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What does it mean to have a heart after the heart of God?



      

1 Samuel 13:14

ESV - 14 But now your kingdom shall not continue. The Lord has sought out a man after his own heart, and the Lord has commanded him to be prince over his people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you.

Clarify Share Report Asked April 17 2015 9aa51e4b447252291b959c696fb96539 400x400 Jeremiah Kaaya Supporter

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9aa51e4b447252291b959c696fb96539 400x400 Jeremiah Kaaya Supporter Pastor at Springs of Power Church, Teacher by professional
The heart is the being or the person. That is; it is not to mean the literal heart but the spirit man. For without the heart or the spirit for that matter, one is not. For there can't be the literal man without the spirit. Yet the spirit man can be without the literal man.

With this then, it is not mistaken to conclude that when we mention the heart of God, it is in reference to God Himself. For God is His heart, just as everybody else is their heart. The heart of God though is clean, pure, loving, merciful, gracious. For God is only touched and moved by His own heart. God is not subject to or influenced by any external factor. God only listens to His heart. He says what He intends to say. When He loves, He intends to do so. God intends to do what He does. For it is all right from His heart. God unlike man is no pretender.

On the above then, for one to be referred to as having the heart after the heart of God is not to say that that person is as perfect as God. For no one else is good except God, not the angels, not even the heavens (Mark 10:18), (Luke 18:19), (Job 15:15). No human is without sin and no other being is as good. Only one man has lived in flesh without sin, and that is the man Jesus (Isaiah 53:9), (Luke 1:35), (John 19:4), (1Peter 2:22), (John 8:29). 

Was David's heart as perfect?
No. Not at all. David's heart was not as perfect and it was never the heart of God. David slept with Uriah's wife (2Samuel 11:2-5). He killed Uriah so as to hide his sin from the public (2Samuel 11:14-18). David counted people against God's will (2Samuel 24:1-16). It can't be that such scenarios depict what God's heart is. For a demonstration that God detested David's behaviors, He accompanied it with punishment to David. In the case of Uriah, God sent the prophet Nathan to tell David his sin of adultery and murder (2Samuel 12). If David's heart had been that of God, would God have done what David did? For God is all holy and all righteous.

What then is it to say that David's heart was after the heart of God?
It should be crucial that we put into perspective the language used here. Scripture doesn't say David's heart is the heart of God. Scripture is specific to say; David's heart is only after the heart of God. In this, David in his heart loved to do good, and he had the will, but lacked the energy to do so, just like everybody else (Romans 7:15-20). Yet David was a repentant man (2Samuel 12:13), (Psalms 51:10). God's anger is not on the sinner per Se, but on an unrepentant sinner. To repent implies you are not an accomplice in committing sin. You are simply being used by the devil. But if you do not repent, it is that you are closely an accomplice with the devil to commit sin. Do not cover up your sin, overcome your pride and speak it out and shame the devil. Such a heart is a heart which is after being like the heart of God. David had this type of heart.

But David could also have been said to have had a heart after the heart of God because he would dare. He was always fearless as long as he knew God was on his side. David killed Goliath (1Samuel 17). He testified that he had killed a lion and a bear (1Samuel 17:36). Not many people, many Christians inclusive would dare. To be brave is a character of God. That David was brave figures a man with a heart after the heart of God.

What is having the heart after the heart of God?
To have a heart after the heart of God implies that; if one admits their sin, and repent, their heart will be cleaned and purified to be like the heart of God. It means one is pursuing after the heart of God and will receive God's aid through His Son Jesus Christ. By this, you are after having your heart after the heart of God. Yet the point is that; this only comes by repentance. Jesus taught and scripture indeed affirms that only by repentance, can we be justified by God (2Chr 7:14), (2Cor 7:9-11), (1John 1:9), (Ezekiel 18:21-23), (Luke 13:3), (Acts 3:19), (Acts 17:30). For denial of sin is in itself sin

May 01 2015 2 responses Vote Up Share Report


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