Heart Stories

This story says as much about the people of Israel at this time as it does about Saul. They were the ones who had demanded a king, and the king they got was a man whose heart was taken over by pride and ego. This story is not too far from our own, who we follow really matters, the opinions we elevate, the blame we cast, the pride we fall prey to, it’s all really important. The voice of God is loud and clear here, but God is not listened to, the same is true for us, the voice of God is loud and clear, let us be a people who listen.

David is a good and faithful King, faithful to God and faithful to the people of Israel. There is a similar faithfulness here in David as Abraham had; radically trusting in the word of God. Where Saul sought his own promotion, David desires to elevate God, seeking His revelation and direction in his life. 2 Samuel 7 describes the Davidic covenant, the promise made by God to David that he will establish him and raise up a descendant from his line (not a direct messianic prophecy but setting up an enduring hope of God’s provision even through generations of failure). What does this hope mean for us? How does it call us to faithfulness in God, to trust in his promises and to endurance in living for him?

Last week we learned that God told David that he would not take his steadfast love (his chesed) away from him. The love of God endured with David through his times of faithfulness and his times of deep unfaithfulness. There is profound tragedy in this part of David’s story, showing us how the tendrils of sin can so easily entangle (Heb 12). There is tragedy for David and Uriah and Bathsheba and the unnamed child. We can heap all sorts of judgement on David and exclaim all sort of unfairness for Bathsheba and her child and all of that is right but ultimately, we can see ourselves here and we know that just like David, we too need God’s steadfast love that endures with us through our many wanderings. King David was redeemed not because he deserved to be but because God had made a promise. Part of ‘Living in the Story’ is that we live as people under a promise.

Solomon’s life shows both a life lived in devotion to God and a life fragmented by divided loves. There was deep devotion to God in Solomon’s life, he sought God, he worshiped God, he built the temple for God, he desired the wisdom of God. Yet, he became a man with many options and avenues open to him and he began to choose other things. For him it was turning away to other gods, dividing his loves and the influence of those around him. For us it will be something else but there are many things that will seek to divide our heart, many things that could become idols for us. How can we live with undivided hearts before God?