The Writings of 2 Samuel

What do you think of when you hear the words, “A man after God’s own heart?” These are the words that were used in 1 Samuel to describe King David. It’s easy to think of someone being completely blameless and sinless, or maybe a person who has the best reputation and always makes the right decisions. Perhaps you think of someone who has everything in order and a perfect family. As you read 2 Samuel you will quickly realize that being a man after God’s own heart doesn’t mean that David never made any mistakes. In fact, you will find that the opposite is true. But even though David didn’t always make the best choices, his heart never turned away from God. Being a man after God’s own heart meant pursuing God even in the darkest times, having genuine repentance, and being completely open before Him.

The book of 2 Samuel starts right where 1 Samuel finished.  After Saul’s death, David is anointed as King, and one of the first things he does is bring the ark of the Lord back to Jerusalem.  This story is written to give you insight into David’s heart for God.  Have you even been in a church service and felt like raising your hands in worship? Have you ever wanted to dance before God? Maybe you have wanted to jump and shout. Have you ever wanted to do this but have been nervous about what others may think?  Maybe you have seen others expressing themselves in this way and have not understood why they do it.  David experienced this. When he brought the ark back into Jerusalem he danced boldly before God in public. When David’s wife saw him she thought he was foolish, and scolded him for humiliating himself in front of everyone. But David had a different perspective on his dancing. He told his wife that he was dancing before God, not before the people. It’s a liberating display and shows us an example of pure worship and humility before God. From this act of worship we see many high points in the life of David, including God making a lasting covenant with David, pointing to the birth of the one true King who is to come, Jesus. This covenant is called the Davidic covenant.

2 Samuel shows us many of David’s victories, but it also shows us his sin and where he failed. God doesn’t hide the bad choices of one of Christianity’s heroes.  God is honest in showing David’s sins and the consequences his sin had on his family. When David committed adultery with Bathsheba and had her husband murdered, a change happened in his reign. While David showed his heartfelt repentance, and God forgave him immediately, his sin still had very serious consequences. David’s family life became very unhealthy and sad. There were many hardships that happened to David’s family because of David’s sin.  Perhaps the worst hardship was that David experienced the ultimate form of betrayal and grief when Absalom, his own son, sought to overthrow David from his throne.

The story ends when David is at the end of his life an elderly man. David’s kingdom is still in tact, as the Lord has promised, but it has gotten smaller and weaker.  Even though all of his struggles, David still had a heart that sought after God. The defining characteristic about David was his pursuit of God, not just in easy times, but also in hard times. David didn’t let his outside circumstances dictate his worship and devotion to God.  This is the message of 2 Samuel in telling us the story of King David, a man after God’s own heart.