Overview
David is called a man after God’s own heart because he actively sought to know God’s heart and shaped his life around it, rather than resting on his own earthly success. In this teaching, drawn from the speaker’s written manuscript, 1 Chronicles 29 is read as a masterful exposition on what David put into his own heart: David’s prayer before the congregation of Israel opens by praising God’s absolute sovereignty, moves to thank God for every blessing the nation has received, and acknowledges that anything offered back to God, whether time, wealth, or worship, was already God’s own gift being returned to Him. David closes by confessing that this life is a shadow, and that a believer’s true inheritance is eternal.
Teaching
What Made David a Man After God’s Own Heart?
King David was a fighter, a tactician, a diplomat, a musician, an artist, a shepherd, and a great king. David was such a great man that Jesus Christ, the Messiah, is referred to as David’s son (Matthew 1:1; 12:23). How was a man able to have so much earthly success in his life? David’s upright heart was in line with God’s heart. Can that same success be replicated today? Yes, it can.
Acts 13:22 records it directly: And when he had removed him, 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.
The word after in this verse means according to, toward, or along. David actively sought to know the heart of Israel’s spiritual Father and to navigate his life by it. 1 Chronicles 29 is a masterful exposition on what David put into his heart.
God’s Sovereignty Is the Starting Place of an Upright Heart
1 Chronicles 29:10, 11: Wherefore David blessed the Lord before all the congregation: and David said, Blessed be thou, Lord God of Israel our father, for ever and ever. Thine, O LORD, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O LORD, and thou art exalted as head above all.
God’s sovereignty is the starting place of an upright heart. Our Father has offered, to men and women, a personal relationship with Himself. But when He engages in this relationship with us, He does not lose His Almighty position. Thus, David begins his prayer over the congregation by rehearsing who our God is. God Almighty is sovereign over all. No circumstance, job, person, problem, challenge, day, feeling, weight on your heart, or secret sin, is too difficult for our heavenly Father to bear.
1 Chronicles 29:12: Both riches and honour come of thee, and thou reignest over all; and in thine hand is power and might; and in thine hand it is to make great, and to give strength unto all.
God’s position as the Almighty grants Him unique privileges, one of which is the ability to offer anything to anyone without restriction. Wealth, honor, being great, and being strong are valuable across time. But here, David uses these traits figuratively to draw attention to the Giver and not the gift.
Every Blessing Comes From God, Not From Ourselves
1 Chronicles 29:13: Now therefore, our God, we thank thee, and praise thy glorious name.
God has given us a sea of blessings. Just a few are a past free from condemnation, a future of eternal life with Him, a present of newness of life today, His holy spirit to commune with Him, a family to share love with, promises of full health, a purpose to perform good works with Him, endless mercy for our failings, and His Word in case we forget what He said. How great our Father is!
1 Chronicles 29:14: But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able to offer so willingly after this sort? for all things come of thee, and of thine own have we given thee.
In verse 14, David again elevates God’s position in front of the congregation from a different point of view. As God is the Almighty, all existence is in His possession. So, when we offer unto Him, whether it be time, expertise, prayer, love, or finances, like Israel used to build the temple, it is all giving what God has already given us to steward.
Life on Earth Is a Shadow of Our True Inheritance
1 Chronicles 29:15: For we are strangers before thee, and sojourners, as were all our fathers: our days on the earth are as a shadow, and there is none abiding.
A similar concept appears in Hebrews 11:13, where God reveals the confession of faithful men and women, whom He calls strangers and pilgrims on the earth. They believed God, as David did, that this short, shadow-of-a-life is not our full inheritance of glory. Our glory is fully manifested when Christ returns to gather us together. Focusing on our spiritual inheritance unshackles us from bondage.
These men and women did not stop at agreeing with the concept of a spiritual inheritance, but made it a part of their very souls. They declared that they sought a country, their inheritance from God. We can do the same, declaring that this life does not contain all that we shall be.
David sought the heart of God. David recognized that God was King, and that God was the Source of all good things. David looked back with thankfulness on God’s mighty work. David confessed that his success paled in comparison to his greater inheritance in eternity by the grace of God. Today we too can have this perfect heart offered to us in the mind of Christ.
Peace be with my brethren and love with faith from God and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Key Takeaways
- David is described as a man after God’s own heart because he actively sought to know God’s heart and shape his life by it, not because of his own achievements.
- An upright heart begins with recognizing God’s sovereignty: no circumstance is too difficult for Him to bear.
- Every blessing, including wealth, honor, strength, and greatness, points back to God as the Giver rather than to the gift itself.
- Whatever we offer back to God, whether time, love, or finances, is already His, being returned to Him rather than given from nothing.
- This life is described as a shadow; a believer’s true, lasting inheritance is fully realized in eternity with Christ.
- Keeping an eternal perspective, as David and the men and women of Hebrews 11 did, frees believers from being bound to earthly circumstances.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does it mean to have a heart after God’s own heart?
The word after in this verse means according to, toward, or along. David actively sought to know the heart of Israel’s spiritual Father and to navigate his life by it.
Why did David begin his prayer by praising God’s sovereignty?
God’s sovereignty is the starting place of an upright heart. No circumstance, job, person, problem, challenge, day, feeling, weight on your heart, or secret sin, is too difficult for our heavenly Father to bear.
What did David mean by calling himself a stranger and sojourner?
David declared that he and the people were strangers and sojourners, and that this short, shadow-of-a-life is not our full inheritance of glory, and that our glory is fully manifested when Christ returns to gather us together.
Scripture References
Matthew 1:1; Matthew 12:23; Acts 13:22; 1 Chronicles 29:10-15; Hebrews 11:13
