But now your kingdom shall not continue; the Lord has sought out [David] a man after His own heart, and the Lord has commanded him to be prince and ruler over His people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you. 1 Samuel 13:14 AMP
God called David “a man after His own heart.” What made David a man after God’s own heart? Firstly, David was a humble man and his heart did not change or become arrogant, even after he ascended to the thrones of Judah and Israel. He was the youngest of eight sons and the least regarded. As a young man, he served his father as a shepherd and when the prophet, Samuel, asked for all Jesse’s sons to be brought to him, his family did not even bother to call David. God chose David though. He chose him, not for his stature, but for his heart, and anointed him to be king in Saul’s place.
David spent his time with the sheep, practicing with his sling and writing worship songs to the Lord. He was not afraid of the lion or the bear. When they came to kill his father’s sheep, he killed them and gave the glory to God. He did not take the credit himself. When he killed Goliath, it was in the Name of the Lord. When David, as king, brought the Ark of the Covenant back from the Philistines, he removed his kingly robes, and put on the robes of a priest. He danced wildly as he worshipped God before the Ark. He was not ashamed to lower himself before his subjects as he honored his God. His wife, Michal, a true daughter of Saul, was offended by his humility, but he pledged to humble himself even further to honor his Lord. Michal’s attitude caused her to be barren for the rest of her life.
O LORD, you have searched me [thoroughly] and have known me.
2 You know my downsitting and my uprising; You understand my thought afar off.
3 You sift and search out my path and my lying down, and You are acquainted with all my ways.
4 For there is not a word in my tongue [still unuttered], but, behold, O Lord, You know it altogether.
5 You have beset me and shut me in–behind and before, and You have laid Your hand upon me.
6 Your [infinite] knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high above me, I cannot reach it.
7 Where could I go from Your Spirit? Or where could I flee from Your presence?
8 If I ascend up into heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in Sheol (the place of the dead), behold, You are there.
9 If I take the wings of the morning or dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
10 Even there shall Your hand lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me.
11 If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me and the night shall be [the only] light about me,
12 Even the darkness hides nothing from You, but the night shines as the day; the darkness and the light are both alike to You.
13 For You did form my inward parts; You did knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14 I will confess and praise You for You are fearful and wonderful and for the awful wonder of my birth! Wonderful are Your works, and that my inner self knows right well.
15 My frame was not hidden from You when I was being formed in secret [and] intricately and curiously wrought [as if embroidered with various colors] in the depths of the earth [a region of darkness and mystery].
16 Your eyes saw my unformed substance, and in Your book all the days [of my life] were written before ever they took shape, when as yet there was none of them. Psalms 139:1-16 AMP
David had a revelation of the greatness: the omnipotence, omnipresence, and omniscience, of God. He had a revelation that he owed everything to God. He knew that God knew everything and that nothing was hidden from His sight. Except for the Bathsheba incident, David lived his life like a man whose life was laid out bare before God’s eyes. He practiced integrity publicly and privately. He lived like a man who would need to give an account of his life. His deep love and respect for God is unfeigned and unapologetic.
How precious and weighty also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How vast is the sum of them!
18 If I could count them, they would be more in number than the sand. When I awoke, [could I count to the end] I would still be with You.
19 If You would [only] slay the wicked, O God, and the men of blood depart from me—
20 Who speak against You wickedly, Your enemies who take Your name in vain!
21 Do I not hate them, O Lord, who hate You? And am I not grieved and do I not loathe those who rise up against You?
22 I hate them with perfect hatred; they have become my enemies.
23 Search me [thoroughly], O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts!
24 And see if there is any wicked or hurtful way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. Psalms 139:17-24 AMP
David submitted himself to God and tolerated no one who set themselves against God. He loved God and he loved the Word of God. He valued and treasured God’s Word—it was extremely precious to him. He opened up his heart to receive the Word of God and he also opened up his own life to be scrutinized by God. He invited God to check out his heart, to bring correction to his life, to set him straight, and lead him in the way he should go.
If you want to be called a man or a woman after God’s own heart, follow David’s example. Humble yourself before God; love Him; love His word; submit yourself to His word; honor Him; obey Him; and unashamedly worship Him alone.
