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WEEKLY
Volume 3 Number 7
13 July 2008
David, a Man after God’s
Own Heart (2)
(Message delivered by Rev Hien
Nguyen at the Worship Service, 2:00 pm, July 6, 08)
Text:
2 Sam 7:18-21
Last week, we learnt about King David, a man after
God’s own heart. Do you and I still remember what we should do to be a
man, a woman or a child after God’s own heart? You and I must always
have a heartfelt gratitude towards our loving, merciful, faithful and
almighty God, who fearfully and wonderfully created us and graciously
redeemed us from all our sins and eternal condemnation to hell. We are
to honour God, appreciate Him, and thirst for Him above all as our Life
and Portion and to praise Him and worship Him alone with gladness and
reverence in spirit and in truth and in the beauty of holiness. We must
believe, highly value, and keep God’s perfectly preserved Word without
any doubt, question or reservation. And to maintain our living
fellowship with our holy Lord, who is our All, we ought to keep
ourselves pure, and whenever our sins are exposed by God’s Word, by the
Holy Spirit or by our brethren, we should humbly and sincerely repent of
our sins right away. Today, we shall learn more about David’s faith in
the Lord and His Word in all things, his ministry to the Lord and to his
generation, and his zeal for the Lord and His Name.
David’s Faith in the Lord
and His Word
Without faith it is impossible to please the Lord
(Heb 11:6); and to be a man or a woman after God’s own heart, we must
trust in the Lord and His Word in all things. David trusted in the Lord,
saying, “In God I will praise his word, in God I have put my trust; I
will not fear what flesh can do unto me” (Ps 56:4), and “What
time I am afraid, I will trust in thee” (Ps 56:3). David even
encouraged others to trust in the Lord, “Trust in him at all times;
ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us”
(Ps 62:8), and “Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and
he shall bring it to pass” (Ps 37:5). David wholeheartedly trusted
in God’s Word and promise without any doubt. He did not kill Saul, who
was hunting for his life, to take over the kingship, but had patiently
waited for God’s good timing until God established his kingdom as He had
promised. Later, David showed his trust in God’s Word, saying to the
Lord, “For thy word’s sake, and according to thine own heart, hast
thou done all these great things, to make thy servant know them…
And now, O LORD God, the word that thou hast spoken concerning thy
servant, and concerning his house, establish it for ever, and do as thou
hast said… And now, O Lord GOD, thou art that God, and thy words
be true, and thou hast promised this goodness unto thy servant” (2
Sam 7:21, 25, 28). David also reminded his people to remember God’s
Word, “Be ye mindful always of his covenant; the word which he
commanded to a thousand generations” (1 Chron 16:15). Do you and I
wholeheartedly trust in the Lord and His Word in all things and
encourage others to do the same like David, a man after God’s own heart?
Pray for and Trust in God’s Protection:
David prayed to God for His protection, saying,
“Keep me as the apple of the eye, hide me under the shadow of thy
wings” (Ps 17:8), and “Keep me, O LORD, from the hands of the
wicked; preserve me from the violent man; who have purposed to overthrow
my goings” (Ps 140:4), and “Keep me from the snares which they
have laid for me” (Ps 141:9). David trusted in God’s protection,
“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will
fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort
me” (Ps 23:4), and “Thou art my hiding place; thou shalt preserve
me from trouble; thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance”
(Ps 32:7). Do you and I pray for and trust in God’s protection each
day?
Pray for and Trust in God’s Instruction and
Guidance: David prayed to God for His
instruction and guidance, saying, “Shew me thy ways, O LORD; teach me
thy paths. Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the
God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day” (Ps 25:4-5), and
“For thou art my rock and my fortress; therefore for thy name’s sake
lead me, and guide me” (Ps 31:3). David was willing to walk and to
do according to God’s will and God’s way, “Teach me thy way, O LORD;
I will walk in thy truth: unite my heart to fear thy name” (Ps
86:11) “Teach me to do thy will; for thou art my God: thy spirit is
good; lead me into the land of uprightness” (Ps 143:10). Many read
the Scripture and know God’s Word, but they do not humbly ask the Lord
to teach them and guide them to do God’s Word according to His will and
His way! They proudly justify their human and worldly ways or methods of
church growth by saying that it is very good, user-friendly, practical,
effective, and successful! However, outside of God’s will, how can their
service be acceptable unto God? (Matt 7:21-23). Do you and I sincerely
and humbly ask the Lord to teach us and guide us to do God’s will
according to His way?
Pray for and Trust in God’s Provision:
David prayed for and trusted in God’s provision, saying, “But I am
poor and needy; yet the Lord thinketh upon me: thou art my help and my
deliverer; make no tarrying, O my God” (Ps 40:17), and “The LORD
is my shepherd; I shall not want” (Ps 23:1), and “The young lions
do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the LORD shall not want
any good thing” (Ps 34:10), and “I have been young, and now am
old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging
bread” (Ps 37:25). Do you and I turn to God or to men in our time of
need?
Pray for and Trust in God’s Deliverance:
David prayed for and trusted in God’s help and deliverance, saying
“My times are in thy hand: deliver me from the hand of mine enemies, and
from them that persecute me” (Ps 31:15), and “Many are the
afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them
all” (Ps 34:19), and “And the LORD shall help them, and deliver
them: he shall deliver them from the wicked, and save them, because they
trust in him” (Ps 37:40). What do you and I often do when we need
help and deliverance?
Pray for and Trust in God’s Healing:
David prayed for and trusted in God’s healing, saying, “Have mercy
upon me, O LORD; for I am weak: O LORD, heal me; for my bones are vexed”
(Ps 6:2), and “O LORD my God, I cried unto thee, and thou hast
healed me” (Ps 30:2), and “The LORD will strengthen him upon the
bed of languishing: thou wilt make all his bed in his sickness” (Ps
41:3). God may use doctors, nurses, medical equipment and medication to
cure our illness or disease, but we must seek God first and trust in His
healing. King Asa did not please the Lord because “in his disease he
sought not to the LORD, but to the physicians” (2 Chron 16:12).
Pray for and Trust in God’s Righteous Judgment:
David spared King Saul’s life because he trusted in God’s righteous
judgment, saying to Saul, “The LORD judge between me and thee, and
the LORD avenge me of thee: but mine hand shall not be upon thee” (1
Sam 24:12). David also encouraged others to trust in God’s righteous
judgment, “And he shall judge the world in righteousness, he shall
minister judgment to the people in uprightness” (Ps 9:8), and
“For the LORD loveth judgment, and forsaketh not his saints; they are
preserved for ever: but the seed of the wicked shall be cut off” (Ps
37:28), and “The LORD preserveth all them that love him: but all the
wicked will he destroy” (Ps 145:20). Do you and I do the same?
David’s Ministry to the
Lord and His Generation
Despite his weaknesses, David faithfully served the
Lord and worshipped Him alone all the days of his life, and the Lord was
not ashamed to call, “David my servant” (11 references: 1 Kings
11:13, 34, 36, 38; 1 Chron 17:4; Ps 89:3, 20; Jer 33:21, 22, 26; Eze
37:24) and “my servant David” (12 references: 2 Sam 3:18; 7:5, 8;
1 Kings 11:32; 14:8; 2 Kings 19:34; 20:6; 1 Chron 17:7; Isa 37:35; Eze
34:23, 24; 37:25).
David also served his generation, “For David,
after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell on
sleep, and was laid unto his fathers” (Acts 13:36). David did not
lead an easy life. In his teens, David served his parents and siblings
by keeping his father’s sheep. He trusted in the Lord and risked his
life to encounter the giant Goliath to deliver Israel from the enemies.
During his reign over God’s people, “David executed judgment and
justice unto all his people” (2 Sam 8:15; 1 Chron 18:14), joined
many battles to fight and subdue the enemies and the surrounding nations
so that his people might enjoy a peaceful life, “king David did
dedicate unto the LORD, with the silver and gold that he had dedicated
of all nations which he subdued” (2 Sam 8:11). When God chastised
His people with pestilence due to David’s proudly taking census, David
loved his people and prayed to the Lord, “Is it not I that commanded
the people to be numbered? even I it is that have sinned and done evil
indeed; but as for these sheep, what have they done? let thine hand, I
pray thee, O LORD my God, be on me, and on my father’s house; but not on
thy people, that they should be plagued” (1 Chron 21:17; cf. 2 Sam
24:17).
Above all, David was really concerned for and had
taken good care of the religious life of
his people. He brought up the ark of the Lord to Jerusalem (2 Sam
6:11-19; cf. 1 Chron 15:1-29), set up the order of worship and appointed
priests and Levites to their appropriate ministry (1 Chron 16:4-42;
24:1-19) to make sure that his people would worship the Lord properly
according to God’s commandments.
David greatly desired to build a house for the Lord
and although he was not allowed to do it due to his shedding blood in
battles (1 Chron 28:3), David well prepared good materials in abundance
for his son Solomon to build it, even the pattern of the house, of the
porch, of the treasuries, of the chambers, of the courts, and gold,
silver, brass, iron, precious stones, and even skilful personnel (1
Chron 28:11-21; 29:1-5). David did not fail to instruct his son Solomon
to faithfully serve the Lord alone before he passed away, “And thou,
Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy father, and serve him with a
perfect heart and with a willing mind: for the LORD searcheth all
hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts: if thou
seek him, he will be found of thee; but if thou forsake him, he will
cast thee off for ever” (1 Chron 28:9).
David really served the Lord and his
generation all the days of his
life. Our Lord Jesus instructs His followers to serve, “whosoever
will be great among you, let him be your minister. And whosoever will be
chief among you, let him be your servant: Even as the Son of man came
not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a
ransom for many” (Matt 20:26-28). Do you and I want to be a man or a
woman after God’s own heart? Let us be willing to serve the Lord and our
generation according to His will and way.
David’s Zeal for the Lord
and His Name
David’s heart was totally for
the Lord, and his zeal for the Lord and His Name and His House was great
without any compromise, “For the zeal of thine house hath eaten me
up; and the reproaches of them that reproached thee are fallen upon me”
(Ps 69:9), and “For they speak against thee wickedly, and thine
enemies take thy name in vain. Do not I hate them, O LORD, that hate
thee? and am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee? I hate
them with perfect hatred: I count them mine enemies” (Ps 139:20-22).
David’s zeal for the Lord and His Name can be seen when he could not
bear hearing Goliath defying the Lord and then came out to fight against
this giant in the Lord’s Name. Many nowadays are compromising, making
friends with the ungodly, even with those who blaspheme the Lord’s Name
and attack God’s perfectly preserved Word! How can they please the Lord?
King Jehoshaphat was rebuked for his compromising stand, making friends
with the wicked King Ahab and helping him, “Shouldest thou help the
ungodly, and love them that hate the LORD? therefore is wrath upon thee
from before the LORD” (2 Chron 19:2). How about you and me? Are we
compromising or standing firm for God’s Word, contending for God’s
Truth, and fighting a good fight of faith?
Conclusion
Dear friends, David honoured
God, so God honoured him and made covenant with him, through whom, the
Messiah (Christ) came to fulfil God’s promises and to be the Lord and
Saviour of the world. Do you and I really want to be a man or a woman or
a child after God’s own heart? May God help us trust in Him and His Word
in all things, willingly and humbly serve the Lord and our generation
according to God’s will and God’s way, and have a great zeal for the
Lord and His Name and His Word without any compromise until our Lord
Jesus Christ, “the root and the offspring of David, the bright
morning star” (Rev 22:16) comes back again. Amen.
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