After God’s Heart

" . . . He made David their king. He testified concerning him, “I have found, David, son of Jesse, a man after my own heart. He will do everything I want him to do,” (Acts 13:22)

“. . . I have provided for Myself a king . . . Then Samuel . . . anointed him . . . And the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon David from that day forward...” (1 Samuel 16)

When Samuel, the Prophet, came to visit Jesse, Jesse called all his sons together. David was not invited by his father. The prophet asked if there were any more sons. Finally, David came. God instructed Samuel that the boy, David, was His choice. God saw David while others disqualified him. Samuel anointed him with oil, blessed David, and sealed him as God’s future King of Israel. Afterwards, David’s heart was tried by the fire. He faced Goliath. He was tempted to kill King Saul. He hid in caves. He was betrayed, ridiculed, and mocked. Alas, David proved not to be a perfect man yet God identified David as a man after His heart. David loved God. When found sinning, he repented. David lived honestly before the Lord. David pursued relationship with God, not being satisfied with religion or rules. He wanted to SEE God.

While David was King, he brought the Ark of the Covenant, the manifested presence of God, back to Jerusalem (1 Samuel ). He danced wildly and expressively during the triumphant parade of the return of the Ark. Men’s opinions nor religion restricted His worship of God. David built a tabernacle, a tent, to house the Ark of the covenant. He hired worshipers and priests to minister before the Lord 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. All of Israel had access to freely worship worship God in His presence. There was no veil. God dwelt unhindered with His people. Under the reign of David, not just the Moseses and Joshuas could SEE God, but ALL citizens of the kingdom were invited into the presence of God. Again, this is before the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ!

ACTIVITY

Put on music and worship unashamedly before the Lord. Then, stand with arms outstretched ready to receive a blessing: “May the Lord bless you with a heart like David, to be a person after God’s own heart. May you SEE God.”