David: A Man After God’s Own Heart Part 1
“And Samuel said to Saul, “You have done foolishly. You have not kept the command of the LORD your God, with which he commanded you. For then the LORD would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. But now your kingdom shall not continue. The LORD has sought out a man after his own heart, and the LORD has commanded him to be prince over his people, because you have not kept what the LORD commanded you.” (1 Samuel 13:13-14 ESV)
The verse above was the starting point for a new series David: A Man After God’s Own Heart introduced by Rob who asked us about the condition of our hearts as we come out of lockdown, as we return to some kind of normality – is it good? Is your heart a beautiful place to be? That’s what this series is about.
How is your heart?
Rob’s talk challenged us about the state of our hearts centring on a comparison of Saul’s attitude and behaviour with that of David. He gave an overview of David’s life which was far from perfect. However David was forgiven and restored by God.
Chosen
Paul took us through the story of how God chose David in 1 Samuel 16: 1-13 (ESV). David was overlooked by his own family, but God sees him, chooses him and sets him in place. David had done nothing to deserve the grace God showed him and neither did any of us!
Justice
The story of David and Goliath is a well-known one and often told as a children’s story. Alison spoke passionately about David’s heart for justice and his determination to overcome Goliath who he saw as an affront to God’s people.
Character
David’s character was tested and developed during the years between being anointed as king and becoming the king. Rob looked at some of the incidents between Saul and David which tested David’s attitudes. Rob also asked some searching questions for us to answer in our own lives.
Friendship
We get the friends that we choose to be. Looking at the friendship of David and Jonathan, Rob talked about 5 attributes of true friendship and invited us to consider what kind of friends we choose to be.
Humility
Becky talked about how David responded to God’s plan which wasn’t the plan David had in mind. He wanted to leave a legacy, but God’s plan was for David’s son Solomon to build the Temple, not David. How do we respond when God changes our plans? Do we respond with sulking and anger or do we respond with humility as David did?
Kindness
Taking the passage in 2 Samuel 9 where King David brought Jonathan’s son Mephibosheth to Jerusalem, Simon showed us how David demonstrated the kindness of God. He showed us that God’s kindness is powerful not random. It brings back the exiles, welcomes us into the presence of a righteous King, restores our inheritance and bestows honour.
