David

A Man After God's Own Heart

I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfil all my will.—Acts 13:22

Robert Brand

If we could wipe our mental slates clean, pretend we knew nothing about David, then begin to read about his early and amazing life, we would likely never imagine he could so profoundly lose his moral compass. Most students of the Bible, however, do know about David’s life, and there are few lives in Scripture with such extremes of behavior. David’s life is the quintessential example of a fall from grace and subsequent redemption.

It would be an injustice to say that David was simply a good man who made a terrible mistake, then later found forgiveness. David actually made a series of profound mistakes, and those errors in judgment cost him dearly for the rest of his life, the Lord’s forgiveness notwithstanding. His is a story of a great fall, but also of tremendous redemption.

The Bible says much about David; in fact, his name appears in Scripture more than a thousand times. He was the youngest son of Jesse and grew up in Bethlehem. God sent Samuel to the family home to anoint a new king. Samuel assumed the Lord’s choice would be one of Jesse’s older sons. However, all of these were passed over in preference for David, a young shepherd boy who was “ruddy, with a fine appearance and handsome features. Then the Lord said, Rise and anoint him; he is the one” (1 Samuel 16:12,13, NIV).

David developed into a young man of many special and diverse talents, from skilled warfare to musical and poetic accomplishments. Many of the psalms were penned by David. His musical abilities served him well as the court musician under King Saul: “Whenever the spirit from God came upon Saul, David would take his harp and play. Then relief would come to Saul” (1 Samuel 16:23, NIV).

The subsequent events in David’s life were varied and dramatic, from his slaying of the giant Goliath, to valiant leadership on the battlefield, to a fugitive on the run from jealous King Saul.

Later, when he learned of Saul’s death, we get a glimpse into David’s character by noting his grief over the loss of one whom God had earlier anointed king, even though David had been the object of that king’s persecution. A beautiful and moving tribute to Saul was penned by David (see 2 Samuel 1:19-27).

David Becomes King

Established as king in Hebron, David eventually moved to Jerusalem, and saw his kingdom expand under the Lord’s providential direction: “So David’s fame spread throughout every land, and the Lord made all the nations fear him” (1 Chronicles 14:17, NIV).

Up to this point David’s behavior had been heroic, but everything changed when he saw Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah. Casual readers of the account might assume that David had inappropriate thoughts about this beautiful woman, committed adultery with her, and later repented of that sin. The biblical account, however, describes so much more.

The commission of a grievous sin is not a simple event; there are complex dynamics that lead up to that sin. Then there is the transgression itself, followed by the aftermath of experiences directly or indirectly related to the sin.

This darkest of David’s experiences is recorded primarily in 2 Samuel chapters 11 and 12. As war was being waged by Israel against the Ammonites, David stayed in Jerusalem and not near the battlefield. That was his first mistake: “In the spring, at the time when kings go off to war … David remained in Jerusalem” (2 Samuel 11:1, NIV). He was essentially in the wrong place at the wrong time. From the palace rooftop, David saw Bathsheba bathing. Rather than turn away, he continued to watch her. That was David’s second error. The apostle James delineates what might be called the sequence of sin: “But each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death” (James 1:14, 15, NIV).

According to James, one’s “evil desire” must be immediately quenched to break the sequence. Temptation is not a sin. In fact, Jesus “was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15). Sin invades the experience when the temptation is contemplated rather than rejected. Contemplation then leads to inappropriate thoughts, and often to inappropriate actions. David apparently had and did both. He sent a messenger to bring Bathsheba to the palace. The messenger even brought up Bathsheba’s marital status: “Isn’t this … the wife of Uriah the Hittite?” (2 Samuel 11:3, NIV). Once the sequence of sins begins, it can be difficult to stop, and David was now on a mission of his own devising. The expression “one thing leads to another” is a way to blame the “thing” rather than ourselves for poor decision-making. In this experience, David made yet another bad choice.

Bathsheba came to the palace, and David committed adultery with her, the culmination of a series of poor decisions: David was in Jerusalem rather than at the battlefield with his army, he lingered and watched Bathsheba bathing , he contemplated summoning her, and then did it, even though the messenger tried to dissuade him from doing so. Finally, he committed sin with Bathsheba. At the time David had several wives, as well as concubines. He was never accused of adultery because they were all part of his household. Bathsheba, on the other hand, was married to someone else, and David’s actions broke the seventh of the ten commandments.

“The woman conceived and sent word to David, saying, I am pregnant” (2 Samuel 11:5, NIV). It was decision time again for David, but his poor judgment was spiraling out of control. Bad behavior impairs judgment, and often what might have once been considered objectionable can become palatable. As the wise man wrote, “Catch us the foxes, the little foxes that spoil the vines” (Song of Solomon 2:15, NIV).

David was falling prey to “the sin which doth so easily beset us” (Hebrews 12:1). Sin will numb our conscience, and numbing can lead to a lack of reasoning and further sins that we would never have considered had we stopped the sequence of sin at the beginning.

One Sin Leads to Another

Instead of acknowledging his responsibility in the matter, David schemed to have Uriah return home so it would later appear he was the father of the child. But when that failed, David devised a ruthless plan to have him killed in battle. That happened, but “some men in David’s army [also] fell” (2 Samuel 11:17, NIV). Such is so often the case with sin: when we commit a transgression, others are hurt in the process; an action that is wrong typically is one that is selfish.

How could a man of such courage and valor, a man after God’s own heart (1 Samuel 13:14; Acts 13:22) fail so grievously along moral lines? The answer may be found in Proverbs 16:32, “He that ruleth his spirit [is better] than he that taketh a city.” It is much harder to successfully wage warfare within one’s self than on a literal battlefield. In fact, there is no task more difficult, nor nobler, than self-discipline. There are numerous examples of powerful government and corporate leaders who, although apparently skilled at their jobs, fail miserably in the arena of self-control.

After a time of mourning the death of her husband, Bathsheba “became [David’s] wife and bore him a son” (2 Samuel 11:27, NIV). Others may have kept the king’s secrets, but no one can keep a secret from God: “The thing that David had done displeased the Lord” (2 Samuel 11:27) The prophet Nathan was sent to confront David, which he did by way of a parable illustrating the king’s sin. Since David did not get the point, Nathan proclaimed the meaning of the parable as he said: “You are the man! … Now, therefore, the sword will never depart from your house, because you despised me and took the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your own” (2 Samuel 12:7-10, NIV). In the next verse David was told through the prophet, “I am going to bring calamity upon you.”

Finally David confessed: “I have sinned against the Lord.” This was a defining moment in David’s life. He did not blame Bathsheba or the stress of being king. He took personal responsibility for his actions. Only when we do so, can true reform take place in our lives. We will only be motivated to change when we are willing to be responsible. Unfortunately, we live in a world where responsibility is too often not recognized, thereby preventing meaningful change and reform. Let us internalize this lesson: when we have sinned, it is imperative that we accept full responsibility for our behavior before the Lord, and that we do not try to avoid that responsibility.

“Nathan replied, The Lord has taken away your sin … But because by doing this you have made the enemies of the Lord show utter contempt, the son born to you will die” (2 Samuel 12:13,14, NIV). The son did die, and that was the beginning of ongoing heartache for David. While his life did contain blessings, including the birth of his son Solomon by Bathsheba, David’s final years were filled with tragedy until his death (see 1 Kings 2:10).

Psalm 51 is essentially David’s prayer of repentance. It includes such words as, “Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. … Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me” (Psalm 51:1,2,10, NIV).

The severity of David’s transgressions might seem foreign to many of us, but perhaps we can nonetheless understand that a principled person can fail, even on a grand scale. The apostle Paul listed a variety of serious sins in 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 and added, “And such were some of you.” He was writing to brethren. Even though one might have experienced past victories, every Christian must be constantly vigilant against the potential of falling into sinful pursuits.

The stirring account of David’s rise, fall, and redemption, is also cause for great hope. All of us sin and are in need of forgiveness and restoration. With the right heart attitude of responsibility and repentance, the Lord can extend forgiveness and restoration to all. That is great cause for rejoicing!