Think on These
Things
by Tom McLemore
Question: “Sir, What is meant when it is said that David was a man
after God’s own heart?”
Answer: This moving testimony concerning Israel’s
greatest human king, who served as the archetype of Christ, is found on the
lips of Paul in Acts 13:22. It reflects
a comment made by God in 1 Samuel 13:14, as he contrasts David and his
predecessor Saul. Clearly, the
difference between them is that David sought to obey God’s will without
altering it (1 Kings 15:4-5), whereas Saul freely altered God’s commands to
suit himself (cf. Numbers 15:39; 1 Kings 12:33; Jeremiah 9:14; 23:16, 17, 26;
Ezekiel 13:17). Even when David sinned,
he did not try to justify himself. He
freely admitted that he had done contrary to God’s will. Saul, on the other hand, tried to justify his
disobedience. Samuel referred to it as
rebellion (1 Samuel 15:23). It is not
surprising that when Jesus (of the seed of David) was manifested to Israel, he
sought to “fulfill all righteousness.”
His whole life was in this key: “I have come to do your will, O God”
(Hebrews 10:7). May we obey God’s word
implicitly without altering it or deviating from it.
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