DAVID: The Second King of Israel

The Heart of David

Saul had turned out to be a unfit king to lead the Children of Israel. He looked impressive. He amassed a great army of valiant men. But he wouldn't listen to God and carry out His Word. So God needed to find someone that would have the desire to stand for Him.

I Samuel 16
:1 And the LORD said unto Samuel,
        How long wilt thou mourn for Saul,
            seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel?
        fill thine horn with oil, and go,
        I will send thee to Jesse the Bethlehemite:
            for I have provided me a king among his sons.
:2 And Samuel said,
        How can I go?
        if Saul hear it, he will kill me. [Word of Knowledge]
    And the LORD said,
        Take an heifer with thee, and say,
            I am come to sacrifice to the LORD.
                [Word of Wisdom-what to do about/with the knowledge]
:3     And call Jesse to the sacrifice,
        and I will shew thee what thou shalt do:
        and thou shalt anoint unto me him whom I name unto thee.
:4 And Samuel did that which the LORD spake,
    and came to Bethlehem.
    And the elders of the town trembled at his coming, and said,
        Comest thou peaceably?
:5 And he said,
        Peaceably:
        I am come to sacrifice unto the LORD:
        sanctify yourselves,
        and come with me to the sacrifice.
    And he sanctified Jesse and his sons,
    and called them to the sacrifice.
:6 And it came to pass, when they were come,
    that he looked on Eliab, and said,
        Surely the LORD's anointed is before him.
:7 But the LORD said unto Samuel,
        Look not on his countenance,
        or on the height of his stature;
            because I have refused him:
            for the LORD seeth not as man seeth;
            for man looketh on the outward appearance,
        but the LORD looketh on the heart.

Even though Saul was good looking and tall with an impressive stature his heart was not right. God tells Samuel that a person's countenance is not really part of the equation, it is what is inside the man that counts.

Consider the importance of the heart-the innermost part of one's self where your beliefs are and believing eminates:

David talking to Solomon his son:

I Chronicles 28
:9 And thou, Solomon my son,
    know thou the God of thy father,
    and serve him with a perfect heart
    and with a willing mind:
        for the LORD searcheth all hearts,
        and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts:
    if thou seek him, he will be found of thee;
    but if thou forsake him, he will cast thee off for ever.

The prophet Jeremiah speaking to Judah:

Jeremiah 17
:10 I the LORD search the heart,
    I try the reins,
        even to give every man according to his ways,
        and according to the fruit of his doings.

Moses speaking to the Children of Israel--God's Covenant with Israel:

Deuteronomy 30
:9 And the LORD thy God will make thee plenteous in every work of thine hand,
        in the fruit of thy body,
        and in the fruit of thy cattle,
        and in the fruit of thy land, for good:
    for the LORD will again rejoice over thee for good,
    as he rejoiced over thy fathers:
:10 If thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God,
    to keep his commandments
    and his statutes
        which are written in this book of the law,
    and if thou turn unto the LORD thy God with all thine heart ,
    and with all thy soul.

:14 But the word is very nigh unto thee,
        in thy mouth,
        and in thy heart ,
    that thou mayest do it.

:17 But if thine heart turn away ,
        so that thou wilt not hear,
        but shalt be drawn away,
        and worship other gods,
        and serve them;
:18   I denounce unto you this day, that ye shall surely perish,
        and that ye shall not prolong your days upon the land,
            whither thou passest over Jordan to go to possess it.

Saul is an example of a man receiving the consequences of his heart whereas David was a man after God's own heart. 

I Samuel 13
:14 But now thy kingdom shall not continue: [Samuel talking to Saul]
    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.

Acts 13
:22 And when he [God] had removed him [Saul], 
    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.

Back to the selection of David as King:

I Samuel 16
:8 Then Jesse called Abinadab,
    and made him pass before Samuel. And he said,
        Neither hath the LORD chosen this.
:9 Then Jesse made Shammah to pass by. And he said,
        Neither hath the LORD chosen this.
:10 Again, Jesse made seven of his sons to pass before Samuel.
    And Samuel said unto Jesse,
        The LORD hath not chosen these.

Here is an occasion where Samuel could have doubted God's revelation to him. It appeared that these were all of Jesse's sons but God hadn't told him yes to any of them. Samuel could have gotten up and left at that point but:

:11 And Samuel said unto Jesse,
        Are here all thy children?
    And he said,
        There remaineth yet the youngest,
        and, behold, he keepeth the sheep.
            [another contrast with Saul-David kept the sheep, Saul lost his father's asses]
    And Samuel said unto Jesse,
        Send and fetch him:
            for we will not sit down till he come hither.
:12 And he sent, and brought him in.
    Now he was ruddy,
        and withal of a beautiful countenance,
        and goodly to look to.
    And the LORD said,
        Arise, anoint him:
        for this is he.

David is not very old. He is called a stripling (17:56)--a young man, maybe less than 20, definitely less than 30 when a male is considered a man. He is also good looking with the important job of tending the sheep, which includes the Passover lamb.

:13 Then Samuel took the horn of oil,
    and anointed him in the midst of his brethren:
        and the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward.
    So Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah.
:14 But the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul,
    and an evil spirit from the LORD troubled him.

Saul was God's anointed and was given every chance to walk with Him. When he rejected God and followed his 5 senses good looking solutions he walked out from under God's protection. He choose to not follow Him with his heart. Consequently he became troubled by devil spirits. Remember the Idiom of Permission: a verb being used in a permissive sense so as not to glorify the adversary. In actuality God didn't prevent an evil spirit troubling Saul because he walked away from God's protection.

:15 And Saul's servants said unto him,
        Behold now, an evil spirit from God troubleth thee.
:16   Let our lord now command thy servants,
            which are before thee,
        to seek out a man, who is a cunning player on an harp:
        and it shall come to pass,
        when the evil spirit from God is upon thee,
        that he shall play with his hand,
        and thou shalt be well.
:17 And Saul said unto his servants,
        Provide me now a man that can play well,
        and bring him to me.
:18 Then answered one of the servants, and said,
        Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite,
            that is cunning in playing,
            and a mighty valiant man,
            and a man of war,
            and prudent in matters,
            and a comely person,
            and the LORD is with him.
:19 Wherefore Saul sent messengers unto Jesse, and said,
        Send me David thy son, which is with the sheep.
            [the King has the right to take anyone for his service that he desires]
:20 And Jesse took an ass laden with bread,
    and a bottle of wine,
    and a kid,
    and sent them by David his son unto Saul.
:21 And David came to Saul, and stood before him:
    and he loved him greatly;
       [exceedingly pleased with David's demeanor and abilities-
            the spirit of God that David has makes the difference]

    and he became his armourbearer.
:22 And Saul sent to Jesse, saying,
        Let David, I pray thee,
        stand before me;
            for he hath found favour in my sight.
:23 And it came to pass,
        when the evil spirit from God was upon Saul,
    that David took an harp,
    and played with his hand:
    so Saul was refreshed,
    and was well,
    and the evil spirit departed from him.

    Our heart for God will determine our relationship with him.

Matthew 22
:37 Jesus said unto him,
        Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart,
        and with all thy soul,
        and with all thy mind.
:38   This is the first and great commandment.
:39   And the second is like unto it,
            Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
:40   On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

Matthew 6
:19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth,
        where moth and rust doth corrupt,
        and where thieves break through and steal:
:20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven,
        where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt,
        and where thieves do not break through nor steal:
:21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.