After God’s Own Heart

INTRODUCTION: THE UNLIKELY HERO

Have you ever been picked last for something? My whole grade used to play touch football together when we were in middle school and I got picked last all the time because your girl is slow and clumsy which is not a winning combo, and even though I knew that about myself it still bummed me out.

Getting overlooked stinks.

But what if I told you that one of the greatest heroes in the Bible — one of the most famous kings ever — started out that way? He was literally the last person anyone expected. He wasn’t the strongest, the tallest, or the most popular. He was just a kid who took care of sheep.

His name? David. And here’s the crazy thing — while everyone else saw a shepherd boy, God saw a king.

RECAP: WHERE WE HAVE BEEN

We are continuing tonight in our series greatest story ever told

Last week we talked about King Saul — Israel’s first king. He looked like the perfect choice. He was tall, strong, impressive — the kind of guy everyone expected to lead.

But Saul cared more about looking right than living right. He wanted people’s approval more than God’s approval. And because of that, God rejected him as king.

OBJECT LESSON: THE DIRTY CUP

Here’s the point:

People look at the outside, but God looks at the heart.

We judge by what looks impressive — but God cares about what’s inside.

Now God’s about to choose someone new — someone who doesn’t look impressive, but who has the one thing God really cares about: a heart that’s fully His.

That’s what we’re about to see in David’s story.

God looks at the heart

1 Samuel 16:1 NET

The Lord said to Samuel, “How long do you intend to mourn for Saul? I have rejected him as king over Israel. Fill your horn with olive oil and go! I am sending you to Jesse in Bethlehem, for I have selected a king for myself from among his sons.”

1 Samuel 16:6–13 NET

When they arrived, Samuel noticed Eliab and said to himself, “Surely, here before the Lord stands his chosen king!”But the Lord said to Samuel, “Don’t be impressed by his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. God does not view things the way men do. People look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” Then Jesse called Abinadab and presented him to Samuel. But Samuel said, “The Lord has not chosen this one, either.” Then Jesse presented Shammah. But Samuel said, “The Lord has not chosen this one either.” Jesse presented seven of his sons to Samuel. But Samuel said to Jesse, “The Lord has not chosen any of these.” Then Samuel said to Jesse, “Is that all of the young men?” Jesse replied, “There is still the youngest one, but he’s taking care of the flock.” Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and get him, for we cannot turn our attention to other things until he comes here.” So Jesse had him brought in. Now he was ruddy, with attractive eyes and a handsome appearance. The Lord said, “Go and anoint him. This is the one!” So Samuel took the horn full of olive oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers. The Spirit of the Lord rushed upon David from that day onward.

They didn’t even bother inviting David to the party! But when David walks in — smelling like sheep and dirt — God says, “That’s the one.” David wasn’t chosen because of how he looked — he was chosen because of his heart.

Application:

God still looks for people like that today. He’s not impressed by popularity, appearance, or talent. He’s looking for hearts that love Him, obey Him, and trust Him.

You might feel overlooked — like nobody notices you — but God does.

So David is referred to as a man after God’s own heart, so what does his life teach about what it looks like to have a heart after God?

1. A Heart After God’s Finds Strength in God’s Power

Not long after David’s anointing, before he is officially King, David gets an opportunity to show off the difference between him and Saul when his heart is tested.

Israel is at war with the Philistines- remember the people that scared them away from the promise land and freaked Saul out enough to directly disobey God? Yeah those guys

All of David’s older brothers were fighting in the war and David went down to the battlefront to see them. When he got there, what he found was the entire army running away from this one giant Philistine named Goliath. He’s nine feet tall, covered in armor, and everyone’s terrified. When everyone else was terrified, David knew where the strength to take on Goliath was found.

1 Samuel 17:32–37 NET

David said to Saul, “Don’t let anyone be discouraged. Your servant will go and fight this Philistine!” But Saul replied to David, “You aren’t able to go against this Philistine and fight him! You’re just a boy! He has been a warrior from his youth!” David replied to Saul, “Your servant has been a shepherd for his father’s flock. Whenever a lion or bear would come and carry off a sheep from the flock, I would go out after it, strike it down, and rescue the sheep from its mouth. If it rose up against me, I would grab it by its jaw, strike it, and kill it. Your servant has struck down both the lion and the bear. This uncircumcised Philistine will be just like one of them. For he has defied the armies of the living God!” David went on to say, “The Lord who delivered me from the lion and the bear will also deliver me from the hand of this Philistine!” Then Saul said to David, “Go! The Lord will be with you.”

David’s courage comes from knowing God’s power and remembering his faithfulness.

So David goes out to take on Goliath with 3 stones and a slingshot. Some people say that Goliath had 2 brothers and so one stone was for him and the others were for each of his brothers. We have literally no evidence of that but I like it because it really does actively describe the kind of confidence David had that God would equip him to beat Goliath. So he walks up to face the Philistine’s champion, and he says

1 Samuel 17:45–47 NET

But David replied to the Philistine, “You are coming against me with sword and spear and javelin. But I am coming against you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel’s armies, whom you have defied! This very day the Lord will deliver you into my hand! I will strike you down and cut off your head. This day I will give the corpses of the Philistine army to the birds of the sky and the wild animals of the land. Then all the land will realize that Israel has a God and all this assembly will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves! For the battle is the Lord’s, and he will deliver you into our hand.”

Then he slung one rock at Goliath, hit him in the forehead, and the little teenage shepherd boy beat the giant with just a rock because of the power of God.

David’s heart wasn’t big because he was confident in himself. It was big because he trusted the power of God.

Application:

That’s what a heart after God looks like. It doesn’t mean you never get scared. It means when you do get scared, you trust God anyway.

What’s your Goliath? Fear? Pressure? Temptation? Doubt? You don’t need to be the strongest — you just need to believe that God is.

Eventually, after a lot of life happened, David officially became King, and it started really great, but even a great king like David is able to make big mistakes

Even people after God’s heart mess up

When David was King, Israel went to war again, and instead of being on the battlefield with his soldiers, he stayed home.

David saw one of his best friends Uriah’s wife bathing on her roof. He slept with her and then panicked because he knew it was wrong and had his friend sent to the front lines so that he would be killed in battle. Suddenly, this good king after God’s own heart is an adulterer and a murderer. So, the prophet Nathan came to confront David for his sin.

2 Samuel 12:1–9 NET

So the Lord sent Nathan to David. When he came to David, Nathan said, “There were two men in a certain city, one rich and the other poor. The rich man had a great many flocks and herds. But the poor man had nothing except for a little lamb he had acquired. He raised it, and it grew up alongside him and his children. It used to eat his food, drink from his cup, and sleep in his arms. It was just like a daughter to him. “When a traveler arrived at the rich man’s home, he did not want to use one of his own sheep or cattle to feed the traveler who had come to visit him. Instead, he took the poor man’s lamb and cooked it for the man who had come to visit him.” Then David became very angry at this man. He said to Nathan, “As surely as the Lord lives, the man who did this deserves to die!Because he committed this cold-hearted crime, he must pay for the lamb four times over!” Nathan said to David, “You are that man! This is what the Lord God of Israel says: ‘I chose you to be king over Israel and I rescued you from the hand of Saul. I gave you your master’s house, and put your master’s wives into your arms. I also gave you the house of Israel and Judah. And if all that somehow seems insignificant, I would have given you so much more as well! Why have you shown contempt for the word of the Lord by doing evil in my sight?

After Nathan’s correction David’s response is to write Psalm 51 which Psalm of repentance he says

Psalm 51:1–3 NET

Have mercy on me, O God, because of your loyal love! Because of your great compassion, wipe away my rebellious acts! Wash away my wrongdoing! Cleanse me of my sin! For I am aware of my rebellious acts; I am forever conscious of my sin.

2. A Heart After God’s Repents When it Fails

When Saul was confronted with his sin last week he made excuses, when David was confronted with his sin he fell on his knees

David doesn’t ask for his crown back — he asks for forgiveness. That’s what makes him a man after God’s heart.

Application:

Having a heart after God doesn’t mean being perfect. It means being humble. It means when you sin, you don’t run from God — you run to Him. Because His grace is bigger than your failure.

David’s Story Points to Jesus

Even though David wasn’t perfect, God made him a promise in 2 Samuel 7:

2 Samuel 7:12–13 NET

When the time comes for you to die, I will raise up your descendant, one of your own sons, to succeed you, and I will establish his kingdom. He will build a house for my name, and I will make his dynasty permanent.

This promise was fulfilled in Jesus Luke 1:32-33

Luke 1:32–33 NET

He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and his kingdom will never end.”

David pointed forward to Jesus — the true and better King.

David defeated one giant.

Jesus defeated sin and death.

David ruled for a time.

Jesus reigns forever.

So when we talk about having a heart after God, we’re really talking about having a heart like Jesus — a heart that loves, obeys, and trusts the Father completely.

God Wants Your Heart

So what do we learn from David’s story?

• Saul cared about image.

• David cared about obedience.

God doesn’t want perfection — He wants your heart.

He wants a heart that says,

“God, I trust You when I’m afraid.”

“God, I repent when I fail.”

“God, I’ll follow You even when it’s hard.”

Do you have a heart after God?

Discussion Questions:

What stood out to you?

What made David different from Saul?

What does it mean that God looks at the heart?

How did David show his trust in God when he fought Goliath?

How did David respond when he sinned — and what can we learn from that?

How does David’s story point us to Jesus?

What would it look like for you to have a heart after God this week?