Pastor Leslie Chua

In the Bible, King David is credited to be a man after God’s own heart. This is an exalted claim. It is not the opinion of any man but God Himself.

Why does God consider David to be a man after His own heart? Aren’t men such as Joseph and Daniel more qualified for this compliment considering how they lived?

Originally, God made this remark about David when He rejected Saul as king. Saul was the first king of Israel. However, God was terribly disappointed with him because he had no place for God in his heart.  

In my younger days, I struggled with God’s response to Saul and David. God’s favour toward David and His obvious dislike of Saul struck me as a case of partiality. Though I knew that God must have His reasons, I just could not shake off the perception of divine bias.

On the surface, Saul’s sins seem trivial whereas David’s sins are clearly egregious. However, God let David off the hook easily while He was quick to indict Saul and pronounced judgement on him.

What did Saul do to displease God?

Saul offered burnt offerings to the LORD, which he was not supposed to do. That was the duty of the priests.

Saul took things into his own hands because he was desperate. He was only two years into his kingship and he found himself on the battlefield against a formidable Philistine army. Israel had only a ragtag fighting force and they were greatly outnumbered. The only way out was a miraculous intervention by God. Samuel was supposed to offer the burnt offerings and sought the favour of the LORD, but he was late in coming.  

Granted, Saul transgressed the law, but it did not appear to be a wilful sin. Samuel was also partly to be blamed. If only he had arrived on time. One could argue that Saul was forced by adverse circumstances.

Now, consider David. He lusted after a married woman named Bathsheba. This is how the Bible describes the incident – ‘So David sent messengers and took her, and she came to him, and he lay with her’ (2 Samuel 11:4).

It is often said that David committed adultery with Bathsheba. But I do not see it that way. David was the king. He was the most powerful man in Israel. What could Bathsheba do? Nothing except to give in. This is a case of gross injustice. The king abused his power.  

What makes the crime even more shocking is that Bathsheba’s husband was one of David’s mighty men (2 Samuel 23:39). Uriah had gone through thick and thin with David, fighting alongside him before he became king. David’s shameful deed is an act of betrayal.

To cover up his crime, David plotted to have Uriah killed on the battlefield. He succeeded. After that, he took Bathsheba into the palace to be his wife.

In your opinion, who was the greater sinner? I believe most people would point their finger at David.  

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God assesses people differently from us.
God looks at the heart and its posture toward Him.
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Now, you understand why I took issue with how God dealt with David and Saul when I was much younger. From the human standpoint, it certainly appears that God is biased. 

But of course, God is not biased. It is not in His character to show partiality. God is always righteous and fair.

God assesses people differently from us. God looks at the heart and its posture toward Him.

Let me explain.


David Repented

God forgave David because he was genuinely repentant.

For a while, David thought that he would get away with his sins. Nobody knew what had happened and he had all his tracks covered up nicely. But God knew. God waited for David to come clean with Him. When that did not happen, God sent His prophet, Nathan, to confront David.

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God forgave David because he was genuinely repentant.
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When David was exposed, he did not deny that he had sinned. Neither did he give any excuses. David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the LORD” (2 Samuel 12:13).

David wrote a psalm expressing his repentance – “For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight…” (Psalm 51:3-4).

David understood that while he had sinned against Bathsheba and Uriah, his sin was first and foremost against the LORD. He had betrayed God’s trust in him to shepherd the nation with integrity of heart. He had abused his power and took advantage of his subjects.


Saul Gave Excuses

While David was repentant, Saul was not. Saul had the habit of trivialising sin. When caught, he would give excuses and paper over his wrongdoing. This is the fundamental difference between the two men.

On one occasion, God commanded Saul to destroy the Amalekites – “Now go and strike Amalek and devote to destruction all that they have. Do not spare them, but kill both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey” (1 Samuel 15:3).

Saul obeyed, but only partially. He mustered his troops and routed the Amalekites. However, he spared Agag, the king of Amalek, and kept “the best of the sheep and of the oxen and of the fattened calves and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them” (1 Samuel 15:9). He only destroyed the worthless things.

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While David was repentant, Saul was not. Saul had the habit of trivialising sin. When caught, he would give excuses and paper over his wrongdoing. This is the fundamental difference between the two men.
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God revealed to Samuel what Saul had done. Then, Samuel confronted Saul. Saul pleaded innocence. He insisted that he had obeyed the LORD by wiping out the Amalekites. As for the best of the flocks and herds, he claimed to spare them to sacrifice to the LORD (1 Samuel 15:15). It was a bunch of lies and excuses to cover up his blatant disobedience.


A Man After God’s Own Heart

Why did God say that David was a man after His own heart?

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David is a man after God’s own heart because of his commitment to do the will of God. That is the posture of his heart.
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The answer lies in a statement in Acts 13:22 – “I have found in David the son of Jesse a man after my heart, who will do all my will’ (Acts 13:22).

David is a man after God’s own heart because of his commitment to do the will of God. That is the posture of his heart. Like all human beings, David had his weaknesses and he failed occasionally, sometimes spectacularly. However, his desire to do God’s will and follow God in all His ways is without doubt.

We learn much about David’s life in the book of Psalms. About half of the psalms are attributed to him. David’s psalms reveal his heart. Though David is a battle-hardened warrior, he has a tender heart, especially toward God. He loves God and he delights in God’s laws and commandments.

David stands in stark contrast to Saul. David is God-centred whereas Saul is self-centred. David obeys God while Saul does not care about doing God’s will.


Two Lessons

There are two lessons to take away from this reflection.

First, how you deal with your sins matters more than the size of your sins. The blood of Christ has the power to cleanse even the worst sinners. God will forgive you of the most egregious sins when you repent. However, even the smallest sins will not be forgiven if you do not repent. This is basic gospel truth. That explains why God forgave David readily while He rejected Saul.

Given that, let us always keep a short account of our sins. Do no hide your sins and do not make excuses when you sin. Confess your sins readily. Cultivate a repentant heart.

Second, the posture of our hearts toward God is important. God considers David a man after His own heart not because he is perfect. David is far from perfect. On this side of eternity, even the best of saints is far from perfect. We will falter and sometimes fall.

The important thing is to maintain a heart posture of obedience to God. Christians with such a posture will always aim to please God by walking in His ways and doing His will.

Let us cultivate a heart like that of David.