David, a man after God’s own heart

Q. How was David as a man after God’s own heart? 

But now thy kingdom shall not continue: the Lord hath sought him a man after his own heart, and the Lord hath commanded him to be captain over his people, because thou hast not kept that which the Lord commanded thee. (1 Samuel 13:14)

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. (Acts 13:22)

A. It is important to notice the context of this statement about David. 1 Samuel 13:13-14 first mentions it and Paul referred to it when exhorting the Jews in the synagogue at Antioch in Pisidia. This was God’s message through Samuel to Saul. It contrasts David and Saul. Saul was a king who disobeyed God even when he had direct specific instructions from God through his prophet (1 Samuel 15:10-14). “And Samuel said to Saul, Thou hast done foolishly: thou hast not kept the commandment of the Lord thy God, which he commanded thee: for now would the Lord have established thy kingdom upon Israel for ever. But now thy kingdom shall not continue: the Lord hath sought him a man after his own heart, and the Lord hath commanded him to be captain over his people, because thou hast not kept that which the Lord commanded thee.”

• Saul is the king the people desired, 1 Samuel 8:5, 1 Samuel 12:13.
• David is the king God desired, 1 Samuel 16:1, Psalm 78:70.

Primarily, the statement is not about David’s goodness, not a reference to the moral character of David; but rather about David’s willingness as king to follow God’s instructions, unlike King Saul. Saul was disobedient and rebellious. David was submissive and reverential. Contrasting two similar incidents in the lives of King David and King Herod sharply illustrates this. God sent prophets to both these kings to confront them with their sin. When Nathan exposed David’s sin with Bathsheba, saying, “Thou art the man,” what did David say? He responded, “I have sinned against the Lord.” He even wrote a mournful song confessing his sin (Psalm 51). When John the Baptist told Herod of his sin, “It is not lawful for thee to have his brother Philip’s wife,” what did Herod do? He responded by putting John in prison and eventually had him beheaded. David as a man after God’s own heart sinned, but when confronted with sin, he repented.