David: After God’s Heart — The Background & Its Contrast to David

‘I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My heart, who will do all My will.’
Acts 13:22b, NASB

For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep, and was laid among his fathers and underwent decay;
Acts 13:36, NASB

Chapter 1: A Dark Background

This chapter introduces David as a man with serious mistakes, but who was after God’s heart and who serves his own generation (both quotes from Acts). These are two keys for us today. Instead of serving ourselves, we should serve our generation. Then, instead of doing things for God or for others, we should do things according to God’s heart. David’s background was dark. When the situation is healthy, priests, kings, and prophets all operate well together. But no one was operating well, even long before David! Many did things for God, and some even received God’s permission, but it seemed no one cared for what was really in God’s heart. Many local churches may be like this today. Yet in the midst of this, David realized God desired something and sought out His heart. May we be the same!

Chapter 2: God’s Preparation–A Woman, Her Son, and a King

This chapter focuses on the characters involved as God began to turn the age. He needed Hannah, a woman pure enough to offer Him her first child, and who is a pattern to us for responding to leaders in the church. He needed Samuel, in whom all three lines found some kind of recovery–prophet, priest, and judge. Still, Israel asked for a king. This first king was Saul, who although frustrating, provides us a colorful backdrop to David. At least Saul’s beginning has an experience we should desire–becoming like a new person and being filled with the Spirit.

Chapter 3: Saul–The Insufficiency of Religion

What was Saul’s problem? In history, he is often looked at as a “bad” king. However, in this chapter, Titus considers Saul not as a bad person, but as a religious person who took it upon himself to reign over the kingdom. The product of religion–doing what a good king should do yet without God Himself–can be seen in five moments of Saul’s life: (1) offering without Samuel, (2) not destroying the Amalekites, (3) protecting his throne, (4) appointing his own successor, and (5) calling up the ghost of Samuel. God tore away the kingdom from Saul and gave it to one after His own heart–one who is after Christ Himself.