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In the book of Acts the Apostle Paul is speaking to the men of Israel and he makes a statement of how God feels about King David: {16}"Then Paul stood up, and motioning with his hand said, "Men of Israel, and you who fear God, listen:""..... {21}: "And afterward they asked for a king; so God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years. {22} "And when He had removed him, He raised up for them David as king, to whom also He gave testimony and said, 'I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My own heart, who will do all My will.' " (Acts 13:16-22).

Why was David a Man after God’s own Heart? To find the answer let’s look at four areas of David’s character.

We are all familiar with the story of David and Goliath as recorded in 1 Samuel 17. Goliath was a warrior of giant size in the Phillistine army, probably one of the Anakim (Numbers 13:33, Joshua 11:22). Goliath was over nine feet high if the 18 inch cubit is used. When David heard Goliath’s challenge, he inquired its meaning. Upon being told, he went to face Goliath, armed only with a sling and five stones. David hit the giant in the forehead and Goliath fell. David then cut off his head. When the Phillistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled being pursued by the victorious Israelites.

Now let’s look to see what David’s attitude was like in 1 Samuel 17:42-50: "And when Goliath the Philistine looked about and saw David, he disdained him; for he was only a youth, ruddy and good-looking. {43} So the Philistine said to David, "Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?" And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. {44} And the Philistine said to David, "Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field!" {45} Then David said to the Philistine, "You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. {46} "This day the LORD will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you. And this day I will give the carcasses of the camp of the Philistines to the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. .....{48} So it was, when the Philistine arose and came and drew near to meet David, that David hastened and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine. {49} Then David put his hand in his bag and took out a stone; and he slung it and struck the Philistine in his forehead, so that the stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the earth. {50} So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone, and struck the Philistine and killed him."

We can see from this passage that David had faith and trusted in God

What is faith? "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen" (Hebrews 11:1).

David hoped that God would give him victory over the Philistine giant. David’s faith was in "the evidence of things not yet seen" but he was courageous and trusted in God.

"But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him" (Hebrews 11:6).

David’s faith pleased God and God rewarded David because David did seek Him diligently.

David wrote many of the psalms in the Bible including Psalms 119.

Let's notice Psalms 119:97-104: "Oh, how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day. {98} You, through Your commandments, make me wiser than my enemies; For they are ever with me. {99} I have more understanding than all my teachers, For Your testimonies are my meditation. {100} I understand more than the ancients, Because I keep Your precepts. {101} I have restrained my feet from every evil way, That I may keep Your word. {102} I have not departed from Your judgments, For You Yourself have taught me. {103} How sweet are Your words to my taste, Sweeter than honey to my mouth! {104} Through Your precepts I get understanding; Therefore I hate every false way."

David had understanding and wisdom which came through his daily meditation on God’s law.

God wants His people to be righteous. In Psalms 119:172 David gives us the definition of "righteous-ness": "My tongue shall speak of Your word, For all Your commandments are righteousness."

God gave us His law for our good. David called the law perfect and tells us it has the power to convert us. "The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul; The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple" (Psalms 19:7). How can the law convert you? By you keeping it.

If we follow David’s example of meditation and keeping God’s commandments, let’s notice what our reward will be: "Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city." (Revelation 22:14).

God will give us our reward of eternal life and let us enter through the gates into the holy city of New Jerusalem (Revelation 22:2).

One of David’s character traits was that he was thankful. Let’s notice a few of David’s own words from his writings in the psalms.

"That I may proclaim with the voice of thanksgiving, and tell of all Your wondrous works" (Psalms 26:7).

"Offer to God thanksgiving, and pay your vows to the Most High" (Psalms 50:14).

" I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify Him with thanksgiving" (Psalms 69:30).

"Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name" (Psalms 100:4).

" I will offer to You the sacrifice of thanksgiving, And will call upon the name of the LORD" (Psalms 116:17 ).

After David had brought the ark into Jerusalem he offered a psalm of thanks to God (1 Chronicles 16:7-36). "On that day David first delivered this psalm into the hand of Asaph and his brethren, to thank the LORD: {8} Oh, give thanks to the LORD! Call upon His name; Make known His deeds among the peoples! {9} Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him; Talk of all His wondrous works! {10} Glory in His holy name; Let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the LORD! .... {34} Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.

We would be wise if we were to offer the praise of thanksgiving to God as David did.

"Then it happened one evening that David arose from his bed and walked on the roof of the king's house. And from the roof he saw a woman bathing, and the woman was very beautiful to behold. {3} So David sent and inquired about the woman. And someone said, "Is this not Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?" {4} Then David sent messengers, and took her; and she came to him, and he lay with her, for she was cleansed from her impurity; and she returned to her house." {5} And the woman conceived; so she sent and told David, and said, "I am with child"" (2 Samuel 11:2-5).

David sinned and he had a major problem. He brought Uriah home from the battle thinking that Uriah would sleep with Bathsheba and would think that the child was his, but Uriah was an honorable man and did not lay with his wife. David then sent Uriah to the front of the lines of battle and he was killed.

David’s sin made him a liar, a murderer and an adulterer.

The prophet Nathan confronts David and delivers a message: "'I gave you your master's house and your master's wives into your keeping, and gave you the house of Israel and Judah. And if that had been too little, I also would have given you much more! {9} 'Why have you despised the commandment of the LORD, to do evil in His sight? You have killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword; you have taken his wife to be your wife, and have killed him with the sword of the people of Ammon. {10} 'Now therefore, the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised Me, and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.' {11} "Thus says the LORD: 'Behold, I will raise up adversity against you from your own house; and I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun. {12} 'For you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel, before the sun.'" {13} So David said to Nathan, "I have sinned against the LORD." And Nathan said to David, "The LORD also has put away your sin; you shall not die. {14} "However, because by this deed you have given great occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme, the child also who is born to you shall surely die"" (2 Samuel 12:8-14).

In verse 13, David said: "I have sinned against the Lord." David repented.

Psalm 51 is David’s prayer of repentance: "Have mercy upon me, O God, According to Your loving kindness; According to the multitude of Your tender mercies, Blot out my transgressions. {2} Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, And cleanse me from my sin. {3} For I acknowledge my transgressions, And my sin is always before me. {4} Against You, You only, have I sinned, And done this evil in Your sight; That You may be found just when You speak, And blameless when You judge. {5} Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my mother conceived me. {6} Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts, And in the hidden part

You will make me to know wisdom. {7} Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. {8} Make me hear joy and gladness, That the bones You have broken may rejoice. {9} Hide Your face from my sins, And blot out all my iniquities. {10} Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me. {11} Do not cast me away from Your presence, And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. {12} Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, And uphold me by Your generous Spirit. {13} Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, And sinners shall be converted to You. {14} Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God, The God of my salvation, And my tongue shall sing aloud of Your righteousness. {15} O Lord, open my lips, And my mouth shall show forth Your praise. {16} For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it; You do not delight in burnt offering. {17} The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, A broken and a contrite heart; These, O God, You will not despise. {18} Do good in Your good pleasure to Zion; Build the walls of Jerusalem. {19} Then You shall be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, With burnt offering and whole burnt offering; Then they shall offer bulls on Your altar" (Psalms 51:1-19).

God loved David very much and accepted his prayer of repentance.

In Conclusion:

Why was David a man after God’s own heart?

David had faith which pleases God. David loved God’s law and meditated on it daily. He knew that God’s law had the power of conversion. David had the attitude of gratitude and was thankful. David was repentant. He was a man who sometimes sinned, but he always loved God and deeply repented.

David was indeed a man after God’s own heart.