After God’s Heart (1 Samuel 13:1-15)                                                                     2008.10.12    Pastor Edward Cheng

        When you think of heroes of our faith, from the Old or New Testaments, who are the individuals that come to the forefront of your mind?  From the Old Testament, perhaps one of the earliest heroes must be Abraham.  Certainly he was close to God and exhibited tremendous faith.  A lot has been made of his obedience to the call of God to “Go,” not knowing where God was taking him.  Another “hero” from Genesis must be Joseph.  He demonstrated tremendous discipline and unwavering integrity in the face of tribulation.  This leads us to Moses, the leader who freed Israel from 400 years of bondage.  He was so highly spoken of in the Old Testament that bible writers referred to him as a “friend of God.”  “The Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks with his friend” (Ex. 33:11).  Could there be a description of a relationship with God closer than that?

        And on and on we can go – Solomon, Daniel, Peter and Paul.  The Bible is full of individuals who demonstrated great faith, an undeterred commitment to follow the Lord, and a relationship with the Lord that we all seek.  However, as we examine “heroes” of our faith, perhaps there is one that rises above all the rest.  This is David.  King David must be the one who stands above them all since it is only David about whom the Bible says, “He was a man after God’s heart” (1 Sam. 13:14).  This meant that David knew what God was thinking about, what was important to Him, and what His opinion was on certain things.  David had a relationship with the Lord that perhaps was unmatched by any other human being as there has been no one else about whom these words were spoken. 

        Over the next several weeks/sermons, we will examine the life of David and ask ourselves, “What does it mean that he was a man after God’s heart?  And how can I look to him as my example in life?”

Get to Know God’s Heart

        The first thing that is required in order to be someone after God’s heart is that you must first learn what God’s heart is.  How can someone be after God’s heart without knowing the Lord?  David did just that – spent time with the Lord in order to become familiar with Him, how He would respond in certain situations, what He’s like, and what He would want David to do. 

        The only way we can become acquainted with the Lord like David was is to spend regular time with Him.  This is not unlike how two friends get to know each other, and eventually get to a point where they finish each other’s sentences.  The goal for our time with the Lord is to get to a point where we know what He’s thinking because we get to know His character.  Eventually, that will help us to know how to live our lives, especially in the areas that are not clear in Scripture.  We will know what to do because we will know what God is thinking.

After God’s Heart Means Obedience

        The second thing we see from the expression, “after God’s heart,” is that it involves the idea of obedience, and patterning one’s heart like the Lord’s.  What the Lord thought, David sought to think.  How the Lord responded to situations was how David wanted to respond.  And what the Lord loved and hated, David also wanted to love and hate.

        This patterning after God’s heart is probably most clearly seen in your life through obedience.  Several times in this chapter the author mentions why Saul was rejected as king – namely, his disobedience to the Lord (13:13, 14).  There’s clearly a correlation between his disobedience and the fact that he was NOT after God’s heart.  First we seek to know God’s heart, and then we seek to follow His heart.

        Where are you at this process of becoming someone after God’s heart?  Have you determined to know the Lord in such a way so that you can say you honestly “know” His heart?  Have you recognized the importance of spending regular time with Him, in His word and in prayer, such that you can know Him more?  And have you patterned your own heart after His, desiring to think like He does, to opine like He does, and to respond like He does?  These are the marks of someone who lives “after God’s heart.”  Let’s continue to look to our “hero” David, that he might show us how this is done.