Editor’s Note: This is the fifth in a series of six articles on what it means to be a man after God’s heart. This article focuses on what the Scriptures say about being a man after God’s heart. The final article will describe a daily plan for becoming men after God’s heart.
What Do the Scriptures Say About Being a Man After God’s Heart?
The Scriptures below provide glimpses of what made David and Jesus men after God’s heart. In addition, we have included Scriptures that describe some of the characteristics we need to model to be men after the heart of God. We know from Scriptures that David was quite imperfect and, thus, only foreshadowed the perfect man after the heart of God, Jesus Christ, the incarnate Son of God. As God’s beloved sons, we too are called to be men after the heart of God, in spite of our own imperfections.
It is important that we not treat the Scripture passages below as just a set of knowledge that we need to study and understand. We need to spend time praying and reflecting on these passages. We need to allow God to speak to us through them, and then open our hearts more fully to his work in our lives. We need to ask the Lord for the faith and the grace to believe that we too can be transformed into men after God’s heart.
WHY WAS DAVID A MAN AFTER GOD’S HEART?
The Lord has sought out a man after his own heart, and has appointed him commander of his people. . . (1 Samuel 13:14).
Then the LORD said, “Rise and anoint him; he is the one.”
So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the LORD came upon David in power (1 Samuel 16:12b-13).
Solomon answered, “You have shown great kindness to your servant, my father David, because he was faithful to you and righteous and upright in heart” (1 Kings 3:6)
As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the LORD his God, as the heart of David his father had been. So Solomon did evil in the eyes of the LORD; he did not follow the LORD completely, as David his father had done (1 Kings 11:4,6)
David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. . . . 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.” (1 Samuel 17:45, 47).
Now then, tell my servant David, `This is what the LORD Almighty says: I took you from the pasture and from following the flock to be ruler over my people Israel. I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have cut off all your enemies from before you. Now I will make your name great, like the names of the greatest men of the earth (2 Samuel 7:8,9).
David, wearing a linen ephod, danced before the LORD with all his might, while he and the entire house of Israel brought up the ark of the LORD with shouts and the sound of trumpets (2 Samuel 6:14,15).
“I have found David, son of Jesse, a man after my own heart; he will carry out my every wish” (Acts 13:22b).
WHY WAS JESUS A MAN AFTER GOD’S HEART?
The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Jesus. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me; therefore, he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor, to proclaim liberty to captives, recovery of sight to the blind and release to prisoners, to announce a year of favor from the Lord” (Luke 4:18-19).
Jesus gave them this answer: “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does” (John 5:19-20).
So Jesus said, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am the one I claim to be and that I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me. The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him” (John 8:28-29).
For I did not speak of my own accord, but the Father who sent me commanded me what to say and how to say it. I know that his command leads to eternal life. So whatever I say is just what the Father has told me to say (John 12:49-50).
. . . but the world must learn that I love the Father and that I do exactly what my Father has commanded me (John 14:31).
WHAT ARE THE CHARACTERISTICS OF A HEART AFTER THE HEART OF GOD?
He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God (Micah 6:8)
Then the King will say to those on his right, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me” (Matthew 25:34-36).
The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me; therefore, he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor, to proclaim liberty to captives, recovery of sight to the blind and release to prisoners, to announce a year of favor from the Lord” (Luke 4:18-19).
A new command I give you: “Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:34-35)
I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me (John 17:22-23).
If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others (Philippians 2:1-4).
Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity (Colossians 3:12-14).
The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such, there is no law (Galatians 5:22-23).
Lesson 4: Questions for Reflection/Discussion by Catholic Men
1. Based on the Scriptures about David, why do you think he was a man after God’s own heart?
2. The Scriptures on Jesus are his own words spoken about himself. How do these words of Jesus show that he was the perfect man after the heart of God?
3. Based on your reflections on all the Scriptures in this lesson, what do you think it means for you to be a man after God’s heart? To what extent do you believe that God’s great desire is to transform you into such a man?
4. Which characteristics listed in the Scriptures above do you find the most difficult to live up to in your own life? What steps can you take to change this?
5. How important is it to you to be considered a man after God’s heart? How can you, and the men in your group, support one another in developing the characteristics of such a man?
6. f you are in a men’s group, take some time at the end of your meeting to pray for one another for the grace to be men after God’s heart.
