The Overview The Heart of David

Module 1 The Heart of David Definition: Definition: The heart of a matter is the central issue.  The heart of David at its basis is the heart of God.  As we look at the heart of David we are seeking to understand God’s heart.

God promised such leaders to Israel, through the prophet Jeremiah And when you have multiplied and increased in the land, in those days, says the LORD, they shall no longer say, At that time Jerusalem shall be called the throne of the LORD, and all nations shall gather to it, to the presence of the LORD in Jerusalem, “I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding. And when you have multiplied and increased in the land, in those days, says the LORD, they shall no longer say, “The ark of the covenant of the LORD.” It shall not come to mind, or be remembered, or missed; nor shall another one be made. At that time Jerusalem shall be called the throne of the LORD, and all nations shall gather to it, to the presence of the LORD in Jerusalem, and they shall no longer stubbornly follow their own evil will.” (Jeremiah 3:15-17).

Samuel prophetically declares to Saul  “But now your kingdom will not continue; the LORD has sought out a man after his own heart; and the LORD has appointed him to be ruler over his people, because you have not kept what the LORD commanded you.”  (1 Samuel 13:14)

Paul comments  “When he had removed him, he made David their king. In his testimony about him he said, ‘I have found David, son of Jesse, to be a man after my heart, who will carry out all my wishes.’ Of this man’s posterity God has brought to Israel a Saviour, Jesus, as he promised”  (Acts 13:22,23).

David was not after God’s hand  The power  The signs  The wonders  But God nevertheless demonstrated his great power in battle and against the enemies of Israel.

He was not after God’s face  attracted to the beauty of holiness  or the idea of being a friend of God  to make himself famous.

David was after the heart of God  This indicates that David was concerned with whatever concerned God, whether it be the  destruction of idolatry,  the removal of the inhabitants of Cannan,  the construction of a temple,  the birthing of a lineage.

David was in pursuit of God  To have a relationship with Him  To be obedient to his will  To find out what mattered to God and do it  This set him apart The Bible testifies that David therefore accomplished all the purposes of God for his generation (Acts 13:36).

David was in pursuit of God  This attitude is reminiscent of Moses, of whom it was said, “God made known his ways to Moses, his acts to the people of Israel.” (Psalm 103:7 NRSV).  Moses became familiar with the ways of God, which proceed from his heart and intentions.  God’s people knew his acts - the works he performed.  Moses was pre-occupied with what God thought of a matter, and was not constantly harking to the “wow” factor of miracles, signs or wonders.

David was in pursuit of God  One thing is certain, from the abundance of our heart, we speak. David spoke, sang, wrote more than 90 psalms that we have record of, and many more besides, which did not make it into the Biblical record.  They are Psalms expressing gratitude, thankfulness, heartfelt agony, pain and distress.  But always David is sure of his relationship with God, even when he is accusing him, or crying out for justice.

David was in pursuit of God  David’s heart was also expressed in the  valiant deeds he performed,  way he treated his men, the  way he shared the booty and spoils of war  and in his daily conduct.  Perhaps the single greatest expression was found in the tabernacle, where David wrote many of the Psalms.

David was in pursuit of God  In his rule and reign he again expressed his heart.  David’s heart prefigures the heart of Christ.  We find many elements of the ministry of Christ reflected in David’s life.  For example David had a five fold leadership model.  He appointed six (not twelve) chief leaders (apostles).

PRACTICAL EXERCISE Task 1 – Take the sheet with nine boxes. Commencing with Jer. 3:15, 1 Sam. 13:14 & Acts 13:22 fill in the boxes with the qualities of the heart of David. Task 2 – In pairs work together to find the Scriptural references for these qualities in the life of David Task 3 – Combine with another pair and find references in the New Testament to show the qualities of David in the New Testament Church Choose a reporter from your group to share with us all what you found. Swap reports and grade another groups work out of 10

Key Learning Outcome  Understand the principles of David’s kingdom and how that translates into the Kingdom of God.

Group Tasks for Module 1 Task 1 Take the list of references and work with a partner to list David’s administration team. Task 2 Join with another pair to turn your lists into a diagram of David’s administration Task 3 Compare and discuss your work with another group Discuss the strengths of David’s System.

Group Tasks for Module 1 Part 2 A title describes a status or job. What does it not include? In teams of 4 take the references given to you and discover the titles of David. Separate the titles he gives himself from the titles others gave him. Make a chart of the titles and give a brief description beside each one