Beth Moore - David: 90 Days with A Heart Like His

David: 90 Days with A Heart Like His

Copyright 2006 by Beth Moore

All Rights Reserved

ISBN: 978-0-8054-4427-8

B&H Publishing Group

Nashville, Tennessee

BHPublishingGroup.com

Dewey Decimal Classification: 222

David, King of Israel \ Christian Life

Unless otherwise stated, all Scripture passages are taken from the New International Version (NIV), copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society, used by permission of Zondervan Bible Publishers. Other versions cited include the New King James Version (NKJV), copyright 1979, 1980, 1982, Thomas Nelson, Inc., Publishers; and the King James Version (KJV).

All Scripture passages used in the Stop and Consider portion of the devotionals are taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB), copyright 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003 by Holman Bible Publishers.

TO MISS MARY HELEN

YOUR LOVE IS SO MUCH LIKE HIS.

I WILL LOVE YOU ALWAYS.

BETH

All wrongs made right.

All faith now sight.

Hell search the soul of a shepherd boy once more

And perhaps He will remark

How very much he has

A heart like His.

INTRODUCTION

I am so excited that you are coming along on this excursion. This journey has all the romance, mystery, intrigue, love, betrayal, and majesty of the greatest epic. As you read, I believe your spirit will soar and your heart will break. You will climb to the heights of the most noble human emotions and behavior, and you will plummet with us to the depths of our sin nature. Pack your backpack, throw in a jar of peanut butter, and lets go.

Maybe it was the fact that David was his fathers last choice. Maybe it was his uncanny way with a harp... and a slingshot. Maybe it was his unwillingness to kill a madman because he feared God even more. Or surely it was his ability to dance down the streets of Jerusalem. Then again, perhaps it was his shocking humanity and the resulting suggestion that we cannot out-sin Gods ability to forgive. I cant quite put my finger on why an ancient shepherd boy-king so captured my imagination over and over.

I simply like him. His story gives me hope and terrifies me into fresh reverence. I see so many things in him I wish I hadand so many others Im scared to death I do have.

All you need in order to relate to David is a membership to the human race. No matter how familiar you are with the biblical account of his life, I believe youll be stirred, shocked, amazed, and forced to think a few hard thoughts all over again. His story is proof once again that truth is far more intriguing than fiction.

Why study David? I believe he is extremely important for several reasons.

First, he was a man with a tremendous relationship with Godcalled a man after Gods own heart. His songs and poetry inspire us to worship. Since we believe that an intimate love relationship with God is the highest blessing possible in this life or the next, David is a worthy subject for our study.

Second, he was a wondrously complex man. A musician and a warrior. He was capable of both the highest loyalty and the most base sin. In David we see the very best and the very worst in the human species. Getting to know David allows us to get to know ourselves.

A third reason to study David involves his relationship to Jesus Christ, the Messiah. In many ways David prefigures Christ. As we study David, we will come both to understand and to appreciate our Savior in new ways.

I believe strongly in a fourth reason to study David. Simply stated, hes in the Bible. You see, Bible study saved my life. I believe studying Gods Word has enormous life-enhancing value. In many different ways I have benefitted from spending time in Gods Word. As you work through this 90-day experience with Davids life, you will accomplish a detailed study of the books of 1 and 2 Samuel. You will also read portions of Psalms, 1 and 2 Chronicles, and many verses from other Old and New Testament books. I encourage you to read the Scripture passages from your own Bible. The Scripture references to look up appear at the beginning of each days reading.

We will devote our entire study to answering practical questions about being a person after Gods own heart:

How can a person be forgiven and restored after sin?

How can a person continue to be faithful to God when nothing seems to be going his or her way?

How can a person find God when he or she feels all alone?

How important is Gods influence on the family?

On our journey, we will certainly discover insights into these and other questions. Until then, lets allow God to use our curiosity to keep us committed to our excursion through His Word.

BEFORE YOU BEGIN

Read 1 Samuel 16:17

STOP AND CONSIDER

But the LORD said to Samuel, Do not look at his appearance or his stature, because I have rejected him. Man does not see what the LORD sees, for man sees what is visible, but the LORD sees the heart (v. 7).

Where do you find yourself doing this the mostjudging people by height, weight, and appearance, sizing them up?

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Actually, what qualities should catch our eye and impress us the most about others? What are the marks of true greatness?

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I love to discover new truths through Scripture, but I also love wrapping the familiar passages around me like a security blanket and feeling their warmth. Perhaps well have the joy of experiencing the best of both worlds as we go through these next ninety days together, examining the life of David.

From the first glimpses we get of him in Scripture, you begin to wonder how one person could be so utterly typical in some ways and so completely atypical in others. That one question will both bless and haunt us intermittently throughout our look at Davids lifefirst in his youth and then in the relationships that shaped his future.

He appears first to us in 1 Samuel 16, amid turbulent circumstances. The opening words of the chapter ring with change:

The LORD said to Samuel, How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and be on your way; I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem. I have chosen one of his sons to be king (1 Sam. 16:1).

This verse supplies some interesting facts to file away. Saul had been rejected as king of Israel, and Samuel the prophet had been grieving over him. So when told to play a part in appointing Sauls successor, Samuel uncharacteristically argued with God. He said How can I go? Saul will hear about it and kill me (v. 2).