David

“God doesn’t see the same way people see. People look at the outside of a person, but the Lord looks at the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7 And in my eyes, this was perfect truth and validation to the people of David’s day. David was the youngest of 8. The runt of the family, some might like to say. The Hebrew word for “youngest son” is Haqqaton. Not only does it mean the baby of the family, it also means the least. The lowest rank. The shepherd boy. There are 66 chapters in the bible that talk about David’s story. Other than Jesus, he is the most talked about in scripture. And this made me want to dig down deeper and look at the heart of David, after all, he was “a man after God’s own heart.” Max Lucado put it like this: “God saw what no one else saw: A God-seeking heart. He took after God’s heart, because he stayed after God’s heart. In the end, that’s all God wanted or needed. Others measure your waist size or wallet. Not God. He examines hearts. When He finds one set on him, he calls it and claims it. – Facing your Giants by Lucado Here is what I saw in David. A human. A flawed, sinful, human who needs to repent and needs God’s grace just like you and I. I saw a man that, let’s be real, we all would have doubted he could win the fight against the giant. We all would have laughed and said he’s digging his own grave when we took into consideration his height, strength, and armor, vs the giant. I saw a man who loved the Lord with all his heart, soul, mind, and strength, but still lived in an imperfect world where temptation and sin stand waiting at the door. But here’s the catch. HE STILL LOVED THE LORD. HE STILL SERVED THE LORD. He broke quite few of the 10 Commandments. And truly, this is what I love about David. He is a hero, but not a perfect hero. He doesn’t put the standards so high that none of us could reach. He reminds us that we are all human, and even a man after God’s own heart, still isn’t perfect. But the king of the Universe loved him anyway. No matter what you have done, remember your relationship with Jesus can never be taken away. No matter what you’ve done wrong. No matter what the world says about you. No matter who holds the standards you are trying to reach. Man looks at the outer appearance; God looks at the heart.