What a man says or thinks of himself is of little worth. What others say of him may be of some value. But what God says of a man is of profound importance, for it is God who has spoken.
Consequently, when we read of God’s characterizations of His servants we do well to consider what He has recorded, for in so doing we learn what is of value to God in the lives of His people. There are three descriptive expressions recorded of David that are particularly complimentary to him and at the same time uniquely challenging to us.
A Man After God’s Heart
Paul, in his address to the Jews in Antioch of Pisidia, clearly identifies David as the man God chose to rule His people: “And when He had removed him [Saul], He raised up unto them David to be their king; to whom also He gave testimony, and said, I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfil all my will” (Acts 13:2222And when he had removed him, he raised up unto them David to be their king; to whom also he gave testimony, and said, I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfil all my will. (Acts 13:22)).
A man after God’s own heart! What believer does not long for such a commendation to be true of him? Varied and good reasons have been advanced as to why David was spoken of in this way, but one attribute that was always true of David was that he cared for the sheep, both literally, and figuratively of the people of God (Psalm 100:33Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. (Psalm 100:3)). As such, he prefigured the Lord Jesus, that good, great and chief Shepherd of the sheep. In Nathan’s parable to David when he had sinned against Uriah in taking his wife Bathsheba, what evoked David’s anger was the reported cruelty of a man who stole and killed another man’s lamb. Years later, when David sinned in numbering the people, it was again the thought of the sheep that brought David to repentance, “But as for these sheep, what have they done?” (1 Chron. 20:17).
The Lord rejected Saul (typical of the first man). But David was a man after God’s heart. He prefigured “the second man,” one motivated and governed by desires entirely different from man in the flesh. God is looking for men after His own heart to shepherd and feed His people today. Saul’s moral history began with lost asses which he did not find, an apt illustration of stubborn and rebellious man (1 Samuel 9:3; Job 11:1212For vain man would be wise, though man be born like a wild ass's colt. (Job 11:12)); By way of contrast, the first mention of David was that he was keeping the sheep (1 Samuel 16:11) which he kept (1 Sam. 17:34). Someone who does not demonstrate genuine love for the Lord’s people is clearly not in alignment with God’s desires.
The Sweet Psalmist of Israel
“Now these be the last words of David. David ... the sweet psalmist of Israel (2 Samuel 23:1).
David was a psalmist. A psalm has particularly to do with the experiences and feelings of the people of God, especially in times of trial, whether a godly Jew under Mosaic law (such as we have in the Davidic psalms), or Christian psalms (not part of inspired scripture) that we, who are under grace, may sing today. In each instance, the expressions in these psalms are a great advance beyond the sentiments and feelings that issue forth from the songs of the world. We are not indifferent to trials, but the Lord has given us recourse in psalms, most of which exist as fruit from a suffering saint who has found the comfort and support of God in difficulties.
But David was more than a psalmist; he was the psalmist “of Israel.” The world has it songs. But David was not the psalmist of the Gentiles. His contemplations were of Jehovah, His ways and His people.
But David was not only the psalmist of Israel; he is referred to as “the sweet psalmist of Israel.” Consider the sweetness of comfort afforded through the psalms of David written in times of trouble, and even, in some instances, trials that he had brought upon himself! Perhaps we have each had opportunity to witness sweetness in the life of a saint of God that was produced by submission to the Lord in trial. Some of those afflicted were well-taught in the scriptures; others were not. Some were old; others were young. Some endured sorrow and suffering for faithfulness; others because of their unfaithfulness. Yet, with each, in accepting their particular trial from the hand of the Lord, the Spirit of God produced sweetness in their life that bore testimony that such fruit was a result of His work and His sufficiency. It is painful to observe a saint of God at the end of his life unhappy in his soul, filled with resentment, bitterness and complaints against others. But on the other hand, it is uplifting to our souls to witness a believer at the end of his earthly journey resting on the faithfulness of God and rejoicing at the thought of being with Christ.
He Served His Own Generation
Whether railed against by Goliath in the valley of Elah, hunted by Saul on the mountains of Engedi, seeking refuge in the cave of Adullam, hiding in the woods of Ziph, or exalted on the throne in Jerusalem, David served his own generation. This is our privilege today. Some have discounted service as if it were just “activity;” David labored and sacrificed for the glory of the Lord and for the good of others. The Spirit of God characterizes this service as done “by the will of God.” In the final analysis, what is of greater importance than doing the will of God? Let us not waste time wishing we lived at some other time or in some other place. There is a unique work for us each to do in the day and place in which we live, and we, by God’s grace, can serve our generation by the will of God until our work is done.
W. J. Brockmeier