A Man of God

There was a man in the Old Testament who was a sinner, one who had sinned grievously against God and the nation of Israel, this man was an adulterer, betrayer, a liar and a murderer.  But this man had his good qualities also; this man was an ancestor of Jesus, he was also a shepherd and poet, a valiant soldier, a man so full of faith that he was responsible for delivering the Israelite army from the Philistines by killing a giant, with the help of God, this man was also a King.  This man’s name was David, it was said of him that he was a man after God’s own heart; God Himself said this about David.  If you know about David, and how he sinned so many times, you may have wondered why God would say this about him.  

Remember David had a sin nature just like we all have, and having that sin nature David wasn’t any more exempt from sin and temptation than we are.  One of the things that David had going for him was an overwhelming faith and trust in God and an unwavering knowledge that God was merciful, loving, compassionate and also forgiving when repentance was displayed from the transgressor and confession was made.  His confessions were sincere and his repentance genuine, so he experienced the joy of being forgiven even when he experienced the consequences of his sin.  Genuine repentance and confession may also bring about healing in one’s body.  

Because of his correction from sin, another thing David learned was not to repeat it over and over again.  Too often we don’t seem to learn from our sins and correction, repeating them and suffering the consequences far too often.  What will it take for God to get our attention and for us to be obedient to Him?  How many times will it take for us to learn the same lesson?

What can we learn from King David’s life?

1.   To acknowledge that we have sinned when we do.

2.   To repent, which means to turn from sin and to go in the other direction.

3.   To confess our sins to the Lord.

4.   To realize that forgiveness does not take away the consequences for sin.

5.   Remember God wants our complete obedience.

If you want to know the whole story of David’s life and his accomplishments and failures, check out 1^st Samuel chapter 16 through 1^st Kings chapter 2.  David is also spoken of in Amos 6:5, Matthew 1:1, Matthew 22:43-45 and Luke 1:32.  You can also read of him in Acts 13:22, Romans 1:3 and Hebrews 11:32.

This should be an encouragement to all believers.  If God could call David a man after His own heart, and God is not a respecter of men, then this could be said of all believers.  So let’s learn a lesson from David and live a life of obedience, resisting sin, repenting and confessing sin when we are guilty of it and accepting the correction as loving kindness from the hand of our heavenly Father.  Something to think about!  God bless you and yours and may you have a super day!!  PS don’t forget to thank and praise the Lord!!