Who is King David? And what does it mean to be a man after God's own heart. "Then I will teach transgressors your ways so that sinners will turn back to you. Psalm 51:13.

Who is King David? A man after God’s own heart, part 3

In part 2, I shared how the Holy Spirit brought to mind how David responded to God when confronted with his sin. And that this response shows that David is literally a man after God’s own heart. As in seeking God’s heart. Seeking relationship, he is after God’s heart. For part 3, we are going to look at Psalm 51.

King David wrote Psalm 51 after he was confronted by Nathan about Bathsheba. When you keep that in mind while reading it, it will hit a lot different. At least, it did for me.

David confronts his sin and acknowledges God’s judgement

David spends 9 verses confessing his sin to God, asking God to clean him from his sins. My attention was brought to verse 4 as a particularly interesting part of the confession.

Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight; so you are right in your verdict and justified when you judge.

Psalm 51:4

How many times have I gone through consequences because of my own sin that I thought, it’s not fair! While we unfortunately (fortunately?) don’t have Nathan around to point out the sins we hide from our own hearts, we do have the gift of the Holy Spirit that convicts and brings to mind our hidden transgressions.

But even still, I know that I have faced consequences directly from my sins. And I am further guilty of not accepting that that is good and right. Rather complaining how it’s “unfair”, or the consequence is greater than the sin.

David looks at his sin, he looks at God’s verdict and declares “You are right in your verdict and justified when you judge.” And the verdict and judgement on David was the life of his child, a life for a life.

“Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice.

Psalm 51:8

This metaphor of “bones you have crushed” feels accurate. The loss of a child is no small thing. To know that your own guilt and sin has caused their death is crushing. David knows that God is right in his verdict and judgement, but this sentence shows that he doesn’t just say it lightly. His bones are crushed. Crushed by God’s righteous verdict and judgement.

David clings to God, he is after God’s own heart.

After confessing his sin and declaring that God’s verdict and judgement are right, David turns to restoration in his relationship with God.

Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit to sustain me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

Psalm 51:10-12

How often do I turn to this Psalm and repeat just these verses? I know I’ve sinned. Maybe I do a quick confession and then pray these words. But David spent 9 verses confessing, asking for forgiveness, mercy and declaring God as righteous FIRST. Then he asks for restoration.

David knows the most important relationship, the most important being is God. Without God, David is not the king. David could not defeat Goliath without God. Without God, David is utterly alone.

Do I feel that way?

I think, yes, I do, but I have yet to learn to be more like David. To be a woman after God’s own heart. Not just reflecting his heart, but also seeking it. Working on my relationship with the most high, because He is what sustains me. Walking in the paths of His righteousness.

A man after God's own heart walks in the paths of righteousness and follows God's laws.

David asks God for healing

After asking God for mercy and forgiveness and for their relationship to be restored, David asks God for healing. Healing from the guilt. Guilt can eat us up alive. Over time the guilt can destroy our joy and make us miserable. David must be freed from his guilt so that he can be a man after God’s own heart.

Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God, you who are my God and Savior, and my tongue will sing of your righteousness.

Psalm 51:14

Depending on your life circumstances, if you’re like me, it can be easy to brush off the bloodshed phrase. I mean, I don’t think I’m guilty of even inadvertently causing literal bloodshed. That’s outside of my circumstances of life. Maybe for others around the world that’s not such an abstract idea.

So thinking of it in David’s context, he is guilty. He did in fact cause bloodshed. I can imagine the weight of that guilt is very heavy. Even in my own life, some of my sins I carry the guilt and have to remind myself that I am forgiven.

David turns to God, “deliver me from the guilt”. Instead of reminding himself that God has forgiven him, he asks God to deliver him from his guilt. This is such a beautiful idea that I could be delivered from my guilt.

David looks outward

From inward confession, to outward praise, to relationship restoration, and now David turns his thoughts outward. How can David help others who have found themselves guilty of sin? How can he spread the good news of God’s salvation and help?

This is another way in which David is a man after God’s own heart. God wants to restore His people into relationship with Himself. And David wants to get involved. He will use his own life, his own sin and his turning away from that sin, being freed form its guilt to show others what is only possible in relationship with the Almighty God.

Then I will teach transgressors your ways, so that sinners will turn back to you.

Psalm 51:13

I love this verse. This verse speaks volumes to how David was feeling. He could not hide the light of forgiveness and restoration to God under a basket. He has to let it shine for others to experience the same things.

In 2 Samuel 11, David is all about hiding his sin. Keeping it quite, doing things underhanded.

But when confrontation occurs, the sin is known, there is no hiding, no escaping. David can only confess, beg for mercy, accept his judgement, praise God, and tell others.

That’s what good news does to us. We can’t keep it to ourselves. And forgiveness, restoration, freedom from guilt? That is good news. That is good news that can only come from God.

That’s it from me today. God bless you and keep you. May you confess your sins and be forgiven. May you be delivered from your guilt and share the good news of God’s love.

More about the series: ‘Who is King David? And what does it mean to be a man after God’s own heart?’

This is a spontaneous, Holy Spirit lead series on David and how he is a man after God’s own heart. If you also pondered how that could be given the many grevous sins that David committed, I invite you to open your heart to the Word of God and follow along with me.

You can find the other parts of the series here:

Who is David? What does "A man after God's own heart mean?"

Part one, I reflected on David’s mercy, kindness and love for God’s anointed, Saul. As well as his abiding love for his friend Jonathan.

Part 1

Part 2, I reflected on how David sinned against God, Bathsheba and Uriah. How God confronted that sin, declared judgement, and how David responded to the judgement.

Part 2
Who is David? A man after God's own heart. 2 Samuel 12:20 a Then David got up from the ground. After he had washed, put on lotions and changed his clothes, he went into the house of the Lord and worshipped.

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