In this book, remarkably little time is spent on “God’s heart.” Rather, most of the space is given to considering David–a man who was after God’s heart. In David, we see a rich picture of a person’s life after they have set their heart to seek and care about what God desires.
It’s not about what you do. It’s about who you are.
The first chapters of this book deal with the situation before David enters the scene. In this environment, many people did things for God, even things permitted by God (!), but it seems no one cared for what was really in God’s heart. As king Saul proved the insufficiency of religion, the Lord sought “a man after His own heart,” and He found David.
The middle chapters of this book examine how, though David’s heart was set right, God still brought him through a process to gain him more fully. David had victories and was manifested among all of Saul’s men, but God’s process was one of trial and persecution, stripping away everything from David, testing his purity and view, and teaching him to trust fully and only in the Lord. Through this, and because David sought God’s heart and presence, he recognized the value of Jerusalem, brought the ark into the city, and even desired to build God a house.
Despite all of this, David was a flawed man with serious failures. Yet because his heart was set right, God did not cast him aside. Instead, many of David’s failures were even used by God to gain more for Himself! What a picture of a life that is set right, from the heart. Even the failures of such a person can be used by God!
This book is excellent for those who desire to serve God more, especially in the church. May the Lord gain many who are not just doing things for Him, but who have set their hearts to be after God and what is on His heart. May these ones recognize the process God must still bring them through to gain them more thoroughly and to serve their generation in a way that pleases Him.
We will look at this book in four sections:
Chapters 1-3: The background/contrast to David
Chapters 4-7: The process God took David through, and his labor and focus during this time
Chapters 8-9: The victories and defeats of a man after God’s heart
Chapters 10-11: David is a type of Christ, therefore, people around him are types for us.
