1Samuel 13:14 would have to be the most compelling proof that God was looking for a king that not only did his will but had a heart after God.
Yet when we examine the life of King David, that is some of the terrible things he did whilst in service as a king, it is difficult to see how his actions reflected that of a heart after God. Many people today argue a similar thing about the church. How can the church which throughout the ages has imposed such cruelty upon both members and non members alike can be a true representation of the body of Christ. And yet that is what it is and always will be!
To understand this heart of King David we need to look at King David's reaction to some of these things he did. The most obvious that springs to mind is King David's action flowing him seeing a beautiful woman, namely Bathsheba, bathing on a rooftop at a time when Kings normally go to war.
The account can be found in 2Samuel 11 and without going into detail, King David has an affair with this women who we later find is pregnant with the King's son. To cover up his sin, King David then arranges to have Bathsheba's husband returned from the very battle that the King himself should have been fighting so that he might sleep with his with and thereby have an explanation for the pregnancy. All this however goes horribly wrong as Uriah, Bathsheba's husband, refuses to sleep with his wife knowing that his comrades are on the battlefield. All of which are the attitudes and morals that King David himself should have displayed.
To add misery to his shame, King David arranges to have Uriah killed in battle. A death that really King David himself should have met with. Yet the story does not end here, as Nathan the prophet representing the voice of God or the Holy Spirit speaks to King David revealing his wickedness. It is King David's response to this which gives him the title of one with a heart after God. King David did not deny or run again from the truth, but embraced the opportunity to bring him again in right standing with God. He repents and ask God to forgive him and from this attitude writes the amazing Psalm 51.
What made King David a great King was not the many battles he fought or the lands that he acquired by them, nor was it is victory over his enemies but it was his desire in all things to please and seek first the Kingdom and will of his heavenly Father. King David was a man that was interested in making his heart and thereby his life right with God.
Scripture tells us that a man speaks what is in his heart, it is therefore fair to say that the things we speak of are a reflection of what it in our hearts. And though only God knows what is in our hearts, it is also fair to say that what we speak reveal the true integrity of our hearts. And whilst many of us, including myself, need heart transplants. That is to have our hearts renewed by God's love and the blood of Christ Jesus, it is also fair to say that we must guard our hearts from what we expose them to.
Paul in the book of Romans tells us to renew our minds, a scripture that most believers are familiar with. This renewing is not a one off solution but a daily walk ensuring that the things we think about are holy and seasoned with grace. It is the thoughts of our minds which ultimately determine the attitudes of the heart. As proverbs says "As a man thinks, so is he". If you too want a heart after God, what then are you filling your mind with?
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