David – A Man After God’s Heart
After the rejection of God to King Saul because of his disobedience, arrogance and lack of faith, the prophet Samuel said to the King, “You have done foolishly. You have not kept the commandment of the Lord your God, which He commanded you. For now the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. But now your kingdom shall not continue. The Lord has sought for Himself a man after His own heart, and the Lord has commanded him to be commander over His people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you” (1 Samuel 13:13,14). Then, God appointed David king.
The Reason Behind David’s Sin
Before the end of the war with the Ammonites, King David, assigned the army leadership to his army commander Joab and returned to Jerusalem to manage the internal affairs of the kingdom. The Syrians had already submitted to Israel, and the complete overthrow of the Ammonites was certain. King David was enjoying the victory and the honors of his strong rule. It was at this time of ease and comfort when he was unguarded spiritually that the devil tempted him and overcame him.
Before his reign as a king, David was chased by Saul, he was in constant connection with the Lord. And he relied completely on Him for victory and success. But when the Lord gave him peace and success, he settled in self-security, and let go of his hold upon God. As a result, he yielded to temptation and brought upon his soul guilt and shame (2 Samuel 11).
Victory Through Daily Relationship with God
Jesus taught us the secret of maintaining victory over sin, “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abides in me, and I in him, the same brings forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing” (John 15:4-5).
To abide in Christ means that the believer must be in daily communion with Him through studying of the Word, prayer, and living His life (Galatians 2:20). As a branch is connected to the vine to receive life, likewise we need to be connected to Jesus at all times. It is not possible for one branch to depend upon another for its life; each must maintain its own personal relationship to the vine. Thus, salvation is conditional upon a person abiding in Christ until the end.
Before his sin, when King David was walking in the counsel of God, he was called a man after God’s own heart. But when he sinned, this ceased to be true of him (Psalm 32:1-4) till by sincere repentance he had returned to the Lord with all his heart and was completely forgiven (Psalm 32:5-7). Yet, he still had to reap the painful fruits of the sins he had committed (2 Samuel 12:10).
David’s Prayer of Repentance
Have mercy upon me, O God,
According to Your lovingkindness;
According to the multitude of Your tender mercies,
Blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
And cleanse me from my sin.
3 For I acknowledge my transgressions,
And my sin is always before me.
4 Against You, You only, have I sinned,
And done this evil in Your sight—
That You may be found just [a]when You speak,
And blameless when You judge.
5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,
And in sin my mother conceived me.
6 Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts,
And in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom.
7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
8 Make me hear joy and gladness,
That the bones You have broken may rejoice.
9 Hide Your face from my sins,
And blot out all my iniquities.
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God,
And renew a steadfast spirit within me.
11 Do not cast me away from Your presence,
And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of Your salvation,
And uphold me by Your generous Spirit.
13 Then I will teach transgressors Your ways,
And sinners shall be converted to You.
14 Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God,
The God of my salvation,
And my tongue shall sing aloud of Your righteousness.
15 O Lord, open my lips,
And my mouth shall show forth Your praise.
16 For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it;
You do not delight in burnt offering.
17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit,
A broken and a contrite heart—
These, O God, You will not despise.
18 Do good in Your good pleasure to Zion;
Build the walls of Jerusalem.
19 Then You shall be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness,
With burnt offering and whole burnt offering;
Then they shall offer bulls on Your altar.
Psalm 51
In His service,
BibleAsk Team
