A man after God’s own heart… a woman after God’s own heart? – Beloved, let us take an honest inventory – see how we stack up: My overdependence on food for comfort instead of God has created its own public witness. We know that Jesus’ divinity peeked through at his transfiguration - - but for me, a judgmental spirit works its way to the surface. We all say that we love other people, but truth be told, for me it’s not that way – I don’t like all people – in fact, I feel much more at home with folks that look and talk and come from backgrounds like mine. As far as patience is concerned – I sorely lack it. - It shows, too - I will blow a gasket and let my wrath fall upon anybody that crosses me. And you don’t have to spend too much time with me to know that my tongue is like a carving knife – tearing through my friends and family with gossip and slander. Even when I don’t intentionally gossip about others, it is just so hard for me to really be kind and speak well of some people – you know, the people that are just impossible to deal with. There are even times when these things result in a focused anger – maybe even hatred – of a person, sometimes even a member of my own family. And authority? Truth be told – I don’t have much use for any kind of authority… I know that I’m supposed to honor my parents and those in authority over me – but have you seen how my parents embarrass me; do you believe who the nation, the city, the school district elected; do you know the clown that I have to work for; how about the bimbo who is the department head – or the bozo the church called as the pastor? How can I possibly honor that kind of person?
A man after God’s own heart… a woman after God’s own heart? – Hmmm, just the public behaviors seem to rule out that possibility. If I were to start thinking about my secret life – that would really blow any chances for that title. If you only knew what goes on in my thoughts… if you only knew what happens just between me and my computer and Internet connection… if you only knew where my mind goes when I see an attractive person of the opposite sex… if you only knew how quickly that I would trade my morals and integrity for just one really quick splurge of emotion and physical rapture… if you only knew how much it bothers me to have to come to church on the only day that I have to rest… if you only knew how quickly I forget that hour on Sunday morning after I leave church… if you only knew how long it has been since I opened my Bible to spend time with God. Truth be told – honestly – I only want to have to deal with God when the chips are down – so I sort of treat Him like my ace in the hole instead of my Creator, my Lord, my Savior and Heavenly Father.
David – the second king of the people of Israel and Judah: - here we have a man who was an ancestor of Jesus; a man greatly revered as king of the people of God; a man of valor and courage and skill granted many victories and honors by God; a man who was a musician, a poet and who had a sensitive spirit for things of God; a man who was praised and honored. Here we have a man with many, many moments of personal integrity and uprightness – and these recorded in the Scriptures. Here we have a man whom the Scriptures call - a man after God’s own heart.
And yet, we know that David sinned – both privately and publicly. We know that he dishonored God with both his words and his actions. You see – David had a hard time with monogamy. He had a number of wives and was ever expanding his harem by taking on more concubines. This had created some incredibly – I mean incredibly impossible family situations. Because he had sons and daughters from different wives – one of David’s sons had an incestuous desire for one of his half sisters – and followed it through by raping her. David – in the worst traditions of the uninvolved father - knew about what happened and didn’t deal with it. This caused the young girl’s brother, Absalom, David’s son – to take matters into his own hands. So Absalom killed the half-brother who had raped his sister. Talk about dysfunctional families! David - a man after God’s own heart? – how can this be?
But that isn’t all – can you imagine David – with all his wives and wealth – lusting for even more? One day David went to the roof of his house and as he walked around the roof, he looked over the side and saw a beautiful neighbor woman bathing. He asked about her and found out that her name was Bathsheba and that she was married to one of David’s soldiers who was off - fighting a battle for the king. David sent for her – and slept with her. David – a man after God’s own heart? – how can this be?
Even if you don’t know the story – you can imagine what came next. After a while, Bathsheba sent word to David that she was pregnant. So David tried to cover up the pregnancy. He sent for Uriah asking that he bring a battle report from the front lines. After Uriah arrived and provided David a briefing – David told him to go to his house that evening - implying that Uriah should spend time with his wife. Of course David was not concerned with Uriah or Bathsheba, he was only trying to cover up his sin. But Uriah didn’t return home that evening – he slept at the gate with the other folks who were guarding the palace.
When David found out that Uriah had not gone home, he asked Uriah, “How come?” Uriah – a man of integrity and honor – essentially said, “My master’s men are sleeping in the field and engaged in battle. How can I possibly sleep in my home and sleep with my wife?” So David came up with another plan: He told Uriah to stay over another day and to come to the palace to eat and drink. So Uriah was hosted by David to a meal literally fit for a king. That evening David intentionally got Uriah drunk hoping that in this condition Uriah would go home to lie with his wife, Bathsheba. But Uriah didn’t – he slept on a mat among David’s servants.
When David found out that Uriah did not return to sleep with his wife – he thought up an even more sinister plan. He wrote a letter to the commanding General and sent it to the front lines with Uriah. The letter said, “Put Uriah in the front line where the fighting is fiercest. Then withdraw from him so he will be struck down and die.” (2 Samuel 11.15) And that is precisely what happened. Uriah was killed in battle – but it is better said that Uriah was murdered – at the command of his king – so that David could cover up his adultery. David – a man after God’s own heart? – how can this be?
God was greatly displeased at the thing David had done and sent the prophet Nathan to confront David. The prophet begins by telling a story: “A rich man and a poor man lived in a certain town. The rich man had all kinds of sheep and cattle. The poor man only had one little ewe lamb that had been raised with the family and even slept in his arms. One day the rich man received a visitor. Instead of taking one of his own sheep or cattle, he took the poor man’s ewe lamb and butchered it in order to feed his visitor.
When David heard this – he burned with anger against the rich man. The prophet said, “YOU ARE THE MAN, DAVID. God says to you, David, “I have given you more than you could possibly need and if you had wanted more, I would have gladly given it. But why have you despised me by doing this wicked thing – for taking the wife of Uriah?”
And here – beloved – we see why David was a man after God’s own heart. He responded to Nathan by saying, “I have sinned against the Lord.” (2 Samuel 12.13) He was ready to bare his soul before God – to set aside all pretensions – to let his terrible secrets be exposed. He opens his heart and confesses the sins with which he has hurt others and also God. David came clean – he opened himself to the God.
David penned the words in Psalms 32 and 51 in response to this confrontation. Here we have a sense of what was going on in David’s heart and mind – he writes:
Psalm 51 - Have mercy on me, O God according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight;
Psalm 32 - Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the LORD does not count against him and in whose spirit is no deceit. When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD "— and you forgave the guilt of my sin.
This openness with God – this laying bare of the soul is why David was a man after God’s own heart.
Friends – I don’t know how you identify with David. I don’t know whether the guilt of your sin compares to his or not. But I do know that being a man or woman after God’s own heart is not about being perfect, sinless people. It is about being ready to bare our soul to God – to let his light and forgiveness wash us clean. We are assured of this reception by God not only by looking at the forgiveness that God washed king David with – but by looking at the forgiveness that the King of kings – Jesus Christ – won on the cross.
Bare your soul – friends – let Jesus cleanse you so that your bared souls are whiter than snow. Amen.
