Why I like David
So, I’m about four weeks into this series on David, the shepherd, king, warrior-poet guy. As a church-planter /pastor about 9 months in, I’m still having lots of fun getting to choose what I’m going to talk about on Sundays. Hopefully, it will always be this much fun, but we’ll see.
Anyway, I love David for lots of reasons. First, I dig the descriptions of David we get in First Samuel. He was an “outside” guy - his Psalms are full of nature. You can tell he spent lots of time away from the house (not to mention all the hiding out in caves when someone was chasing him). He was musician. I can just see Dave playing his guitar for king Saul or the sheep or his grandma.. and the dude could write lyrics like nobody else.
David is described as young and small but also as a mighty warrior. And appartently he had some interesting skin (what does ruddy mean, anyway?).
Next, David was a guy who lived. It seems like every story, whether David is heroic or moronic, he is always fully engaged. My friend Russ from Australia taught me this phrase that describes David perfectly: “full on”. I love David because his life was lived full on.
I like how David was willing to admit and own his mistakes - even the really big ones (any mistake big enough to get a few chapters of Bible is pretty big). In the end, his pride was not bigger than his God. We need more people like that.
But the coolest thing about David is that God said Dave was a man “after my own heart.” I guess that has to be my favorite description of anyone in the Bible. In fact, it is the description I’d love to have God give of me. “After my own heart” speaks to a man who is fulfilling the purpose God created him for. What more could there be?
John the Baptizer was described as pretty much the greatest man ever born (by Jesus, no less). Abraham and several others got into Hebrews chapter 11 because of their great faith. Peter was the first leader of the church Jesus created and Paul was the first great missionary. Mary got to be the mother of Jesus. Enoch walked so closely with God that he went to heaven without ever dying. And I coudl go on and on… But what could be better than “a man after my own heart”?
It’s like God is saying, “I just dig this guy. He touches me deep…in my heart.” I want to be like that. I guess the reason I love David so much is that he makes me want to love God more - he inspires me to run toward my God - full on.
“My lips will praise You because your faithful love is better than life.” - David