David was a man after God’s own heart, is cited by many Christians to approve adultery (infidelity) and fornication of Christians, especially of preachers. The many other Scriptures in which God condemns the works of the flesh (sin) are forgotten. Even Joseph, who feared the Lord and refused to commit adultery is not mentioned. No, it’s David and this sentence that is used to silence other Christians, who condemn the works of the flesh, and ensure that Christians persevere in sin and preachers, who have committed adultery, can remain in the pulpit and keep preaching. But when and why did God say that David was a man after His own heart? In what context did God speak these words? Did the words of God still apply after David’s adultery with Bathsheba? Was David a man after God’s own heart his whole life?
The transition from judgeship to kingship
After the judgeship of Samuel, God’s people rebelled. Samuel had appointed his sons as judges over Israel. But the sons of Samuel didn’t walk in the ways of their father, who was a man of God. The sons of Samuel went their own way, just like the sons of Eli. They turned aside after dishonest gain and took bribes and perverted judgment (Read also: The spirit of Eli).
The elders of Israel gathered themselves together. They went to Samuel and confronted him with the walk of his sons. The elders requested a king to judge, just like all the other nations.
The words of the elders displeased Samuel. But when Samuel prayed to the Lord, the Lord said to give heed to the voice of the people. They had not rejected him but God, that He would reign over them.
Since the day that the Lord brought them up out of Egypt until that day, the people had forsaken God. They had served other gods and they would do the same to him.
Samuel shared the words of the Lord with the people. He warned them of the consequences of the changing of judgeship to kingship. But the people didn’t want to listen and obey the voice of Samuel. They maintained their position, whereby the transition of judgeship to kingship was carried through.
Saul, the first king of Israel, rejected the Lord
The first man, who was anointed as captain over God’s inheritance (God’s people Israel) to judge and save God’s people out of the hand of the Philistines, was Saul. Saul was anointed as king over God’s people Israel and reigned for 40 years.
God was with Saul until Saul rebelled against God and transgressed the commandment of the Lord and rejected His words. By rejecting the words of God Saul rejected God. (Read also: Disobedience to God)
Saul feared the people instead of God. Therefore Saul obeyed the voice of the people instead of obeying the voice of the Lord.
Saul acted according to his own insight instead of trusting God and obeying His commandments (His words).
And as Saul rejected the words of God, God rejected Saul and his kingdom would not continue.
The Lord had sought a man after His Own heart and commanded him to be captain over His people. Someone, who would obey the voice of the Lord and do His will. (Read also: When people don’t listen to the voice of God?)
Saul was not disobedient to the voice of God once, but several times, whereby the kingdom of Israel was rent from Saul. This didn’t happen during Saul’s life. But this happened after Saul’s death and the death of his son Ishbosheth, who reigned two years over Israel (1 Samuel 10-1-16; 13;15, 2 Samuel 2:8-4:12).
David a man after God’s own heart
And afterward they desired a king: and God gave unto them Saul the son of Cis, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, by the space of forty years. And when he had removed him, He raised up unto them David to be their king; to whom also He gave testimony, and said, I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after Mine own heart, which shall fulfil all My will. Of this man’s seed hath God according to His promise raised unto Israel a Saviour, Jesus (Acts 13:21-23)
Samuel mourned for Saul and it repented the Lord, that He had anointed Saul as king over Israel. But God found someone else, who was suited for the job, namely David a man after God’s own heart.
David knew the Lord and his heart belonged to Him. David feared God and acknowledged God as the Lord of his life. He trusted the Lord and enquired the Lord and obeyed the Lord. David kept His commandments, whereby David did the will of God. Therefore David was a man after God’s own heart.
Because a man after God’s heart means, that a man walks in obedience to God and does what He says and keeps His commandments and lives after the will of God. (Read also: What does obedience to God mean?)
Through the shepherding of his father’s sheep, David was made ready for the shepherding of God’s sheep
While shepherding his father’s sheep, David was taught, tested and prepared by God to shepherd His people. David’s father trusted his son and gave the care of his sheep to his son David. Dvid took this responsibility seriously. David even put his own life at stake for the sheep, whereby David showed his love, compassion and responsibility for the sheep to his father.
When a lion or a bear took a lamb out of the flock, David didn’t let the lion or the bear have his way. David didn’t think, “Ah well, one sheep less doesn’t matter, I have plenty of sheep left.” No, David didn’t think this way.
As soon as a lion or a bear took a lamb out of the flock, David went out after the lion and also the bear and smote him and delivered the lamb out of his mouth. And when he arose against David, David caught him by his beard and smote and slew him.
David knew that it was not his merit and his work, but it was God’s work. He knew that God was with him and that God delivered him out of the paw of the lion and the bear.
David knew, who he was in the Lord and that God was his strength. Therefore David went out in His Name and His power.
David was not afraid and defeated Goliath
When the uncircumcised Philistine Goliath challenged Saul and the men of Israel to come and fight with him, no one was bold enough to fight with Goliath, until David came. The young man David offered Saul to fight with Goliath, since David knew that God was with him.
As God was with David with the lion and the bear and delivered him out of the paw of the lion and also the bear, God would be with David and deliver him out of the hand of the Philistine.
And so David went in the Name and the strength of the Lord and defeated Goliath. After David defeated Goliath, the men of Israel shouted and pursued the Philistines and spoiled the tents of the Philistines. (Read also: How do you overcome your Goliath?).
David obeyed the voice of God and did His will
The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in Him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoices; and with my song will I praise Him (Psalms 28:7)
David was a mighty valiant man and a man of war and prudent in matters. David enquired God and obeyed God’s voice and walked in His will and did all things in His power. Through his obedience to God, God was with David, whereby David was prosperous and victorious. Although his victories were accompanied by persecution.
Before David became king, he did not have an easy life. David lived a nomadic lifestyle. He abode in caves and strongholds in the wilderness and was on the run for Saul.
Instead of being glad for having David and being happy about his victories over the Philistines, Saul was jealous of David. Why was Saul David jealous of David? Because Saul saw that God was with David. Saul was full of anger that changed into hate and caused Saul to kill David.
But God’s hand was on David’s life (through his obedience to God’s word), whereby Saul could not harm David.
David was anointed as king over Judah and king over Israel
Although David was anointed with oil by Samuel at an early age, David was 30 years old when he was anointed (appointed) as king over Judah. David reigned in Hebron for seven years and six months.
After these years, the elders of the tribes of Israel came to David in Hebron. David made a league with them before the Lord and the elders anointed David as king over Israel.
David reigned forty years. In Hebron, David reigned over Judah seven years and six months. In Jerusalem, David reigned thirty and three years over all Israel and Judah (2 Samuel 5, 1 Koningen 2:11).
Where in the Bible was David called a man after God’s own heart?
And Samuel said to Saul, Thou hast done foolishly: thou hast not kept the commandment of the Lord thy God, which he commanded thee: for now would the Lord have established thy kingdom upon Israel for ever. But now thy kingdom shall not continue: the Lord hath sought Him a man after His own heart, and the Lord hath commanded him to be captain over His people, because thou hast not kept that which the Lord commanded thee (1 Samuel 13:13-14)
Where in the Bible was David called a man after God’s heart? David was called a man after God’s heart before David was anointed by Samuel and before David was appointed as king over Judah and as king over Israel.
God spoke these words, after Saul (consciously) had disobeyed the commandment of God.
Saul had rejected the word of God and because of that Saul had rejected God.
Saul had rejected God and therefore God would reject Saul.
Saul’s rulership over God’s inheritance (people of Israel) would not continue. But his kingdom would be rented from him by the Lord.
Saul’s rebellion and disobedience to God had consequences for his life and his seed.
God spoke through Samuel to Saul, that He had sought Him a man after His own heart; after His will, who would obey His words and keep His commandments. And that’s what David did.
Why was David a man after God’s own heart?
David was willing and had submitted himself to God. He acknowledged Him as the almighty God and the Lord of His life. David enquired the Lord and obeyed the words and commandments of the Lord. He did as the Lord commanded him to do, whereby David lived after His will.
And if David didn’t enquire God first, and did something which was not according to the will of God, David immediately showed remorse and humbled himself before the Lord and acknowledged that he had sinned greatly and had done very foolishly. David repented and bore the consequences of his foolishness and the evil he had done and didn’t do it again.
This happened, for example, at the drop of the ark of God, whereby Uzza was killed. (Read also: Why did Uzza die?)
And also when David counted Israel, which was evil in the eyes of the Lord. Due to David’s iniquity, Israel was smitten by God with the pestilence, which came over the land of Israel and seventy thousand men died (2 Samuel 6, 1 Chronicles 21).
But the most famous story is of course David’s adultery with Bathsheba and setting her husband Uriah in the forefront of the hottest battle, so that Uriah died. And when the mourning was past, David fetched Bathsheba and she became his wife and bare David a son.
God didn’t approve of what David had done, but it was evil in the eyes of God. Therefore God punished David for what he had done (2 Samuel 11,12).
Despite the fact, that God had called David a man after His own heart (before David was appointed as king) David didn’t remain unpunished for committing adultery and the evil he had done.
David had despised God, whereby the sword would never leave his house
God sent the prophet Nathan to David, who spoke a parable and confronted David with the evil he had done. God had anointed David as king over Israel. He delivered David out of the hand of Saul and had given him his master’s house and wives, and the house of Israel and of Judah. And if that had been to little, the Lord would have given him such and such things. But David had despised the commandment of the Lord, to do evil in His sight.
By despising the commandment of the Lord, David had despised God.
And because David had despised God and killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword of the children of Ammon and had taken Uriah’s wife to become his wife, the sword would never depart from David’s house.
Because of the evil David had done (David’s sin), God would raise up evil against David out of his own house. God would take David’s wives before his eyes and give them unto his neighbour and he would lie with his wives in the sight of his sun.
David had done it secretly. But God would do it before all of Israel and before the sun (2 Samuël 12:1-12).
In the house of David, his firstborn son of Bathsheba bore the punishment of David’s sin
Have mercy upon me, O God, according to Thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of Thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me. Against thee, Thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in Thy sight: that Thou mightest be justified when Thou speakest, and be clear when Thou judgest (Psalms 51:1-4)
By hearing the words of God, David was convicted of his sins. David acknowledged that he had sinned against the Lord. Nathan said to David that the Lord had put away his sins and he would not die.
But because David had given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme through his deed, the child that was born unto David would surely die.
And so God struck the child and the child became very sick. Despite the praying and fasting of David, the child died on the seventh day, according to the word of God (2 Samuël 12:13-19).
Incest in the house of David
David had taken the wife of his neighbour, which was not according to the will of God. David had committed adultery and defiled the bed, whereby his Hous was defiled. And this didn’t remain unpunished by God.
The first evil and sexual uncleanness in the house of David was incest.
David’s firstborn son Amnon fell in love with his sister Tamar, the sister of Absalom. Amnon took hold of her and forced her to lay with him and raped and defiled Tamar. (Read also: How can love turn to hate?).
The sword had come into the house of David
Due to Amnon’s evil deed, Absalom hated his brother Amnon. After two years, Absalom grasped his opportunity for revenge. Absalom came up with a plan and gave the commandment to his servants to kill Amnon (2 Samuel 13).
And so the sword had come in David’s house, according to the word of the Lord.
David’s firstborn son Amnon was killed by the order of Absalom, just like Uriah was killed by the order of David.
Adultery in the house of David
After the incest, adultery took place in the house of David. And as David committed adultery with the wife of his neighbour Uriah secretly, after David had seen Bathsheba from the roof of his house, so David’s son Absalom committed adultery with the ten concubines of his father David in a tent on the roof of David’s house in the sight of all Israel (2 Samuel 16:20-23).
In the house of David, the fourth son of David was killed by his son
Amnon was not the only one, who was killed on the command of his brother Absalom.
After David’s son Absalom was killed by Joab and his ten armor bearers, and after David’s death, David’s son Adonaiah, the brother of Absalom, was killed on the orders of Salomon (1 Koningen 2:24-25).
The vengeance of God
David’s adultery with Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah, and the commandment to Joab to have Uriah killed in the battle, didn’t remain unpunished. David’s sin had consequences for David, his kingship, his seed, and the people of Israel.
David started right and lived in obedience to God after His will. He acknowledged God as the Almighty God of Israel and the Lord of his life and worshiped and praised the Lord. David’s heart was devoted to God. He spent time with God and trusted God in everything. He enquired God and obeyed His words.
David attributed every victory to God, to His Name, His greatness, and power. Therefore David always glorified and exalted the Lord and never himself. Because David knew, that without God, without His word, and without His Spirit and power, he was nothing and couldn’t do anything.
And when David went his own way and forgot to enquire the Lord first but instead enquired people and followed their advice and deviated from the will of God, and God confronted David with His transgressions, David was convicted of his sin and showed remorse. He repented and carried the consequences of his behavior and evil deeds.
Because although God forgave David’s iniquities and sins, his sins didn’t remain unpunished by God.
Due to David’s sin, sickness, death, sexual uncleanness (incest, adultery), and the sword came into the house of David. And the sword would remain forever in David’s house. And all of this derived from God.
Many Christians use David to make adultery acceptable and approved and to allow adultery in ministry
But as the devil always uses partial truths and twist the words of God to mislead people and lead them into sin; into rebellion and disobedience to God, and to approve sin, his children do the same thing.
There are many preachers, who may seem spiritual and sincere, but are not born of God and don’t belong to God but still belong to the devil. They speak their own words that originate from their carnal minds. They take the words of God out of context and use them for the flesh. These preachers make the people apostate from God and lead them into sin, just like their father. (Read also: Many pastors are leading the sheep into the abyss).
They use the story of David and Bathsheba as a cover to approve adultery of Christians. Especially of pastors and other church leaders, to keep adulterous preachers in ministry or restore adulterous preachers into ministry again.
They substantiate their action by saying, that although David was an adulterer (infidel) and a murderer, David was a man after God’s heart. By saying this, they approve adultery and other works of the flesh (sin) and make sin acceptable in the church.
But this is a big lie, which unfortunately is believed by many Christians, who don’t study the Bible themselves. They have no knowledge of God’s Word but they depend and build their faith upon the misleading words of (famous) preachers, which derive from their feelings, opinions and carnal mind. (Read also: The church built upon the opinion of people).
David belonged to the generation of the old creation and lived in the Old Covenant
Instead of being the new creation; the new man and being renewed in the spirit of their mind and are spiritually mature and know the will of God and speak and walk from the Spirit as the new creation, they are still the old creation, who speak and walk from their carnal state as the old creation; the old man and keep doing and approving the works of the flesh
They consider themselves sinners and preach about the people of the Old Testament and use them to approve the works of the flesh. They use Old Covenant people as an example and compare them with Christians, while that is impossible! (Read also: Do you always remain a sinner?).
Because the new man, who is saved and delivered in Christ from the rulership of the devil, sin, and death and is transferred from the darkness into the Kingdom of Jesus Christ and reconciled with God, can’t be compared with the old man, who lives in bondage (through the flesh) of the devil, sin and death and walk in darkness.
Although the Spirit of the Lord was upon David, David belonged to the generation of the old man (fallen man), who is carnal and lives under the authority of death. David didn’t belong to the generation of the new man, whose spirit is raised from the dead and has received the Holy Spirit, Who abides in the new man.
David didn’t fall again in adultery as many Christians
When David committed adultery with Bathsheba and killed her husband Uriah with the sword and David was confronted with his sin, David truly repented. David didn’t fall into adultery again. But David surrendered to the righteous judgment of God.
In contrast to many Christians, especially preachers, elders, and other church leaders, who have committed adultery and after a while commit the same sin of adultery again. They keep living as the old creation, repeating the same sin over and over again, without true remorse, like David.
As long as someone’s heart goes out to sin and the person loves sin above the Word and searches the Scriptures, not to change but to use them to keep living in sin, and keep twisting subtly the words of God to approve sin, the person has not repented and converted and doesn’t belong to God but the devil.
God shall never justify sin and iniquity.
God shall never make evil good. Therefore God shall never justify the evil works of sinners.
And David is the perfect example, that even a man after God’s own heart has no exceptional position (Read also: Have not the faith with respect of persons).
Christians should follow Jesus, the King of kings and Lord of lords, and do His works
Let David, who belonged to the old creation and lived in the Old Covenant, never be cited and used to promote sin and tolerate and accept evil and rebellion and disobedience to the Word of God. But let this story of David be used to eliminate evil and rebellion and disobedience to God from the Church.
All Christians, especially pastors and church leaders, should not follow king David. But they should follow the King of kings and the Lord of lords Jesus Christ, Who stayed obedient to the voice of His Father until His death and was in all points tempted, just like we are, yet without sin.
Christians should follow their King Jesus and obey His voice and be His reflection on earth.
‘Be the salt of the earth’
