king, David adamantly refused to “stretch out [his] hand against” God’s anointed (1 Sam. 24:6, 10).
Even after Saul’s death, David did not seize the throne. First, he mourned; and then he inquired of the Lord if he should return to Israel. God directed him to Hebron, where the armies of Judah came to anoint him their king.
Even then, David had no interest in a civil war or in pressing his right to the kingdom. So, when Saul’s son Ishbosheth succeeded Saul as king, David reigned only in Hebron, waiting on God to fulfill His promise to enthrone him over all Israel.
Seven years later, Ishbosheth was murdered by two cutthroats who brought his head to David as a trophy. Horrified at their disrespect for “a righteous person,” David executed the men for their crime instead of celebrating his clear path to the throne (2 Sam. 4). It took all the tribes of Israel coming to him in Hebron for David to submit to God’s direction and rule over all the land (5:1–5).
This is not the typical way dynasties are established. Most rise up after bloodthirsty, selfish struggles for power. Not so with David. His ascendancy demonstrated a humble submissiveness to God’s timing and God’s sovereignty as the true King of Israel. David was a king, but God was and is the King.
The Wars. David was also submissive to God in his war to defeat God’s enemies and conquer Canaan. David defeated the Jebusites and seized Jerusalem as a matter of direct obedience (vv. 6–16). In violation of God’s commands, the Israelites had allowed the Jebusites to survive for generations and even intermarried with them, corrupting Israel spiritually (Judg. 3:5). David’s famous raid by water shafts that can still be seen under Jerusalem today demonstrated radical submission to God’s plans.
Similarly, as he consolidated his rule, he inquired of God before committing his armies to each engagement against the Philistines (2 Sam. 5:17–25). He beat the Philistines when and where God commanded.
The Ark. Bringing the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem was a monumental achievement for King David. At first, the Israelites tried to transport it on an ox-driven cart, which contradicted God’s commands and proved a disaster. Angry and afraid, David set aside his plans for three months (6:1–11).
He then brought up the Ark using men to carry it (probably Levites). He led the procession with intense passion, dancing and worshiping God along the way. His wife Michal considered his exuberance demeaning, but David exalted in his abasement before his God (vv. 12–23).
The Temple. Acutely aware of his lowliness and God’s greatness, David wanted to build God a fitting Temple for the Ark: “I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwells inside tent curtains” (7:2).
However, when God refused to let David build the Temple, David submissively obeyed. It was then the Lord made a unique promise to David that has endured for more than 3,000 years and will endure forever:
I will set up your seed after you, who will come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. And your house and your kingdom shall be established forever before you. Your throne shall be established forever (vv. 12–13, 16).
Today, we call this the Davidic Covenant. It will be fulfilled when David’s direct descendant Jesus returns to rule on the throne of David from Jerusalem in His Millennial Kingdom, ushering in God’s eternal Kingdom on Earth.
Though David did not build the Temple, he made plans to ensure its construction (1 Chr. 29:1–20) at the time God chose, in the place God chose, and through the man God chose.
David’s Failures
There were occasions when David did not submit to God, and both David and the kingdom suffered for it. The most notorious example is his adultery with Bathsheba and his coldblooded murder of her husband after she told the king she had conceived his child.
Israel was largely at peace, and Scripture notes that David sent his generals to fight the Ammonites while he remained in Jerusalem, shirking his duty (2 Sam. 11:1).
Devising his own plans, he committed adultery and murder. The result was that his son with Bathsheba died; and God declared, “The sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised Me” (12:10). Years of family chaos, murders, rebellions, and civil war came directly from David’s refusal to submit to God in this instance and on one other occasion of self-aggrandizement (1 Chr. 21).
By His Mercy
David’s life is covered in more detail than almost any other figure in Scripture. Even his psalms function as a journal of his spiritual journey, a sort of autobiographical commentary on the events in his life.
Though he made several tragic decisions, we should judge David with compassion. How good might any of us look if our lives were subjected to the same level of scrutiny?
God did not choose David because he always did the right thing or because of impressive leadership qualities. God didn’t even choose David because he had the most righteous heart in Israel. God chose him for His own purposes and His own plans, just as He chooses each of us—not for the good things we have done or will do, but by His mercy (Ti. 3:5).
As we live in this glorious truth of the gospel, may we learn, as David did, the beauty and wisdom of submitting ourselves moment by moment to God’s leadership and plans for our lives.
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