Whitten Q & A - WHY WAS DAVID CONSIDERED TO BE AFTER GOD'S OWN HEART?

David’s Humble Beginnings as Shepherd and Worshiper

Hello, my name is Christian, and I'm gonna be answering a quick question for you guys. Brother Josiah came up to me a couple weeks ago and asked if I would answer a question and I was like absolutely I will.

And the question that I chose was why was David known as a man after God's own heart, and that's a very good question. Why was he a man after God's own heart. And I began wondering wow what a prestigious title to have for God to give you that title.

You must have done something extraordinary you must have been so righteous and pure and sinless. But the more you study David the more you realize that that's not that wasn't the case. He was not sinless by any means.

He was actually very sinful. It all begins in the beginning all right. We know him as King David, but he wasn't always royalty. He began as a shepherd. He was the youngest of eight, and he was put on sheep duty all right again.

He was the youngest of the eight. All the big brothers are doing other things keep the young and outside taking care of the sheep. So very humble circumstances very humble origins. We know that when he was in the field he wrote psalms.

He wrote Music for the Lord. He mastered the harp. He learned how to how to foster a worshiping heart and not only that. When bears and lions came and tried to attack his sheep he would trust in the Lord.

To save him and his sheep and we know that he did. We know that God rescued David because of David's faith, and we see this evolve when we. When Goliath comes in we all know the story. We've all been to Sunday school.

We know Goliath Philistine was fighting David. David hurled his slingshot and killed Goliath. Where did that faith come from. I believe it originated. Back when he was a shepherd. It originated back when he was taking care of the sheep.

Because he trusted in God that God would protect him and his sheep from lions and bears so in his mind. What's a human? What's a mere person. If I a shepherd can protect my sheep my Lord can protect me.

David’s Faith in God Against Goliath

And so we see that this amazing faith. It's just brewing up inside this man. David a man after God's own heart. But I don't even think that's the answer to the question. He is a man. Full of contradictions.

I hate to say it. But the more I read about David the more I realized how simple he was. He was a worshiper of God he loved God with all of his heart, but we also know that his hands were very bloody.

He was a military leader. All right, most of the times impure he was a murderer and Notice is the difference between a military leader and a murderer. God ordained war some wars, but God did not ordain murder.

When one day we all know the story when David was watching his kingdom from his palace. He saw a woman named Bathsheba a married woman married to a man named Uriah. Uriah was a loyal faithful servant to David.

David disregarded all of that. He dishonored him. He does honored his wife to the point of killing Uriah. And I would even dare say raping Bathsheba. So what happened. This holy man all of a sudden is making some very bad mistakes.

He wasn't just a rapist murderer. He was also prideful. He was prideful enough to count his army something that God said specifically not to do. And we also know that he was also a poor father. We read later on in the Bible.

The effects of his poor parenting his children rise up and rebel his children are charlatans. They it is just a mess and a scandal. And so who is this man? I thought this man was a faithful god-loving person.

But then we're exposed To this what we're exposed to the murdering side of David the sexually immoral the prideful man David so way. What does God judge when God calls him a man up to God's own heart and the key is found in his repentance?

David’s Sin, Repentance, and God’s Judgment

Number one we have to admit that he is just like us. All right, we've got to stop romanticizing these biblical characters. These people were real people these aren't just Bible stories. David Noah Moses Abraham these people were just like us.

There weren't any any more human or any less human than we were. All right, they might have had specific tasks that were God ordained. But in the end, there were just a mere men. They were like us. Susceptible to sin and temptation to fear and anxiety to anger.

They were just like us. All right, so we need to we need to remember that they struggled just like us. So we can't sit too high and judge David on the things that he did. When the same God that said do not kill also said do not lie.

So I a liar can't condemn David the murderer who might have judged I am just as sinful as he is. Mine just looks a little bit prettier than his. I can hide mine more than his and his is Splastered on the Bible for the entire world to see and so we need to step back a little bit and remember that these are Actual people and have a little bit of sympathy for these people that they were just like us.

I Believe that the reason he was a man after God's own heart was because he was so eager To earn back God's favor. He was so eager to repent and fall down on his knees and seek God's face again. He wasn't a man after God's own heart because he was sinless.

He was a man after God's own heart because he was repentant full because he knew where his strength lied. He knew that once he touched the ground he had to get back up and keep pursuing and keep pushing in.

It was a man of weakness. He was a man of conviction. And he was a man of God's own heart because he repented and he sought after God with all of his energy with all of his being and so. In short, that's the answer to why I believe he is a man after God's own heart, but I want to leave you with this.

Psalm 51 and David’s Prayer of Repentance

Psalms 51. David wrote this when he was caught or when the prophet Nathan came up to David and said You've done something wrong. You've murdered somebody and you've taken someone who is not your wife and you have remained repentless.

Once David got Convicted he wrote the song and it is so indicative of His repentness of his eagerness to get to get back with God and it starts like this. Be gracious to me. God according to your faithful.

Love according to your abundant compassion blot out my rebellion. Completely wash away my guilt and cleanse me from my sin for I am conscience of my rebellion and my sin is Always before me against you you alone.

I have sinned and done this evil in your sight. So you're right when you when you pass sentence you are blameless when you judge me indeed I was guilty when I was born. I was sinful when my mother conceived me.

Surely you desire integrity in the inner self and you teach me wisdom deep within. Purify me with hyssop and I will be clean wash me and I will be whiter than snow. Let me hear joy and gladness. Let the bones that the bones you have crushed rejoice turn your face away from my sins and blot out my guilt and This is the verse that gets me.

He says God Create a clean heart for me and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Don't banish me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me restore to me the joy of your salvation and Sustain me by giving me a willing spirit.

Then I will teach the rebellious your ways and the sinners will return to you. David knew The repenting was the right thing to do. And it always is it doesn't matter Where you are in your life, it doesn't matter how many bad things you've done.

It doesn't matter how long it's been since your last confession. It's never too late to do the right thing. It's never too late to repent and We can learn something from David. That our forgiveness our reconciliation our redemption is found in God and later on the Bible.

We realize that this God came down and his name is Jesus and he offers salvation to all people. Forgiveness no matter what you have done. And so if you think man, you just don't know what I've done. Let me tell you you don't know what he did.

Jesus's love on the cross his death and his resurrection. That power overpowers any sin you've ever committed and so it is never too late Never you're never too bad for God to fix if you think that your sin is too far.

From from from God's reach and you've been listening to voices that weren't from God. Because we have a book right here that tells us That his sacrifice is enough to blot out everything like David said blot out my transgression and he can for you, too.

Christ’s Cross, Forgiveness, and the Call to Repent

All right, and I hope in some way shape or form I was able to enlighten you on a little something and Show you why Jesus and God and the Holy Spirit are the answer.