After His Own Heart | The Institute for Creation Research

After His Own Heart



“The LORD hath sought him a man after his own heart, and the LORD hath commanded him to be captain over his people.” (1 Samuel 13:14)

Here, Samuel the prophet tells King Saul that Yahweh plans to supplant him with a better king—one who is after His (God’s) own heart. Enter King David. What aspects of David’s life made him deserve this praise, and can we copy those aspects today?

More context from our passage helps answer the first question. “And Samuel said to Saul, Thou hast done foolishly: thou hast not kept the commandment of the LORD thy God” (1 Samuel 13:13). If Saul did not keep the Lord’s commandments, then his replacement, David, did keep them. Thus, those who keep His commandments—doing whatever He says to do—characterize those who are “after his own heart.”

And David did just that, at times. For example, “then David enquired of the LORD yet again. And the LORD answered him and said, Arise, go down to Keilah; for I will deliver the Philistines into thine hand. So David and his men went to Keilah, and fought with the Philistines, and brought away their cattle, and smote them with a great slaughter. So David saved the inhabitants of Keilah” (1 Samuel 23:4-5).

David asked what the Lord wanted. The Lord answered. Then David did just what the Lord said, even when his men were “afraid” (1 Samuel 23:3). David feared God more than the daunting circumstances. And the result? David, led by Yahweh, saved a city.

David later lapsed in his pursuit of hearing and obeying his Lord. But like us, when he did listen and obey, he was “a man after [God’s] own heart.” Will I do today just what the Lord says? BT

Days of Praise Podcast Days of Praise Podcast is a podcast based on the Institute for Creation Research quarterly print devotional, Days of Praise. Start your day with devotional readings written by Dr. Henry Morris, Dr. Henry Morris III, Dr. John Morris, and others to strengthen and encourage you in your Christian faith.
 
         

 

The Latest
NEWS
Creation's Easter Message
While many Christians still consider the creation doctrine a fringe issue, a proper understanding of the Christian message finds creation at its core...

NEWS
ICR Veteran Don Barber Retires
Don Barber   After 34 years with the Institute for Creation Research, Director of Enterprise Technology Don Barber will retire...

CREATION.LIVE PODCAST
The Sanctity of Life | Creation.Live Podcast: Episode 23
Abortion is a big issue culturally and in the church. How can believers love our neighbors and act as the hands and feet of Christ when it comes...

NEWS
Plant Receptors Are Designed to Control Immunity and Development
God has designed plants to continuously track their environment.1 They do so with specially designed detectors (also called receptors) on...

CREATION PODCAST
Homo Naledi: The Lies Behind Evolution's Rising Star | The Creation...
Homo naledi, once evolution's 'rising star,' was considered to be a prime example of human evolution. But is it really proof? Or...

NEWS
A Subsurface Ocean on Mimas?
Scientists have analyzed data obtained from the Cassini spacecraft and concluded that irregularities in the orbit of Saturn’s moon Mimas indicate...

NEWS
In Theaters March 20 & 21: The Ark and the Darkness
Is Genesis true? What about Noah’s Flood? How did Noah fit the animals on the ark? Wasn’t it a local flood? Have you asked these questions? Though...

NEWS
Enigmatic Fossil Plants
The pre-Flood world thousands of years ago was unlike the world of today.1 Unfamiliar animals and plants were common, and there were a lot...

NEWS
Surprisingly Colorful Fossil Snail Shells
Finding organic compounds such as flexible dinosaur collagen and complete bone cells1,2 is becoming common, much to the shock and consternation...

NEWS
March 2024 ICR Wallpaper
"He is not here; for He is risen, as He said." (Matthew 28:6 NKJV) ICR March 2024 wallpaper is now available for mobile, tablet,...