The story of Israel is such a good depiction of our redemption story, isn’t it? Often times, when we read about Israel’s rebellion we wonder how a nation as unworthy as they were could be the recipient of God’s grace and favour? But a close look at our own lives enables us to see that we too, being rebellious, are recipient of God’s grace. Like the Israelites, we are also not worthy of the love God has poured out on us, we quickly forget what He has done for us and turn towards our idols. We are consumed with the now to the point that we fail to be heavenly minded hence, our faith is weak because it is focused on today; focused on what we see rather than what He said. Fortunately for us, the bible gives us many examples of men and women who were able to respond adequately to such a loving God. These men and women show us how to live a godly life; they show us that it is attainable, as it says in 2 Peter, “God’s divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness” (2 Peter 1:3). God desires for us to love Him with all our heart, mind, body and soul, not some or parts of it. He does not require of us something that He himself did not do. What’s more, He has made it possible for us to love Him in that regard, He has shown us the way in Jesus Christ and in the lives of other faithful followers as recorded in the bible. My goal today is to help show you what that looks like from the life of King David.
The book of Chronicles really does a good job at chronicling the journey of Israel through its many kings, following the time of the Judges. There is a common theme in the lives of the kings of Israel and that is rebellion against God but when we come to King David, we see something totally different. David is the one king whose heart was after God, He was the one king who never abandoned God, not once. He was the one king who did not bow down to idols. Despite his own flaws, one great characteristic of David is that He knew the heart of God. He knew how to seek God, and he sought Him with all of his might. You see this in his worship, David really knew how to hunger for God. He always sought to do things for God first, he was so concerned about God that even the place where God dwelt meant something to him. One of the first things David did when he was crowned king is that he brought the ark of God to Jerusalem (1 Chronicles 15). This act might not mean much to you but it shows David’s predisposition towards God. It reveals that David wanted God to dwell among His people, he wanted God to be near him. In his zeal to know God, David often made mistakes but he learned from them. For instance, in his first attempt to bring the ark of the Lord to Jerusalem (1 Chronicles 13), we see that David did not ensure it was carried according to the instructions of the Lord which were clear (Numbers 4:15). The consequence of that disobedience brought a sour taste to that act but it made David fear God more (1 Chronicles 13:12). David realized that good intentions are not enough, you must follow instructions set out by God for He dwells in unapproachable light. Despite this hiccup, David was relentless in his pursuit of God, to the point where he desired to build a Temple to Him. Again, this shows the depth of the love and the consideration David had for God. He knew God did not dwell in houses yet seeing the palace in which he lived compared to the tent in which God lived, it was a no-brainer. What I love about this desire of David is that it pleased God. At that moment, David really touched God, although God would tell him that he would not be the one to build Him a house, he does tell David that this is something He had not asked an Israelite (1 Chronicles 17:5), so for him to express such a desire without being asked is simply outstanding. You have to have a deeper love for God to be able to know what pleases God without Him telling you. That is real intimacy! In the book of Haggai, God rebuked the Israelites for caring only about their houses while neglecting His own house (Haggai 1:2-4). This shows you that God values it when we put Him first, above our very self. No wonder he was pleased with David’s intention. Indeed, David understood that he had to submit to God’s ways, he understood that before God, humility coupled with obedience were necessary. In the many songs that David wrote, you see his reverence for God, you see his heart, and we, today are able to know how to approach God because we see how David did it. We are able to see the character of God displayed in the Psalms, His love, His kindness, His faithfulness, His mercy, His justice because David marked it down for us, he marked down his experiences of God for our edification. One of them is the mercy of God. David really understood God’s mercy, and it is evident in the Psalm 51 but it is also evident in how he lived his life.
I hope therefore, that you won’t be quick to dismiss this man because of his failures, but will see instead how he was always able to stand back up after falling. After all, it is the end of a matter that is better than its beginning (Ecclesiastes 7:8). I pray that as believers redeemed by the blood of Christ, our righteous standing before God does not stop us from approaching Him the way He should be approached. May the work of Christ on our behalf fuel humility in us, may we look to the counselor, the Holy Spirit to teach us the mind of God. May we draw from the life of David to learn how to love the Lord with our mind, body and soul. May the Lord grant us the strength to die to ourselves daily for Him.
A Word Aptly Spoken 