“The LORD hath sought Him a man after his own heart.”
by Walter Giddings
January 29, 2023
Scripture Reading: 1 Chronicles 21:13, 17
Does the way The Scriptures present David as a man of God “after His own heart” indicate to us The Author expects us to know what was in David’s heart? Does anyone get the sense God expects us to know what was in David’s heart from The Scriptures we have shared?
Classmates: we covered part Two of this evidence [Jan. 1]. Part One was [Nov. 20]. After Part One Pastor Don said something that stuck with me. David’s calling before he was anointed by Samuel was Shepherd. The God of Israel is the Good Shepherd in Jesus Christ our LORD! Both Jesus and David are Shepherds in Israel!!! During Fellowship Dinner following Service I told Pastor Don, you are on to something. A dear widow at our sister church in Missouri told me the same thing. Does this mean that the God of Israel and the Sweet Psalmist of Israel share the heart of a Shepherd?! Did that sharing set up an intimacy between those 2 Shepherds in Israel to which The Holy Spirit alone can give birth?
On the heels of that thought came the remembrance of David being “in a great strait”: in the fuller expression David said, “I am in a great strait.” (1 Chronicles 21:13). Does David’s expression “I am” indicate that all Adam who die in Christ receive the fullness of the reward of Sonship restored. With the Indwelling of the Holy Spirit is our current legal standing in Heaven we are the sons and daughters of God? ! How was King David so straitened?
13 And David said unto Gad, I am
in a great strait: let me fall now in-
to the hand of the LORD; for very
great are his mercies. but let me not
fall into the hand of Adam.
First Chronicles chapter twenty one.
“Let me not fall into the hand of Adam.” “In Adam’s Fall we sinned all.” 1777 New England Primer. In Adam’s Fall, in The Great Transgression, did all Adam become the weakest and most despised creatures in all Creation? Are we “wretched, poor, blind, miserable and naked”?! [Laodicea Revelation 3:17.] Wretched: loss of sonship, alienated from God; poor: fleeced annually by a fallen world of raging heathen; blind: unable to see the invisible realm; miserable: consistently, insistently and persistently hunted down in wolf country; naked: fallen into flesh, bone and blood, the image of the earthy, bereft of the shining garments of light ! And this Scripture [Revelation 3:17] says, we know it not! Do we have the right to say Sheep give stupid a new name? Do we sing with David, “The LORD is my Shepherd”? Back to 1 Chronicles 21:13) Are Adam’s mercies “very great” like “the LORD’s” mercies? “Three months to be destroyed before thy foes, while that the sword of thine enemies overtaketh thee.” The Sheep that are David’s Enemies will be how loveable when they are overtaking him?! How would anyone of us feel about members of the Beijing Biden Regime overtaking us to murder our living or worse?! Do God’s Enemies always send our kindred upon us? Do they totally enjoy watching us annihilate each other?
(Look down to verse 17). Does being the most despised make us unloveable!
What is the nature of David’s Great Strait? Is he distressed, faced with a dilemma, perplexed, stuck between a rock and a hard place, at cross purposes in his heart? Are there two equally strong purposes in his heart? Is he at cross purposes with himself?
17 And David said unto God, 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.
First Chronicles chapter twenty one.
“But as for these sheep what have they done?” David chose to fall into the hand of the LORD instead of the hand of his foes, his enemies, “the hand of Adam”! Would a king that murders one of his most loyal commanders in the field in order to hide the adultery with his wife have enemies? (2 Samuel 11:3). Who were the King’s enemies? David saw the woman from his rooftop, and she was very beautiful to look upon!
3 And David sent and enquired af-
ter the woman. And one said, Is not
this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam,
the wife of Uriah, the Hittite?
Second Samuel chapter eleven.
As most of us know it did not end there. Verse 4 reports David sent messengers, and took her. Who was Eliam? (2 Samuel 23:34). We know from the last reading Eliam was Bathsheba’s father. Who was Eliam in David’s Kingdom? David’s mighty men are listed in 2 Samuel chapter 23.
p 34 Eliphelet the son of Asbai, the
son of the Maachathite, Eliam the
son of Ahithophel the Gilonite.
Was Uriah the Hittite one of David’s mighty men? Scroll down to Verse 39:
c 39 Uriah the Hittite: thirty seven
in all.
Second Samuel chapter twenty three.
This list, of the mighty men of David in 2 Samuel 23, in our day is like unto a Who’s Who!
Are both Eliam, the father of Bathsheba, and Uriah the Hittite loyal soldiers in the Commonwealth of Israel’s army? Did “the matter of Uriah the Hittite” damage the loyalty of the Host of Israel to their commander in Chief the King? Or at the very least did “the matter of Uriah the Hittite” damage the morale of the Kingdom’s Defenders and cause a split between the field commanders? (2 Samuel 12:10). What word was that which Nathan the Prophet brought from The LORD to David?
10 Now therefore the sword shall
never depart from thy house; be-
cause thou hast despised me, and
hast taken the wife of Uriah the
Hittite to be thy wife.
Second Samuel chapter twelve.
Who was Eliam’s father? Did we just read in 2 Samuel 23:34 that Eliam was “the son of Ahithophel the Gilonite”? Who was Bathsheba’s Grandfather, Ahithophel, in David’s Kingdom? Did “the matter of Uriah the Hittite” cause a root of bitterness to spring up in the Kingdom? (Hebrews 12:14-15). How far reaching were the consequences of David’s iniquities?
p 14 Follow peace with all men, and
holiness, without which no man
shall see the Lord.
c 15 Looking diligently lest any man
fail of the grace of God: lest any
root of bitterness springing up trou-
ble you, and many be defiled.
Hebrews chapter twelve.
“Lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and many be defiled.” (2 Samuel 15:12-13). Did any root of bitterness spring up in the heart of Bathsheba’s Grandfather Ahithophel?
c 12 And Absalom sent for Ahitho-
phel the Gilonite, David’s counse-
llor, from his city, even from Giloh,
while he offered sacrifices. And
the conspiracy was strong; for the
people increased continually with
Absalom.
p 13 And there came a messenger to
David, saying, The hearts of the
men of Israel are [with] Absalom.
“The hearts of the men of Israel are with Absalom.” David determined to flee Jerusalem before escape became impossible. David left 10 of his concubines to keep house. He stood at the brook Kidron. “And all his servants passed on beside him.” (v. 25). Zadok and all the Levites, bearing the Ark of God, set it down outside Jerusalem until all the people with David had passed out of the city.
p 25 And the king said unto Zadok,
carry back the ark of God into the
city: if I shall find favor in the eyes
of the LORD, he will bring me again,
and shew me both it, and his habit-
ation:
c 26 But if he thus say, I have no de-
light in thee; behold here am I, let
him do to me as seemeth good unto
him.
David instructed Zadok that he would wait in the wilderness until Zadok’s word informed him. (v. 31). David and all the people ascended the Mount Olivet, their heads covered, weeping, a picture of a future event, Christ being led to that tree at Calvary.
31 And one told David, saying, Ahi-
thophel is among the conspirators
with Absalom. And David said, O
LORD, I pray thee, turn the counsel
of Ahithophel into foolishness.
Second Samuel chapter fifteen.
(Mark 2 Samuel 16:20-22). What part did Ahithophel play against the Throne of David?
c 20 Then said Absalom to Ahithophel,
Give counsel among you what we
shall do.
p 21 And Ahithophel said unto Absa-
lom, Go in unto thy father’s concu-
bines, which he hath left to keep the
house: and all Israel shall hear that
thou art abhorred of thy father: then
shall the hands of all that are with
thee be strong.
22 So they spread Absalom a tent
upon the top of the house; and Absa-
lom went in unto his father’s concu-
bines in the sight of all Israel.
Was this very event prophesied aforetime? (2 Samuel 12:11-12). Who was the prophet who predicted that the LORD would give David’s wives unto his neighbour, and he would lie with them?!
p 11 Thus saith the LORD, Behold, I
will raise up evil against thee out of
thine own house, and I will take thy
wives before thine eyes, and give
them unto thy neighbour, and he
shall lie with thy wives in the sight
of this sun.
c 12 For thou didst it secretly; but I
will do this thing before all Israel,
and before the sun.
Second Samuel chapter twelve.
Who was the Prophet from the LORD who said this? (Back to 2 Samuel 16:23). Was it the same Prophet that tricked David into condemning himself, Nathan? Why did Absalom listen to the counsel of Ahithophel?
23 And the counsel of Ahithophel,
which he counseled in those days,
was as if a man had enquired at the
oracle of God: so was all the coun-
sel of Ahithophel both with David
and with Absalom.
Second Samuel chapter sixteen.
David’s chief Counsellor, joined the rebellion of Absalom, David’s son. Did the root of bitterness ever leave his heart? (2 Samuel 17:1-2). What was in Ahithophel’s heart? Does David’s Counsellor ask Absalom to equip him with a private army to scatter those loyal, and to smite David?
p Moreover Ahithophel said unto
Absalom, Let me now choose out
twelve thousand men, and I will a-
rise and pursue after David this
night:
c 2 And I will come upon him while
he is weary and weak handed, and
will make him afraid: and all the
people that are with him shall flee;
and I will smite the king only.
Second Samuel chapter seventeen.
Did Ahithophel seek the element of surprise against David, and all loyal to him? Did Ahithophel seek to be commander of a 12 thousand man army so he could punish David in person? How deep in Ahithophel’s heart did this “root of bitterness” go? How would we feel if Joe Biden ordered our granddaughter’s husband abandoned in battle to be slain by the enemy? Would we be ever vigilant to hold that skunk accountable? (Genesis 9:5-6). As patriarch of our family would we feel we were deputized by God to enforce HIS LAW?!
5 And surely your blood of your
souls will I require; at the hand of
every beast will I require it, and at
the hand of Adam; at the hand of
every Adamic brother will I require
the soul of Adam.
c 6 Whoso sheddeth man’s blood, by
man shall his blood be shed: for in
the image of God made he man.
Genesis chapter nine.
Can we name the one beside David who was spared execution for premeditated murder? Was God writing new Law, post Flood, for Noah and his sons? (Genesis 4:13). Or was the God of the Hebrews rehearsing Noah and his sons in a very important protection for the survival of Adamkind in a very hostile world?
p 13 And Cain said unto the LORD
my punishment is greater than I can
bear.
c 14 Behold thou hast driven me out
this day from the face of the earth:
and from thy face shall I be hid; and
I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond
in the earth; and it shall come to pass
that every one that findeth me shall
slay me.
Genesis chapter four.
Did Cain understand murder is “the transgression of the law”? [1 John 3:4]. Who is “every one” that could find Cain, and slay him? Who understands what purpose God accomplished in sparing Cain until he begat children on earth? Who among us understands what purpose God had in sparing David? Where is the record that Cain sought God’s forgiveness? (Psalm 51:17). Did David seek Forgiveness, trusting in the sacrifices of God?
17 The sacrifices of God are a broken
spirit: a broken and a contrite heart,
O God, thou wilt not despise.
Do we understand David trusted the Great I Am with “the sacrifices of God”? (Verse 11). What did David fear the most? Better yet, what did David treasure the most?
11 Cast me not away from thy pre-
sence; and take not thy Holy Spirit
from me.
Psalm fifty one.
(2 Samuel 12:13). Do we remember what the Prophet of the LORD, Nathan, told David?
13 And David said unto Nathan, I
have sinned against the LORD. And
Nathan said unto David, The LORD
also hath put away thy sin; thou
shalt not die.
2 Samuel chapter twelve.
Is there any record that God put away Cain’s Sin? Is God’s Family Business Salvation unto Eternal Life? Is God’s Family Business forgiveness of our sins?
(Psalm 103:8-14). [stand]. Based upon this Responsive Reading one of the biggest and greatest Questions has to be asked!
c 8 The LORD is merciful and graci-
ous, slow to anger, and plenteous in
mercy.
p 9 He will not always chide: neith-
er will he keep his anger for ever.
c 10 He hath not dealt with us after
our sins; nor rewarded us according
to our iniquities.
p 11 For as the heaven is high above
the earth, so great is his mercy toward
them that fear him.
c 12 As far as the east is from the west,
so far hath he removed our transgres-
sions from us.
p 13 Like as a father pitieth his child-
ren, so the LORD pitieth them that
fear him.
c 14 For he knoweth our frame; he re-
membereth that we are dust.
Psalm one hundred three.
One of the biggest and greatest Questions is this: If God can forgive David, can God forgive us?!! Who among us can withhold anything from God? For anything to be withheld from God, would God have to withhold it from himself? How could God possibly deny Himself? Does Mercy rejoiceth over Judgment?
What if God had executed Judgment upon us instead of Mercy. Would Judgment have been completely in accordance with God’s Justice? Was David justified by his faith in God? Do the Scriptures inform us we are justified by faith? Does Justification mean we hold the Greatest Pardon in the Universe?! Is the worst Penitentiary in the world Sin Debt Bondage? O LORD God of our Fathers: set the Captives free!
What happened to Ahithophel, David’s Counsellor, who supported Absalom’s rebellion against his father David? David left Hushai the Archite to frustrate the counsel of Ahithophel. (2 Samuel 17:14). Why did Hushai’s counsel prevail over the counsel of Ahithophel?
14 And Absalom and all the men of
Israel said, The counsel of Hushai
the Archite is better than the counsel
of Ahithophel. For the LORD had ap-
pointed to defeat the good counsel of
Ahithophel, to the intent that the
LORD might bring evil upon Absalom.
Second Samuel chapter seventeen.
“For the LORD had appointed to defeat the good counsel of Ahithophel.“ Ahithophel, knowing David escaped because his counsel was rejected, returned to his house, put his affairs in order for his permanent absence, and hanged himself. Joab thrust 3 darts through the heart of Absalom hanging by his hair. Why did the LORD bring evil upon Absalom?
Was David the anointed of the LORD to be king in the theocracy of Israel? Did The Good Shepherd of Israel make the shepherd boy David to be Undershepherd of the Sheep of Israel? (Luke 6:35). What did Jesus say about our enemies?
35 But love ye your enemies, and do
good, and lend, hoping for nothing
again; and your reward shall be
great, and ye shall be the children
of the Highest: for he is kind unto
the unthankful and to the evil.
Luke chapter six.
“For he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil.” Who is “he”? Why is “the Highest” kind ... “to the evil”? Is Salvation unto Eternal Life part and parcel of God’s Family Business? Is God’s Family Business the Forgiveness of Sins? Did Ahithophel and Absalom counter and frustrate God’s Family Business? When we are persecuted and oppressed, or under great tribulation, how easy is it going to be to love our enemies and be kind to the unthankful and to the evil? Will we become Ahithophel or Absalom? How easy will it be to discern God’s Purpose in the midst of Tribulation? Will we become Ahithophels or Absaloms? Will a “root of bitterness” spring up within us, and trouble us, “and thereby many be defiled”? [Hebrews 12:15].
How did David handle his Tribulation? Did David lack any enemies among the 2-legged Sheep of Israel after the death of Ahithophel and Absalom? Reconsider the matter of the Unlawful Census of Israel. Was David savvy enough to strike the choice of “three months to be destroyed before thy foes while that the sword of thine enemies overtaketh thee”? [1 Chronicles 21:12]. How loveable would the 2-legged Sheep, David’s enemies, be, pursuing David with their sword, overtaking him? Did David say, “Let me fall now into the hand of the LORD”? Did David understand Sheep?!
(1 Chronicles 21). Contrast that with what David did while The LORD chose to have three days His Sword, “even the pestilence in the land, and the angel of the LORD destroying throughout all the coasts of Israel.” [Verse 12]. David and the elders of Israel, clothed in sackcloth, saw the angel “stand between the earth and the heaven having a drawn sword in his hand stretched out over Jerusalem.” {21:16]. Look at Verse 17. What was David finally moved to do?
17 And David said unto God, Is it
not I that commanded the people to
be numbered? even I it is that have
sinned and done this 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.
First Chronicles chapter twenty one.
“But as for these sheep what have they done?” Did David, the Shepherd boy, offer himself, and his own, in place of the sheep? Even after Saul, and Ahithophel, and Absalom, and all his other two-legged sheep enemies, did David still have his love for the Sheep? Are Sheep the most unloveable creatures in all of Fallen Creation? “Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?” [Psalm 2:1]. Do the gentiles and the tumultuous, restless throng despise the Sheep? Are the Sheep the most hated creatures in all of Fallen Creation?!
After all the trouble David had from his own kindred, how could he love the unloveable? How could he still have the Heart of the Shepherd after all he endured from family and friends? Except in the matter of Uriah the Hittite, did David still love the unloveable? Is this what God saw in the heart of David?
Does the God of Israel love the unloveable?
Will we ever know God calls us to love the unloveable? Did David, upon the advice of Abigail, refrain from avenging himself upon her husband Nabal and all serving him? Is David’s record far better than anything we have ever done? When have we loved the unloveable? Will David’s Record in Heaven be far better ... than ours? To be continued on the next ... Gotcha!! Just kidding! ...
Do the Shepherds of Israel, our Father which art in heaven, and David love the UnLoveable?!! Is it even possible for us to have The Heart of a Shepherd?! Will it take the Miracle of the Holy Spirit and the Power of His Conviction? Can the Holy Spirit melt these hearts of ours, “deceitful above all, and desperately wicked”? [Jeremiah 17:9]. Can we, like David, become men after God’s own heart?
Bibliography
1 Chronicles 21:13. “I am in a great strait”.
1 Chronicles 21:17. “As for these sheep what have they done?”
2 Samuel 11:3. “the daughter of Eliam”.
2 Samuel 23:34. “the son of Ahithophel, the Gilonite”.
2 Samuel 23:39. “Uriah the Hittite”.
2 Samuel 12:10. “thou hast despised me”.
Hebrews 12:14-15. “root of bitterness”.
2 Samuel 15:12-13. “the conspiracy”.
2 Samuel 15:25-26. “the eyes of the LORD”.
2 Samuel 15:31. “turn the counsel of Ahithophel”.
2 Samuel 16:20-22. “his father’s concubines”.
2 Samuel 12:11-12. “thine own house”.
2 Samuel 16:23. “the oracle of God”.
2 Samuel 17:1-2. “I will smite the king”.
Genesis 9:5-6. “his blood be shed”.
Genesis 4:13-14. “a fugitive and a vagabond”.
Psalm 51:17. “The sacrifices of God”.
Psalm 51:11. David”s treasure.
2 Samuel 12:13. “I have sinned”.
Psalm 103:8-14. “a father pitieth his children”.
2 Samuel 17:14. “the counsel of Hushai”.
Luke 6:35. “the Highest ... is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil”
1 Chronicles 21:17. “as for these sheep what have they done?”
[Jeremiah 17:9].