According To God's Own Choosing

So, I’m preaching through the life of David and this past Sunday our text was 2Samuel, chapters 11 and 12 which painfully describe in detail the account of David and Bathsheba along with the treacherous death of her husband Uriah at David’s hand.

This passage has been problematic for me and it seems for many others as well. The problem is that the Bible earlier identifies David as ‘a man after God’s own heart’ (1Sam 13:13,14 CF Acts 13:22). So, it begs the question, how can someone be a man after God’s own heart while committing such heinous crimes like adultery and murder?

The prophet Nathan’s words to David in chapter 12 serve as a pretty good summary:

2Sam 12:7-10

7 Then Nathan said to David, “You are the man! This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul. 8 I gave your master’s house to you, and your master’s wives into your arms. I gave you the house of Israel and Judah. And if all this had been too little, I would have given you even more. 9 Why did you despise the word of the Lord by doing what is evil in his eyes? You struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and took his wife to be your own. You killed him with the sword of the Ammonites. 10 Now, therefore, the sword will never depart from your house, because you despised me and took the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your own.’

It was extremely difficult to find commentary that really deals with the issue. Most commentators fall into one or more of the following categories:

The most common approach seems to be to emphasize all David’s positive character traits while at the same time downplaying or even ignoring all his negative ones. David certainly did have a number of virtues worth emulating. However, his vices were just as many and just as grand.

Another common approach is to point out that while David failed miserably on many very serious counts, he remained devoted to God. In other words, he failed miserably on the last 5 commandments but did really well on the first 5! That is to say that, although David was a great sinner, he was not an idolater.

One of the things this approach has going for it is that it seems to be reflected in some of God’s own commentary on David:

1Kings 11:4

As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the Lord his God, as the heart of David his father had been.

David never stopped loving God. And people can sincerely love God and mess up big time. I know that, but there are still things that nag me about this. While it is readily conceded that David was a man who was overall very devoted to God, what about these gigantic sins he committed? How is it possible to think of David as a man after God’s own heart when there was obviously great evil residing in David’s heart? It is one thing for a person to be devoted to God. It seems like quite another to be ‘a man after God’s own heart’.   

Another very popular approach with much to commend it is to focus on David’s contrition. He sinned greatly, but his repentance was also great, deep and sincere, and this was what made David truly great.

Psalm 51, a Psalm of David, bears the descriptor identifying it with this particular time in David’s life and it is an amazing glimpse into the brokenhearted David who repented of his sin before God. Towards the end of the psalm David has this to say… You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise….

Again, it would be pointless to argue that David wasn’t really repentant or that God isn’t calling us to such, for David most certainly was and God most certainly is. Furthermore, we have the promise that if we truly do seek God’s forgiveness in the manner that He has set out in His word, we have it. And David experienced that. This is so true that it is even scandalous, just how absolute the promise of God is concerning His grace to sinners like us.

2Sam 12:13

13 Then David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.”

Nathan replied, “The Lord has taken away your sin. You are not going to die.

However, while all of this is quite true and totally wonderful, it still doesn’t address the issue of David being ‘a man after God’s own heart’ because God has Himself no need for either contrition or repentance, and as commendable as those things are, they do not make us like God. 

One more approach taken to this dilemma is worth mentioning here. There are those who choose to look at all of these passages and see them Christologically. It is important to note that some of the things said to David, about David, and by David, transcend the man David, and are in fact prophetic pronouncements about the Christ, THE Anointed One. But those who take this approach with regard to this particular problem, say that, just as when David talked about having his hands and feet pierced in Psa 22 he was speaking much more than he knew and that at this point the passage isn’t about David himself anymore but about David as a type prefiguring the Christ, so, when the passage (1Sam 13:14) says that David was a man after God’s own heart, this is really a reference to Jesus Himself who really was a man after God’s own heart. Jesus himself seemed quite OK with the title ‘Son of David’, in spite of David’s glaring sins, recognizing it as a messianic title.

Once again, this approach is not without merit. But, though I certainly recognize David as a type of Christ, not unlike so many others who were also sinners (Samson comes to mind), it sure seems to do damage to the text to me.

Now, in my studies, after a lot of hard digging, I did find one other approach to this problem, and it resolves the issue rather completely. I don’t understand why so few commentators miss this but I am very thankful for the ones who didn’t.

Here is what I have learned:

It is quite likely that we have completely misunderstood what the text means when it says that God chose David as ‘a man after His own heart’ because that is in fact an unfortunate translation. In fact, while most of the popular versions translate it that way, not all of them do. Here are a few of the exceptions:

Common English Bible

but now your rule won't last. The LORD will search for a man of his own choosing, and the LORD will commission him as leader over God's people, because you didn't keep the LORD's command."

Good News Translation

But now your rule will not continue. Because you have disobeyed him, the Lord will find the kind of man he wants and make him ruler of his people."

New Century Version

but now your kingdom will not continue. The Lord has looked for the kind of man he wants. He has appointed him to rule his people, because you haven't obeyed his command."

The Message

As it is, your kingly rule is already falling to pieces. God is out looking for your replacement right now. This time he'll do the choosing. When he finds him, he'll appoint him leader of his people. And all because you didn't keep your appointment with God!"

Young's Literal Translation

and, now, thy kingdom doth not stand, Jehovah hath sought for Himself a man according to His own heart, and Jehovah chargeth him for leader over His people, for thou hast not kept that which Jehovah commanded thee.'

Douay-Rheims

But thy kingdom shall not continue. The Lord hath sought him a man according to his own heart: and him hath the Lord commanded to be prince over his people, because thou hast not observed that which the Lord commanded.

To further explain the textual issue, here is an excerpt from a commentary by biblical languages scholar Michael Marlowe:

One of the phrases often misunderstood by readers of the Bible who are not familiar with the "Bible English" of literal versions is the phrase "a man after [God's] own heart," spoken of David in 1 Samuel 13:14, and alluded to in Acts 13:22 ("a man after my heart"). This phrase is commonly thought to mean that David was always chasing after God's affection, doing things to win his love, etc. The misunderstanding arises from the fact that we use the word "heart" to refer to emotions, especially love; but in Hebrew and in Biblical Greek the words for "heart" (לֵב and καρδια, respectively) are not used with any particular reference to the emotions. In these languages the words for "heart" are used in reference to the mind in general. So when the Bible speaks of God's "heart" it means his thoughts or his intentions, not his emotions. When the Biblical authors wanted to refer to the emotions they used words corresponding to our words for lower organs—the intestines and kidneys—not the heart. For example, the Apostle Paul exhorts us to "put on bowels of mercies" in Colossians 3:12, by which he means "compassionate hearts." Now, in a version which aims to give idiomatic and dynamically equivalent renderings, we can all see easily enough that "bowels of mercies" is out of place, and for that reason one never sees this literal rendering in versions like the NLT, but it must also be recognized that it is wrong to translate the Hebrew לֵב or Greek καρδια as if they corresponded in meaning with our English word "heart" when in fact the mind is meant by these words.

Another problem arises from the use of the word "after" in this phrase. This is an archaic usage of the seventeenth century, at which time the word "after" was often used in the sense "according to." That is the meaning of the Hebrew particle כְּ used in 1 Samuel 13:14 and of the Greek preposition κατα used in Acts 13:22—"according to, corresponding with." In idiomatic modern English the phrase must be translated something like, "a man who will do according to what God has in mind." In other words, David was the King who would accomplish the will of God. That is what this phrase means in the original languages.

Unfortunately many pastors and authors who should know better have based whole sermons and study guides upon the highly "preachable" misunderstanding of the phrase. This is a good example of the pitfalls of literal translation and archaic English for people who interpret such language as if it were idiomatic modern English. The main justification for the "dynamic equivalence" method of translation is that it anticipates and prevents such errors of interpretation. In the Good News Bible at 1 Samuel 13:14 we read "the kind of man [the Lord] wants," which gives the meaning well enough in idiomatic English.  

[Excerpted from a critique on the New Living Translation http://www.bible-researcher.com/nlt.html]

What this in fact means is that we have misinterpreted the passage because it has been mistranslated and there is in fact no real difficulty here at all because the passage is not a comment on the condition of David’s heart at all, but only rather all about God’s heart, or rather His sovereign will in choosing David. This makes so much sense theologically speaking. We should know that God does not choose people based on any merit we have or anything about us that commends us to Him.

Eph 1:4-6

For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will - to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.

There was nothing special about David that warranted God’s grace or affection, just as there is nothing about any of us that makes us special causing God to choose us. I know this offends our sense of pride personally as well as our propensity to put David and others on a pedestal, but it If we can be objective and honest, David is hardly a superb role model. Do you really want a man who lied, cheated, stole and murdered as a role model for your children?

This tendency we have to ‘idolize’ biblical characters or celebrities is not a good thing. Biblically speaking, the effect is that we get our eyes off of God and on people. But the story of David is at last not about David. And our stories are not really about us either. The story is His story. And all of the faults and foibles of David only serve to highlight the truth that is isn’t by the goodness of a person’s heart that we have a relationship with God, but by His grace and His grace alone!!!

I conclude with the biblical commentary on David taken from Paul’s letter to the Romans and his reference to some of David’s own words:

Rom 4:1-8

4 Now when a man works, his wages are not credited to him as a gift, but as an obligation. 5 However, to the man who does not work but trusts God who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness. 6 David says the same thing when he speaks of the blessedness of the man to whom God credits righteousness apart from works:

7 “Blessed are they whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered.
8 Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against him.”

Those two verses (Rom 4:7,8) are taken directly from Psa 32:1,2 which is a psalm of David and here is what follows in verses 3 – 5 of that Psalm.

Psa 32:3-5

“3 When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long.
4 For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. Selah
5 Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, “I will confess
    my transgressions to the Lord” - and you forgave the guilt of my sin.