Bulletins - Formosa Baptist Church -k

Build My Life
Main Idea of The Story: God is redeeming a people for himself from every nation, tribe, people, and language, for his own glory through Jesus Christ.
Text for the Chapter: I Samuel 16-II Samuel 10
Text for the Sermon: I Samuel 17-II Samuel 6
Main Idea—In the story of David, we see God appointing a man “after my heart.” Through David’s example, we learn that to have the heart of God, we must trust in the Lord for victory, for his timing, for his justice, and for his glory. Ultimately, though, David’s flawed and imperfect example of a heart after God points us to Jesus, who embodies the heart of God perfectly.
Intro (David Anointed)
Last week we looked at the story of Israel’s first king, King Saul. Israel decided that they were tired of having to depend upon God as their leader and they wanted a king so they could be “like the nations.” Well, in King Saul, they got exactly what they asked for.
Saul, Israel’s first king, started off well. He was promising. He seemed humble, he seemed to want to follow the Lord, but it didn’t take long before his commitment to his own honor and glory eclipsed his commitment to God’s honor and glory.
Saul disobeyed the Lord on two major occasions (I Sam. 13, 15), resulting in God rejecting Saul as king. God tells him in chapter 13 that he will not have a dynasty, his kingdom will not be passed down to his sons, and God explains what he is looking for in Saul’s replacement:
1 Samuel 13:14 ESV
14 But now your kingdom shall not continue. The Lord has sought out a man after his own heart, and the Lord has commanded him to be prince over his people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you.”
Then, in chapter 15, Saul is effectively deposed by God and God sets out to appoint a new king.
1 Samuel 15:23 ESV
23 For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has also rejected you from being king.”
Saul doesn’t loose his kingdom right away though—that will take many years. But in God’s eyes, it’s over. The rest of Saul’s reign is him slowly figuring that out and stubbornly resisting the inevitable.
Samuel is still grieving over Saul’s rejection, but God tells him it’s time to move on. He’s instructed to go to Bethlehem and anoint one of the sons of Jesse that God will reveal when he gets there.
When Samuel arrives, Jesse brings out his sons and Samuel immediately takes notice of Jesse’s firstborn son, Eliab, and he thinks, “Surely, this has to be the one. He just looks like a king!”
1 Samuel 16:7 ESV
7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”
So, one by one, Jesse’s sons pass before Samuel, and one by one the Lord rejects them.
1 Samuel 16:10 ESV
10 And Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. And Samuel said to Jesse, “The Lord has not chosen these.”
Finally, Samuel—a bit confused—asks Jesse, “Is this all of your sons?” and Jesse replies, “Well, there is one more, my youngest. But he’s out in the pasture shepherding the sheep.” In Jesse’s eyes, his youngest son was so unimpressive and unlikely as a king that he didn’t even think to summon him. But, Samuel insists, so they go get the young boy named David. And as soon as David shows up...
1 Samuel 16:12–13 ESV
12 ...And the Lord said, “Arise, anoint him, for this is he.” 13 Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers. And the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon David from that day forward. And Samuel rose up and went to Ramah.
The moment that David is anointed as king marks the beginning of the end for Saul and the beginning of David’s rise to power. The next verse tells us...
1 Samuel 16:14 ESV
14 Now the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and a harmful spirit from the Lord tormented him.
Now, it’s not 100% clear whether this “harmful spirit” is a demon, commissioned by God to torment Saul, or if this is code for some kind of mental breakdown or mental health issue, but it’s clear that whatever it is, God sends it as a form of judgment upon Saul and as the means of David’s rise to power.
Now, Saul doesn’t know that David has been anointed. He knows that he himself has been rejected by God, that his mental struggles are God’s judgment upon him, and that God is going to choose someone to replace him, but he doesn’t know who that is.
Saul’s advisors see that he’s struggling and suffering, so they get the idea to summon a musician to play soothing music to help Saul during his fits of rage and craziness. One of the advisors says, “Hey, I know a guy who’s an excellent musician, plus he’s pretty handy in a fight. I hear he actually killed a lion and a bear on separate occasions while he was guarding his sheep. His name is David, the son of Jesse.”
So, in the sovereignty of God, Saul summons David—not knowing that he’s just summoned the man who’s been anointed to replace him as king—and David begins serving in Saul’s administration as his musician and his armor-bearer on occasion.
1 Samuel 16:21–23 ESV
21 And David came to Saul and entered his service. And Saul loved him greatly, and he became his armor-bearer. 22 And Saul sent to Jesse, saying, “Let David remain in my service, for he has found favor in my sight.” 23 And whenever the harmful spirit from God was upon Saul, David took the lyre and played it with his hand. So Saul was refreshed and was well, and the harmful spirit departed from him.
So, by serving under Saul, David gets the opportunity to begin developing relationships in the kingdom, learning how things work, and even getting exposed to battle as Saul’s armor-bearer. David is growing in influence and position, while Saul is gradually losing his. Two birds with one stone.
What follows in the rest of I Samuel and the first part of II Samuel is a series of events that lead to Saul’s downfall and David’s rise as King of Israel. Behind all of it, God is in control, pulling the strings and working all things according to his plan.
And in each of these events, we get a deeper look into what it is that God is looking for in his people, in his King. We know that God has rejected Saul and anointed David because he’s looking for a leader “after his own heart.” But what does that mean? What does it mean when we say that “David was a man after God’s own heart”?
1 Samuel 13:14 ESV
14 But now your kingdom shall not continue. The Lord has sought out a man after his own heart, and the Lord has commanded him to be prince over his people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you.”
So, that’s what I want us to look at this morning in the life of David— “What does it mean to be a a man, woman, boy, or girl ‘after the Lord’s own heart’?”
None of us want to be like Saul. But we look around in this world and we see so many examples of “Saul’s”—men and women that started off well, had promise, everyone thought they would go far in life, and yet they went off a cliff. We all want to have a heart like David, we all want to have it said of us that we were men and women “after God’s heart.” But what does that mean, and how can we be that type of person?
In Scripture, the “heart” represents the whole inner person—the source of our thoughts, desires, motives, will, values, and feelings. It is why we act the way we do.
This is why Scripture places such emphasis on guarding your heart:
Proverbs 4:23 ESV
23 Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.
And this is why we’re commanded to
Deuteronomy 6:5 ESV
5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.
In Scripture, the “heart” represents the whole inner person—the source of our thoughts, desires, motives, will, values, and feelings. It is why we act the way we do.
It’s very closely related to what we would call the “mind” today, and kind of encompasses both. That’s why the New Testament places such an emphases on guarding your mind in spiritual warfare, and that’s why when Jesus quoted Deuteronomy 6:5 he adds “mind” to the list, to make sure his Greco-Roman influenced audience understands what he means.
So, to have a heart like God’s is to think as God thinks, desire what God desires, bring our feelings in line with God’s feelings, to will what God wills, and to value what God values.
Now, David didn’t do this perfectly. But, throughout his life, there are several examples where we see David demonstrating what it looks like to have a heart like God’s.
Now, we are going to look at several stories here that could each be several sermons in themselves, so forgive me for not getting too deeply into the details or reading every verse. We’re just going to survey the first half of David’s life asking this question, “How does David demonstrate what it looks like to have the heart of God?”
David and Goliath—A heart that trusts the Lord for the victory.
The story of David and Goliath is one of the most famous Bible stories. People that don’t even know the story itself refer to it all the time in pop-culture, not even realizing where it comes from.
The story is found in I Samuel 17. The Philistines have become the major enemy of Israel, and they’ve gathered together a massive army to come against Israel. And they have a secret weapon:
1 Samuel 17:4–7 ESV
4 And there came out from the camp of the Philistines a champion named Goliath of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span. 5 He had a helmet of bronze on his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail, and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of bronze. 6 And he had bronze armor on his legs, and a javelin of bronze slung between his shoulders. 7 The shaft of his spear was like a weaver’s beam, and his spear’s head weighed six hundred shekels of iron. And his shield-bearer went before him.
Scholars like to debate on Goliath’s height, but the measurement given here (“six cubits and a span”) would equate to roughly 9’9” tall. People like to dismiss that as mythological exaggeration, but the fact is that even in modern, recorded history we have record of some unbelievably tall people, like Robert Wadlow, who died in 1940 at 8’11” tall (seen here standing next to his 6’0” tall father).
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His coat of mail, which is stated to be 5,000 shekels heavy, would be roughly 125lbs—probably about the same as what David himself weighed.
He had an iron spear-head, which would have been particularly rare in that day since this was the early iron-age, so most weapons and armor were still made of bronze. The iron spear-head would have been much harder than the bronze armor and weapons that were common. His spear head would have weighed about 15lbs—about the weight of a bowling ball on the end of his spear.
Goliath himself, if he was 9’9” and a muscularly built warrior, as you would expect, could have easily weighed as much as 500lbs, not including all of his armor. This was an absolutely enormous man. (Wadlow weighed 440lbs at his death at a height of 8’11”)
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Meanwhile, David’s height is never mentioned, so he was probably roughly average, which at that time and place would have been around 5’6”.
Every day, for 40 days Goliath came out and taunted the Hebrews.
1 Samuel 17:10 ESV
10 And the Philistine said, “I defy the ranks of Israel this day. Give me a man, that we may fight together.”
Goliath told them to choose a warrior to fight him. If the Israelite warrior won, then the Philistines would become Israel’s slaves. But if Goliath won, Israel would be their slaves.
In the midst of this, Jesse sends David to the battlefield to carry some food to his eldest three brothers who are at the battle, and then to return to him to give him an update on how they’re doing.
David gets there and finds the Israelites cowering in fear of Goliath. King Saul, who we know was described as a head taller than anyone in Israel, has not stepped up to the challenge, nor has anyone else. Saul makes a good offer for anyone who kills Goliath—riches, his own daughter in marriage, and exemption from taxes and other obligations for his extended family. But there are no takers.
Except for David.
1 Samuel 17:32–37 ESV
32 And David said to Saul, “Let no man’s heart fail because of him. Your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.” 33 And Saul said to David, “You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him, for you are but a youth, and he has been a man of war from his youth.” 34 But David said to Saul, “Your servant used to keep sheep for his father. And when there came a lion, or a bear, and took a lamb from the flock, 35 I went after him and struck him and delivered it out of his mouth. And if he arose against me, I caught him by his beard and struck him and killed him. 36 Your servant has struck down both lions and bears, and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them, for he has defied the armies of the living God.” 37 And David said, “The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” And Saul said to David, “Go, and the Lord be with you!”
Saul doesn’t have any other options and he’s unwilling to face Goliath himself, so he lets David give it a shot. He tries to give David his own armor, but David isn’t used to it so he leaves the armor behind and goes into battle with Goliath, armed with nothing but a slingshot and five stones.
When Goliath sees Israel’s champion, David, he’s not impressed.
1 Samuel 17:41–47 ESV
41 And the Philistine moved forward and came near to David, with his shield-bearer in front of him. 42 And when the Philistine looked and saw David, he disdained him, for he was but a youth, ruddy and handsome in appearance. 43 And the Philistine said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. 44 The Philistine said to David, “Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and to the beasts of the field.” 45 Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46 This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head. And I will give the dead bodies of the host of the Philistines this day to the birds of the air and to the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, 47 and that all this assembly may know that the Lord saves not with sword and spear. For the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give you into our hand.”
Now, David was not only a master with a sling, but a master trash-talker as well! But this isn’t just trash talk. David looked around at the army of God, Israel, quaking in their boots. He saw the fear in their eyes. They were sizing up Goliath and realized that they didn’t have a chance against such a warrior.
But David had been in situations before where he was no match for his opponent, and he’d learned that the outcome of a battle is not determined by size or strength, but by God.
1 Samuel 17:48–51 ESV
48 When the Philistine arose and came and drew near to meet David, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet the Philistine. 49 And David put his hand in his bag and took out a stone and slung it and struck the Philistine on his forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the ground. 50 So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and struck the Philistine and killed him. There was no sword in the hand of David. 51 Then David ran and stood over the Philistine and took his sword and drew it out of its sheath and killed him and cut off his head with it. When the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled.
See, the Philistines had put all their hope in their military advantage. So, the moment that Goliath fell, their hope was gone and they fled.
And if you’re putting your trust in your own strength, your own physical health, your own intelligence, your own work ethic, your own ability to influence people, or your own bank account...
then when your strength fails you, or your physical health fails you, or your intelligence fails you, and your work ethic isn’t enough, and no matter what you do you can’t win over the people you need to win over, and your bank account runs dry,
...then you will flee the battle in defeat.
But, if you have the heart of the Lord, then when you look at the battlefield before you, you don’t see some towering, undefeatable giant, you see tiny little army men at the disposal of God, who arranges them where he wills. You realize that it’s the Lord who gives strength for the battle. It’s the Lord who grants or removes physical health. It’s the Lord who alone has wisdom. It’s the Lord who blesses your efforts and labors and makes them fruitful. It’s the Lord who turns the hearts of men to give you favor. It’s the Lord who owns the cattle on a thousand hills, who owns all the resources that you need or lack.
And if you have that heart, that mindset, then you run into the battle knowing that the battle belongs to the Lord.
David trusted God, not his own military savvy or strength
David’s heart, his desire, was to see the Lord glorified by providing the victory that only he could bring. And that’s what it means to have a heart like God.
David’s Exile—A heart that trusts the Lord's timing.
David’s victory over Goliath catapulted him to fame and honor, but Saul doesn’t like to share his honor with anyone, not even God! So this makes Saul jealous and angry.
1 Samuel 18:6–9 ESV
6 As they were coming home, when David returned from striking down the Philistine, the women came out of all the cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet King Saul, with tambourines, with songs of joy, and with musical instruments. 7 And the women sang to one another as they celebrated, “Saul has struck down his thousands, and David his ten thousands.” 8 And Saul was very angry, and this saying displeased him. He said, “They have ascribed to David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed thousands, and what more can he have but the kingdom?” 9 And Saul eyed David from that day on.
During one of his raving lunatic fits, Saul tries to spear David while David is playing the lyre for him. David flees and escapes. Saul can’t get rid of David completely, because the people love him, so he sends David out of the palace and puts him in charge of 1,000 troops as a commander.
But, as David has success in this position, this just makes Saul even more paranoid and jealous of David.
So, Saul tries to trick David into his own death. Saul’s daughter, Michal, is in love with David, so Saul offers his daughter Michal to David as his wife. Saul knows that David can’t afford the bride price for the daughter of the King, so instead of a typical bride price of money or material possessions, Saul requests:
1 Samuel 18:25 ESV
25 Then Saul said, “Thus shall you say to David, ‘The king desires no bride-price except a hundred foreskins of the Philistines, that he may be avenged of the king’s enemies.’ ” Now Saul thought to make David fall by the hand of the Philistines.
Saul’s plan is to send David to his death in the process of trying to fulfill this bride price. But, of course, the plan backfires. David goes off and kills 200 Philistines and brings 200 Philistine foreskins to Saul for a bride price.
Saul has to keep his word because he’s said this publicly, so he gives Michal to David as his wife. David is not the king’s son-in-law.
1 Samuel 18:28–29 ESV
28 But when Saul saw and knew that the Lord was with David, and that Michal, Saul’s daughter, loved him, 29 Saul was even more afraid of David. So Saul was David’s enemy continually.
Saul’s hatred and fear of David continues to grow, until he finally puts out a hit on David. But Saul’s son, Jonathan, is David’s best friend, and Jonathan warns David. David flees for his life and spends the next 9-10 years on the run from Saul.
1 Samuel 23:14 ESV
14 And David remained in the strongholds in the wilderness, in the hill country of the wilderness of Ziph. And Saul sought him every day, but God did not give him into his hand.
During this time, David is constantly on the run, a fugitive from the king. He has to be careful who he trusts, because even “friends” and family might betray him and turn him over to the king, and some tried. Saul is constantly on the hunt for David, it’s his obsession. At one point, Saul finds out that one of the priests helped David and provided him food and weapons, so Saul slaughters an entire village of priests.
David has to carry the weight of knowing that he inadvertently cost these priests their lives, he’s constantly living in caves and in the wilderness, going hungry, running from his pursuers, and never knowing who he can trust.
For ten years. All of this happens after he’s already been anointed as king. David has been promised a throne. David has been promised that he will be the next king. But, when David looks around, there’s no palace, just caves. No throne to sit on, just rocks in the wilderness.
How do you trust the Lord when the Lord has promised good, but all you see is bad?
David’s heart trusted in the Lord’s timing. When David didn’t immediately see an answer to his prayers, he didn’t assume the Lord had lied or failed, he assumed the answer was “not yet, just wait.”
Understand this—God could have struck Saul down any time he pleased. God could have caused a revolt in Saul’s kingdom, he could have struck Saul with a plague, killed him in battle, or dealt with him in any number of ways. And he did, eventually. So that begs the question, “Why did it take so long? Why did God make David wait over ten years before he fulfilled his promise and David became King?”
David knew that the Lord had a good reason for the wait. David trusted God’s timing. He knew that God was doing something, even when he couldn’t see it.
During this time of waiting, David produced a number of Psalms. David wrote Psalms pouring out his heart to the Lord. Psalm 34, 52, 54, 56, 57, 59, 142 are all attributed to this period of time, and probably several more came out of this time as well.
But look what David learned during this time. David learned to trust the Lord’s timing. He learned to trust the Lord to provide his food and daily needs. David learned to trust the Lord to protect him from his enemies. He learned how to do battle.
Every day, David woke up he knew that someone was hunting him, and that he might face armed conflict that day. David had to learn to wake up and put on his armor, every day, to treat every day like a battle, because it was.
Psalm 22:12–13 ESV
12 Many bulls encompass me; strong bulls of Bashan surround me; 13 they open wide their mouths at me, like a ravening and roaring lion.
And you and I have to learn that lesson as well. We often blunder about through life as if we live in times of peace. Times of prosperity and plenty lull us into a false sense of security. We forget that we are being hunted.
1 Peter 5:8 ESV
8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
We need to stop blundering about life as if we live in times of peace. When a soldier on the front lines wakes up, what does he do? He puts on his armor, because he knows the attack could come at any moment. When he goes to sleep, he keeps his armor and weapon nearby.
Times of wandering, times of waiting, times of conflict remind us to stay vigilant, to stay ready. They teach us how to wear our armor.
Ephesians 6:11–12 ESV
11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
The Lord is teaching me that when I wake up in the morning, before my feet hit the floor, my knees better hit the floor. And because sometimes Satan even taunts us in our dreams, I had better be on my knees before I go to bed, too. Prayer is my weapon, and I keep it close by.
Some of you carry a weapon daily because you know that the one time you don’t will be the one time you’ll have needed it. And will you not prepare yourself spiritually for the war you are in? Prayer and God’s Word are your weapons. Keep them close. Practice with them often. Learn how to use them.
Paul wrote many of his letters while he was sitting in a jail cell, wrongly accused by his enemies. Most of Moses’ ministry occurred wandering in the wilderness. In fact, the Mosaic Law was revealed to him in the wilderness of Sinai. Jesus himself spent 40 days fasting in the wilderness before he began his official ministry.
Are you in a period of wilderness wandering right now? Does it feel like the Lord is not delivering on what he promised? Maybe he’s teaching you to put on your armor each day. Maybe he’s teaching you to learn to trust him.
David trusted in the Lord’s timing. David’s heart, his desire, was to see the Lord glorified by waiting upon the Lord’s timing for the fulfillment of his promises. David patiently waited upon the Lord through long seasons of despair. Having a heart like the Lord’s means waiting and learning to trust his timing.
Saul’s Demise—A heart that trusts the Lord’s justice.
And in at least two different instances while he is fleeing Saul, David has the opportunity to kill Saul. In one instance, Saul’s army is pursuing David and his militia and Saul stops to take a bathroom break. Well, he goes into a cave to use the bathroom, and it just happens to be the cave that David and his men are hiding out in. David sneaks up behind Saul as Saul is relieving himself. David’s men encourage him to just kill Saul and be done with it.
1 Samuel 24:1–7 ESV
1 When Saul returned from following the Philistines, he was told, “Behold, David is in the wilderness of Engedi.” 2 Then Saul took three thousand chosen men out of all Israel and went to seek David and his men in front of the Wildgoats’ Rocks. 3 And he came to the sheepfolds by the way, where there was a cave, and Saul went in to relieve himself. Now David and his men were sitting in the innermost parts of the cave. 4 And the men of David said to him, “Here is the day of which the Lord said to you, ‘Behold, I will give your enemy into your hand, and you shall do to him as it shall seem good to you.’ ” Then David arose and stealthily cut off a corner of Saul’s robe. 5 And afterward David’s heart struck him, because he had cut off a corner of Saul’s robe. 6 He said to his men, “The Lord forbid that I should do this thing to my lord, the Lord’s anointed, to put out my hand against him, seeing he is the Lord’s anointed.” 7 So David persuaded his men with these words and did not permit them to attack Saul. And Saul rose up and left the cave and went on his way.
Now, we could probably all excuse David if he had killed Saul. Saul was actively hunting him and fully intended to kill David, and David had done nothing wrong. But David knew in his heart that it would be wrong to kill an unarmed man, and the king at that.
David knew that he needed to wait on the Lord’s justice. There was a reason God hadn’t struck down Saul yet.
1 Samuel 24:12 ESV
12 May the Lord judge between me and you, may the Lord avenge me against you, but my hand shall not be against you.
The Lord does often use people and nations as the instruments of his wrath upon rebels. But unless the Lord has appointed you to a position in the government where you’re authorized to do so (like the police, judicial system, or military), you had better not reach for the sword. God often uses wicked people to be his instruments of wrath—like the Philistines here who end up killing Saul later on.
Don’t be too eager to be God’s rod of wrath. Let God handle vengeance. You keep your hands clean.
Having a heart like the Lord’s means trusting that God will repay whatever evil or sin is commited against you, and leaving that to him.
Deuteronomy 32:35–36 ESV
35 Vengeance is mine, and recompense, for the time when their foot shall slip; for the day of their calamity is at hand, and their doom comes swiftly.’ 36 For the Lord will vindicate his people and have compassion on his servants, when he sees that their power is gone and there is none remaining, bond or free.
Leaving justice to God doesn’t mean that those who have wronged you get away with it. It means that you refuse to lift your hand against them, you let God do it instead. And he will.
2 Thessalonians 1:5–10 ESV
5 This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering— 6 since indeed God considers it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you, 7 and to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels 8 in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9 They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might, 10 when he comes on that day to be glorified in his saints, and to be marveled at among all who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed.
A heart like God’s leaves justice to the Lord and refuses to take matters into our own hands.
Romans 12:19–21 ESV
19 Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” 20 To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Saul eventually gets his just desserts and is killed in battle in I Samuel 31. And then, when his son Ish-bosheth declares himself king and makes war against David, some of Ish-bosheth’s own people stage a coup and kill him. David comes to power in God’s timing and through God’s justice without having to lift a finger against his enemies.
Will you entrust your enemies to God’s justice?
David’s Reign—A heart that seeks the Lord’s glory.
David’s desire was for the Lord’s glory, not his own.
Saul’s greatest concern was for his own honor. When he disobeyed God and Samuel delivered the news that he had been rejected as king, his main concern
1 Samuel 15:30 ESV
30 Then he said, “I have sinned; yet honor me now before the elders of my people and before Israel, and return with me, that I may bow before the Lord your God.”
But, when David was finally elevated to the throne and came into Jerusalem with the ark of the covenant, he humbled himself by dancing and worshipping the Lord like a commoner.
In fact, he so humbled himself that his wife, Michal, though it inappropriate to his office as King. Yet, David showed no concern for his own honor, but sought the Lord’s honor and glory instead.
2 Samuel 6:20–22 ESV
20 And David returned to bless his household. But Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David and said, “How the king of Israel honored himself today, uncovering himself today before the eyes of his servants’ female servants, as one of the vulgar fellows shamelessly uncovers himself!” 21 And David said to Michal, “It was before the Lord, who chose me above your father and above all his house, to appoint me as prince over Israel, the people of the Lord—and I will celebrate before the Lord. 22 I will make myself yet more contemptible than this, and I will be abased in your eyes. But by the female servants of whom you have spoken, by them I shall be held in honor.”
Where Saul sought his own honor, David sought God’s honor. David humbled himself before God and exalted God.
How to have a heart like God:
Jesus shows us the heart of God perfectly.
Jesus perfectly shows us the heart of the Father, because he and the Father are one. We don’t have time to read it all, but John 16-17 shows us this perfectly. Jesus is pouring out his heart to the Father the night of his arrest and he says
Jesus had waited on the Father’s timing:
John 17:1 ESV
1 When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you,
He trusted in the Father’s plan for victory:
John 17:4 ESV
4 I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do.
When he was mistreated, he trusted the Father’s justice; he didn’t seek revenge but trusted the Father’s plan to punish evildoers:
John 17:12 ESV
12 While I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me. I have guarded them, and not one of them has been lost except the son of destruction, that the Scripture might be fulfilled.
And he sought the Father’s glory:
John 17:4–6 ESV
4 I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do.
To have a heart like God, you need God in your heart.
You can’t just muster up obedience to God in your own strength. Trusting in your own strength is the opposite of the heart of God. The only way you have the heart of God is by giving God your heart.
John 17:20–21 ESV
20 “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, 21 that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.
You can have the heart of the Father, through Jesus Christ. If you believe in him and place your faith in him, surrender your life to him, the Spirit of God will dwell within you and give you a heart like the Father.
Have you given your heart to God?
Adult Devotional Questions:
Family Devotional Questions:
- - 1 Samuel 13:14NIV
- - 1 Samuel 15:23NIV
- - 1 Samuel 16:7NIV
- - 1 Samuel 16:10NIV
- - 1 Samuel 16:12–13NIV
- - 1 Samuel 16:14NIV
- - 1 Samuel 16:21–23NIV
- - 1 Samuel 13:14NIV
- - Proverbs 4:23NIV
- - Deuteronomy 6:5NIV
- - 1 Samuel 17:4–7NIV
- - 1 Samuel 17:10NIV
- - 1 Samuel 17:32–37NIV
- - 1 Samuel 17:41–47NIV
- - 1 Samuel 17:48–51NIV
- - 1 Samuel 18:6–9NIV
- - 1 Samuel 18:25NIV
- - 1 Samuel 18:28–29NIV
- - 1 Samuel 23:14NIV
- - Psalm 22:12–13NIV
- - 1 Peter 5:8NIV
- - Ephesians 6:11–12NIV
- - 1 Samuel 24:1–7NIV
- - 1 Samuel 24:12NIV
- - Deuteronomy 32:35–36NIV
- - 2 Thessalonians 1:5–10NIV
- - Romans 12:19–21NIV
- - 1 Samuel 15:30NIV
- - 2 Samuel 6:20–22NIV
- - John 17:1NIV
- - John 17:4NIV
- - John 17:12NIV
- - John 17:4–6NIV
- - John 17:20–21NIV
Build My Life

Intro (David Anointed)

David and Goliath—A heart that trusts the Lord for the victory.

David’s Exile—A heart that trusts the Lord's timing.

Saul’s Demise—A heart that trusts the Lord’s justice.

David’s Reign—A heart that seeks the Lord’s glory.

How to have a heart like God:

Jesus shows us the heart of God perfectly.

To have a heart like God, you need God in your heart.

Adult Devotional Questions:

Family Devotional Questions:

1 Samuel 13:14NIV

1 Samuel 15:23NIV

1 Samuel 16:7NIV

1 Samuel 16:10NIV

1 Samuel 16:12–13NIV

1 Samuel 16:14NIV

1 Samuel 16:21–23NIV

1 Samuel 13:14NIV

Proverbs 4:23NIV

Deuteronomy 6:5NIV

1 Samuel 17:4–7NIV

1 Samuel 17:10NIV

1 Samuel 17:32–37NIV

1 Samuel 17:41–47NIV

1 Samuel 17:48–51NIV

1 Samuel 18:6–9NIV

1 Samuel 18:25NIV

1 Samuel 18:28–29NIV

1 Samuel 23:14NIV

Psalm 22:12–13NIV

1 Peter 5:8NIV

Ephesians 6:11–12NIV

1 Samuel 24:1–7NIV

1 Samuel 24:12NIV

Deuteronomy 32:35–36NIV

2 Thessalonians 1:5–10NIV

Romans 12:19–21NIV

1 Samuel 15:30NIV

2 Samuel 6:20–22NIV

John 17:1NIV

John 17:4NIV

John 17:12NIV

John 17:4–6NIV

John 17:20–21NIV