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
If you have meditatively read the above Bible passage before now, one question you must have possibly asked yourself is, “what qualified David to become a man after God’s heart?” Our God could not be lying. If He called David a man after His heart, then that is who David was. What should be of interest to us is to know how David qualified to become a man after God’s heart.
Our anchor scripture in this chapter, 1 Samuel 13:13-14 reveals that those who are after God’s heart occupy a special place in His divine scheme. God knows them and they are so precious to Him that He would not allow anyone take any heaven-ordained blessing or position meant for them. God stopped Samuel from anointing any of the other six sons of Jesse who were presented to him before David’s arrival because He will not allow anyone take what belongs to a man after His heart. Jesse’s other sons had kingly looks which made Samuel conclude, on sighting Eliab, the first son, “surely, this is the Lord’s anointed” but God said no, and continued to say no to the other sons of Jesse until David showed up.
The Worth of A Man Before God
I could imagine the surprise on Samuel’s face when God insisted that David was the man after His heart, the one He has been talking about. The one for whom He made Samuel travel from Ramah to Bethlehem, a distance of about seventeen kilometres probably on foot to anoint as Israel’s king. Samuel must have wondered why God would be referring to this mere boy, not just as a man, but as a man after His heart. One truth you must know is that what makes a man “a man-after-God’s-heart” is not the size, nature or state of his physical body but the spiritual quality and nature of his heart.
The worth of a man before God is never measured by his size. As you will discover, God is more interested in the personality of a person than his physique or the service he renders. Because He created man, He is neither intimidated nor carried away by anyone’s size or physical appearance. It does not matter to Him whether you are tall or short, beautiful or ugly, huge or petite, fair or dark. Your heart counts more to him than your looks. David won God’s heart and became God’s favourite for the throne because God knew that he would be totally submissive to divine instructions unlike King Saul, his predecessor.
David was not a priest, evangelist, prophet, bishop, or any of such. Before he met Samuel, it is not recorded that David spent much time in the temple but rather in the wilderness shepherding his father’s flock. This tells me that developing a relationship with God is not all about being very regular in church but rather spending quality time in a one-on-one fellowship with God. Though I will not discountenance the importance of being in church because that will contradict the Scriptures, I must have you know that our presence in the church does not always mean that we are present in God’s presence. Though we go to church to receive the word of God and commune with Him, there are many who are in church for reasons other than to serve God. Some come to seek for business contacts, spouse, friends, help, job and miracles, and not necessarily to seek God. The truth that must be told is that it is only those who come to seek God that can access His presence.
Fortune Ihunweze is a pastor, Christian teacher, author and counsellor with great passion for Bible study and prayers. Email: fortune.ihunweze@gmail.com
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