“I will not take for the Lord what is yours, or sacrifice a burnt offering that costs me nothing.”
(1 Chronicles 21:24 TNIV)
If you asked me for my favourite Bible character, aside from Jesus, my answer is unequivocally King David. There are so many things that I love about David, but mostly what speaks to me is how humanly flawed he was and yet, the Lord calls him "a man after my heart” (Acts 13:22 ESV).
I can relate to David the flawed man and his human weaknesses. I can identify with his emotions, his position as youngest child and even his love of sheep! Yet I cannot remove these aspects of David from that which I am not, but seek to become: someone after God's own heart.
When I reflect upon why God says this of David, I often turn to his amazing faith and zeal for the God of Israel – look no further than the celebrated confrontation with Goliath (1 Samuel 17:45). The Lord himself speaks of his obedience: “I have found in David, the son of Jesse, a man after my heart, who will do all my will" (Acts 13:22 ESV). Recently however, as I read the Scriptures, I have begun to wonder if it was more the very compass of David's heart that marked him out.
In 1 Chronicles 21:24, David seeks to build an altar to the Lord on Ornan the Jebusite’s threshing floor, following his repentance for his sin in counting the Israelites and thankfulness to God for relenting His wrath (read 1 Chronicles 21). When offered the threshing floor for free, David makes this breathtaking statement: "No, I insist on paying the full price. I will not take for the Lord what is yours, or sacrifice a burnt offering that costs me nothing" (TNIV).
Take a moment. What a window to the attitude of the heart!
Hebrews 4:12 says that the Word of God "judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart" (TNIV). It is a truth God reveals to Samuel at the outset of David's Biblical story, when Samuel is sent to anoint one of Jesse’s sons as the future King of Israel and is seduced by the appearance of David’s older brother Eliab: “For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7 ESV).
David understood the importance of heart attitudes: “I know, my God, that you test the heart and have pleasure in uprightness” (1 Chronicles 29:17 ESV). So must we. Let us take time to search our hearts, daily. Perhaps this Lent make a routine of opening yourself to God's torch, maybe to pray daily King David's prayer: "Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me." (Psalm 51:10 TNIV).
Further prayer suggestion: David’s prayer in Psalm 19:12-14.
Thank you Sharmila for the reminder of what David models and the prayer that we too may be a people after God's heart.
Haha - yes to comment below on doggy ! I chose a dog to illustrate the single-hearted devotion of David to God; like a dog to its master. Fellow animal-lovers may enjoy my next Post...so please watch this space :)
I also like that doggy :) I'm sure David could have made good use of him in his shepherd days!
I nominate Esther as one of my favourite bible characters. Yesterday I heard a raabanit (female rabbi) mention the Purim holiday. Purim celebrates how Esther saved the Jewish people from annihilation. I like Mordecai's words to her saying that she may have become queen 'for such a time as this'.
For others interested in Judith's comment below, you can read the story of Philip and the eunuch in Acts 8:26-40. The passage draws out Isaiah 53:7, a verse God happened to impress on me last year - perhaps a subject for a future Mission Post!