Henry Ford famously offered all his customers the opportunity to purchase a brand-new Model-T in any color they wanted “as long as that color was black.” Apparently, not every customer was pleased with their “multitude” of color options. I understand how they feel. I came into this project thinking that we could choose any seven verses in the Old Testament and that the goal was to choose ones that are theologically rich, emotionally satisfying, textually significant and spiritually meaningful. But here we are, choosing our fourth verse, and I am beginning to feel claustrophobic. Yes, I can choose any seven verses as long as there is one creation verse, one Abraham verse, one Moses verse, one David verse, one prophet verse and one Psalm verse. After that, pick any seven verses you want! Thank you, Mr. Ford. And, if you would be so kind, please hand over a good David verse. I’m sure you have one in mind.

We are looking at Christopher JH Wright’s The Old Testament in Seven Sentences (IVP Academic, Downers Grove, IL, 2019). It’s an engaging book that surveys the whole Old Testament through the lens of seven verses. By now, you know that we’ve explored three verses, and now we are ready to move on to our fourth, the David verse (it was predestined; it had to be David).

The Fourth Verse: 1 Samuel 13:14—“The Lord has sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him ruler of his people.”

Let’s get a quick feel for Wright’s chapter by looking at three quotes (my favorite three of the chapter).

“In English, the expression ‘a man after my own heart’ has come to mean ‘somebody I really like; somebody I get on well with.’ But in Hebrew, the heart is not so much the center of emotions and feelings. It is the seat of the will and decisions. God is not saying that David will be his special favorite. Rather, it means that David will be the ruler who will carry out God’s plans and purposes.”

“During the exile, the question arose, ‘Has God forgotten his promise?’ After all, there is no son of David reigning in Jerusalem anymore (in fact, there is no Kingdom of Judah or Kingdom of Israel anymore either). But God had not abandoned his promised to David. Rather, that promise was transformed into an expectation, a prophetic, declaration, that God will once again in the future raise up a son of David, who will be the true king and Shepherd of God’s people, and that his kingdom will indeed be eternal. This becomes the great hope of Israel and its scriptures.” 

“Recognizing Jesus as the Messiah and true King in the line of David, rest not only on what Paul says. We have it on the authority of God the Father himself. For when Jesus is baptized by John the Baptist in the Jordan at the beginning of his public ministry, God’s voice from heaven identifies him with words that intentionally echo what God says to King David in Psalm 2:7—‘You are my Son, whom I love, with you I am well pleased.’ Jesus, Son of David, Son of God, is the man after God’s own heart.”

 

Two Reasons Why I Like 1 Samuel 13:14 as One of the Top Seven Verses

Reason #1: Because Paul quotes this verse in a sermon in Acts 13. As he is giving a history of Israel, Paul says (vs. 22): “After removing Saul, he made David their king. God testified concerning him: ‘I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.’” For Paul, this was one of the linchpin verses that took him from Abraham through the exodus, through the wilderness, through the conquest, through the judges, through Saul, through David to Jesus the Savior. That Paul votes for 1 Samuel 13:14 may not win the day, but it is significant.

Reason #2: Because this verse highlights what is so good about David. We know that Saul was failing as king, but until this verse, we didn’t know why God had made the surprising choice of David. Now, we know. He was a man after God’s own heart. What an incredible characteristic!

 

Reasons Why I’m Not Wild About 1 Samuel 13:14’s Inclusion as One of Our Seven Verses

Reason #1: This verse wasn’t even spoken to David! Samuel has come to Saul to rebuke him and, as that conversation was coming to an end, Samuel dropped our verse on Saul. As such, it lacks a certain emotional punch.

Reason #2: It is theologically unexciting.

Reason #3: It is not even the whole verse. The whole verse reads (remember it is Samuel speaking to King Saul, the Disappointing): “But now your kingdom will not endure; the Lord has sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him ruler of his people, because you have not kept the Lord’s command.” Yes, the middle section has some merit as one of our seven verses, but the rest of the verse, you have to admit, drags the emotional level down.

Reason #4: I’ve never understood how David could be “a man after God’s own heart.” Certainly, early David could be (and was), but older David certainly wasn’t. I remember the sequence in one of those Bible seminars; Saul had no heart; David had a whole heart, and Solomon had a half heart. But the way I read the story of David, he had all three “heart-conditions!” And I am not so sure I want to label a verse that is overly positive as one of my seven.

 

My Conclusion About 1 Samuel 13:14 as One of the Seven Verses

Without a doubt, we need a verse about David, but I am a little hesitant to choose this one, especially when there are (in my opinion) better choices readily available. For instance, I would like to suggest the following:

1 Chronicles 11:19—David is thirsty. He longs for a drink from the well in Bethlehem, but unfortunately, Bethlehem is occupied by the Philistines. David says mostly to himself, “Oh, that someone would get me a drink of water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem!” Without David’s knowledge, three of his mighty men, break through the Philistine lines and draw water from that well and bring it back to David to drink. But David refused to drink it. Verse 19: “God forbid that I should do this!” he said. “Should I drink the blood of these men who went at the risk of their lives?” This episode tells us volumes about the character of David. It is an emotionally satisfying and spiritually meaningful verse.

2 Samuel 12:13—The prophet Nathan confronts David for his sin against Bathsheba and Uriah. He tells him a parable about a man who has stolen a lamb from a poor man. David is enraged and wants to bring the man to justice. And Nathan in verse 7 says, “You are the man!” And David responds (vs 13): “I have sinned against the Lord.” Why did God choose David? Because when he was confronted by his sin, he confessed it quickly and turned from it. David’s confession here is worthy of our consideration. It is spiritually meaningful, emotionally engaging and theologically rich.

Psalm 51:17—Psalm 51 is David’s confession of sin. It is one of the most beautifully moving confessions of sin ever, and verse 17 is the capstone: “My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, you, God, will not despise.” This one verse tells us everything we need to know about David and about our God. This verse has everything.

1 Samuel 17:47—The shepherd boy, David, hears the taunts of Goliath. He turns to the army of Israel and says (vs. 32): “Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him.” And when David comes face-to-face with Goliath, he doesn’t waver, but stands firm in faith and says (vs. 47): “All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.” Few verses speak more clearly about David’s unwavering faith.

2 Samuel 7:16—God comes and reiterates the promise made to Abraham and now to David. In Abraham, he chose a nation to bless the world. In David, he chose a family. God’s promise is unconditional. He says (vs. 16): “Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever.” It is the promise of God’s kingdom come to earth. It is the promise of the Messiah. It is one of the most important promises in the whole Old Testament. We learn a lot about David from the other verses. Here we learn something glorious about David’s God.

2 Samuel 7:18-19—After God bestows his promise on David, David retreats to take it all in. In an act of great humility, David gives thanks to God and says to him (vs. 18-19): “Who am I, Sovereign Lord, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far? And as if this were not enough in your sight, Sovereign Lord, you have also spoken about the future of the house of your servant—and this is your revelation for all humanity.” This one line has all four characteristics that I am looking for. It is theologically rich, emotionally satisfying, textually significant and spiritually meaningful. It speaks of David’s humility and faith and God’s desire for the world to know him and his grace. And it speaks about our inclusion in the promise of God. This is the verse I would choose.

 

Up Next

Verse number 5 is next time; but in the meantime, what do you think? Does 1 Samuel 13:14 win your vote or should one of these other verses take its rightful place among the seven? Or maybe you would prefer a verse from the Psalms? Let me know. But hurry, our dance card is filling fast.