After God’s Own Heart

When David was king of Judah, the Philistines did not trouble him, but waited for him and the eleven northern tribes to destroy each other. Now that the twelve tribes anointed David king of Israel, the Philistines could no longer sit idly by and decided to act to stop David. [2 Samuel 5:17-18] “When the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king over Israel, they all went up to search for David; but David heard of it and went down to the stronghold. Now the Philistines had come and spread themselves out in the Valley of Rephaim.” At this time, David was already growing stronger, with a large and numerous following (1 Chronicles 12:23-28). Yet, he did not rely on his own strength or ability to fight, but first inquired of the LORD. He sought God in all things in the wilderness, and he sought God in all things on the throne. People often seek God when they are weak and helpless, but once they gain some ability, they gradually begin to rely on themselves and on their own might. However, the secret to David, a man after God’s own heart, ascending the throne was obedience to God and reliance on God. The secret to remaining secure on the throne was also obedience to God and reliance on God.

From the time of Samson, God’s people were often oppressed by the Philistines (Judges 13:1). By the Battle of Rephaim, about a hundred years had passed. During this century, God’s name was dishonored (1 Samuel 17:45), God’s Ark was captured (1 Samuel 4:11), God’s anointed was killed (1 Samuel 31:4), and God’s people were scattered (1 Samuel 31:7). In human eyes, completely defeating the Philistines was the most important act of service. But in God’s eyes, this matter could wait a hundred years. For what God desires to gain is not victory, but people after His own heart. The battles of God’s people are battles that God Himself fights for them (Deuteronomy 20:4; Joshua 10:42). The victories of God’s people are appropriations of God’s victory. Only those who are after God’s own heart can fully appropriate God’s victory.

Today, we too often think that God values our work the most, so we set the number of believers, the degree of zeal, and the abundance of activities as performance evaluation targets. But in God’s eyes, these things, like completely defeating the Philistines, can wait a hundred years. For what God desires to gain is not work, but workers. God wants to bring many sons to glory (Hebrews 2:10); He desires to obtain a group of people after His own heart. Work done out of the flesh can also bring temporary victory, like Saul’s, using “wood, hay, straw” (1 Corinthians 3:12) to make the church lively for a time, but it cannot stand the test of fire (1 Corinthians 3:13). Only work that is “from Him and through Him and to Him” (Romans 11:36) is service after God’s own heart, and only this can build up workers after God’s own heart.