In studying the life of King David, there were many things that leapt off the page and ministered to my heart, but it was the main and all encompassing difference between King David and King Saul that quite simply spoke to and cautioned me the most…Basically, King David had a teachable, obedient heart; while the other (King Saul) did not. This difference in heart attitude is very obvious throughout the reign of both Kings but a pointed example of what David possessed and Saul lacked is made clear in Scripture in 1 Samuel 15. In this portion of Scripture, God rejects Saul as the King of Israel because he blatantly disobeyed God’s command to destroy the Amalekites, livestock and all because of “what they did to Israel when they waylaid them as they came up out of Egypt.” (vs.2 NIV) The result Saul came up with is what I’ve coined as “his own method of attempting to improve on God’s plan.” I know many of you know the story, but for those who do not, Saul took it upon himself to not only spare the King of the Amalekite nation, but he also kept all of the choice livestock as an offering for God and then proceeded to destroy only everything that was weak. (vs. 8-9 NIV) When the prophet Samuel showed up to confront Saul over his disobedience, Saul literally exclaimed “The Lord bless you! I have carried out the Lord’s instructions.” (vs. 13 NIV) to which poor Samuel replied “What then is this bleating of sheep in my ears? What is this lowing of cattle that I hear?”(vs.14) “Why did you not obey the Lord? Why did you pounce on the plunder and do evil in the eyes of the Lord?” (vs.19) Amazingly, Saul responded with “But I did obey the Lord! I went on the mission the Lord assigned me. I completely destroyed the Amalekites and brought back Agag their king. The soldiers took sheep and cattle from the plunder, the best of what was devoted to God, in order to sacrifice them to the Lord your God at Gilgal.” (vs.20-21) Long, sad story short, Samuel ended up having to carry out God’s command due to Saul’s disobedience.
Many years later, a moment arises in the life of King David which is recorded in 2 Samuel chapters 11 & 12 that must cause us to pause, but also offers us hope. The story of David and Bathsheba is one of renown and many know it well…..The interesting thing of this life experience of King David is that although he committed adultery with Bathsheba, got her pregnant and then had her husband, Uriah, killed when he couldn’t effectively cover up his sin….It’s How he responded to the prophet Nathan, whom God sent to confront him over his sin, that declared David’s response to God and the attitude of his heart toward God to be extremely different than that of Saul. Nathan told David a parable to “explain” his own sin to him (12: 1-4). Upon having heard the parable, David’s sense of justice reared up and we’re told in verse 5 that his anger flared and he demanded the death of the man whose actions Nathan is speaking of in his parable….right then (vs. 7) Nathan said to David “You are the man!” To which David quickly replied. “I have sinned against the Lord.” Notice, there was none of Saul’s rationalizing present in David’s response….just….”I have sinned against the Lord.”
So what then is the lesson (and hope) to us in the fact that David could fall so far from obedience (just like Saul) and yet have Almighty God still declare him to be “a man after His own heart?” The truth here is simple….David’s heart never remained very far away from God’s. Yes, his actions were wrong, and there were great consequences which he endured as a result of his actions, but his heart attitude toward God remained "right"…. His, was a heart that desired to know God intimately and to serve Him reverently. Although there were seasons in David’s life when he allowed himself to be led astray because he lost sight of those desires of his heart, the difference between his heart attitude toward God, and that of his predecessor, King Saul was stark and taught me the greatest lessons concerning what the posture of our own hearts should be in relationship to God. If we also long to be called a people after God’s own heart, then we too must have hearts that are yielded to following and obeying God. Since we are also human and imperfect, we need to be certain that on the occasions when our actions are wrong, that our hearts remain teachable, humble, pliable and contrite so that we may also be quick to seek God in repentance and thereby continue to remain in right fellowship with Him. The example, in and of, King Saul’s faraway heart is one that I pray I will not soon forget because I fear that to forget it is to potentially run the very serious risk of winding up with my own heart being found in the very same condition….By the way, have you had your heart checked lately?
