What exactly does "a man after God's own heart" mean? ?

1 Sam 13:14

What does that mean?

A) Does it mean that king david was a man whose desires and wishes were close to God's own? (David was similar to God's heart)

B) Or does it mean God just liked the heart of David, for example because he was humble and not bigheaded and he relied on God?

Is that a language issue or a theology issue?


The Lord has sought for Himself a man after His own heart, and the Lord has commanded him to be commander over His people: Though God has rejected Saul, He has not rejected Israel. Because God loves Israel, he will raise up a king, a man after His own heart.

i. Saul was a man after Israel’s heart. He was all about image and prestige and the things men look at. But God will now give Israel a man after His own heart, and raise that man up to be king.

ii. It would be easy to say that the kingdom was taken from Saul because of his sin. And on one level, that was certainly the case. But it was more than that. After all, didn’t David sin also? Yet God never took the kingdom from David and his descendants. Because the issue was bigger than an incident of sin, the issue was being a man after God’s own heart.

iii. “As for David, though he was not without his failings, - and those foul ones too, some of them, - yet for the main, his heart was upright, not rotten, as Saul’s was.”
f. What then does it mean to be a man after His own heart? We can discover this by looking at the man who was not a man after His own heart and comparing him to the man who was a man after His own heart.

i. A man after God’s heart honors the Lord. Saul was more concerned with his will than God’s will. David was a man after God’s heart in the way that he knew God’s will was most important. Even when David didn’t do God’s will, he still knew God’s will was more important than his own was. All sin is a disregard of God, but David sinned more out of weakness and Saul more out of a disregard for God.

ii. A man after God’s heart enthrones God as king. For Saul, Saul was king. For David, the Lord God was king. Both David and Saul would have thought sacrifice important before the battle. But David thought it was important because it pleased and honored God. Saul thought it was important because it might help him win a battle. For Saul, God would help him achieve his goals. For David, God Himself was the goal.

iii. A man after God’s heart has a soft, repentant heart. When Saul was confronted with his sin, he offered excuses. When David was confronted with his sin, he simply said I have sinned against the Lord (2 Samuel 12:13).

iv. A man after God’s heart loves other people. Saul became increasingly bitter against people and lived more and more unto himself. David was a man after God’s own heart in the way that he loved people. When David was down and out, he still loved and served those who were even more down and out than himself (1 Samuel 22:1-2).

g. The Lord has sought for Himself a man after His own heart: God was looking for this kind of man, and God found this man in an unlikely place. In fact, at this time, he wasn’t a man at all! God is still looking for men and women after His own heart.

i. When we think of a man after His own heart, many of us think that this is a title reserved for a few “super-spiritual” folks. It isn’t for us. We want these kinds of people around us, but we never think we can be one of them. We aren’t spiritual enough. But look at David: a warrior who killed hundreds of men with his own hands, a fugitive, a traitor, a man who had seasons of backsliding, an adulterer, a murderer. Yet he could be called a man after His own heart. If David can have our sins, then we can have his heart. We can love God and pursue Him with the kind of focus and heart David had.
Source:http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080902045505AAvNLXR

To be a man after God's own heart is to be a zombie.. If God orders you to kill people because of a long standing grudge, you better do that. .No excuses

1 Sam 15
This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘I will punish the Amalekites for what they did to Israel when they waylaid them as they came up from Egypt. 3 Now go, attack the Amalekites and totally destroy all that belongs to them. Do not spare them; put to death men and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys.’”

David was the OT Boko Haram leader. Killing in God's name, taking for himself women from all lands.. and God saw that all he did was good.

Just love God above all things

musKeeto: To be a man after God's own heart is to be a zombie.. If God orders you to kill people because of a long standing grudge, you better do that. .No excuses

1 Sam 15
This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘I will punish the Amalekites for what they did to Israel when they waylaid them as they came up from Egypt. 3 Now go, attack the Amalekites and totally destroy all that belongs to them. Do not spare them; put to death men and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys.’”

David was the OT Boko Haram leader. Killing in God's name, taking for himself women from all lands.. and God saw that all he did was good.

flee 4rm me ye worker of iniquity

man wey fit cook good burnt offering..

To be a "man after God's heart" is to be a person whose heart pants for the will of God, someone who places God above every other things,to be someone who God is the motive behind everything he's doing and to be totally seperated for God.


This, however, does not mean a "man after God's heart" is sin-free, as man is a carnal being but a "man after God's heart" will always reconcile with God and will always strive to live a sin-free life

Hmm...

Simple it means OBEYING GOD

allowing God to order you steps,irrespective of whatever your decision,or outcome maybe.

It simply means that the christian god loves some pple more than others for no reason.For he said Jacob I loved but Esau I hated...why? Esua was hard working while Jacob was always at home scheming to steal Esau's birth right..

Poster no make me vex I dey hungry die

Ask the holy spirit, he will tell u.

Babiloko: flee 4rm me ye worker of iniquity

Pls address the point he has raised instead of insulting him.

eDon_tey: To be a "man after God's heart" is to be a person whose heart pants for the will of God, someone who places God above every other things,to be someone who God is the motive behind everything he's doing and to be totally seperated for God.


This, however, does not mean a "man after God's heart" is sin-free, as man is a carnal being but a "man after God's heart" will always reconcile with God and will always strive to live a sin-free life

David never strived to live a sin-free life. He was worst than any of todays most wanted terrorists.

nice

God just loved him so much that's all!

musKeeto: To be a man after God's own heart is to be a zombie.. If God orders you to kill people because of a long standing grudge, you better do that. .No excuses

1 Sam 15
This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘I will punish the Amalekites for what they did to Israel when they waylaid them as they came up from Egypt. 3 Now go, attack the Amalekites and totally destroy all that belongs to them. Do not spare them; put to death men and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys.’”

David was the OT Boko Haram leader. Killing in God's name, taking for himself women from all lands.. and God saw that all he did was good.

God wil forgive u.

Otipoju i swear you really fall my hand i send you pm all this while tell you say i get importand discussion with you, you no gree reply .....i'm pained ....

Why're we so inundated everyday with this bible craps. No country has ever progressed with prayers and thieving pastors, instead religion breeds semi educated ignorant fools. We have crooks that claim to be religious everywhere, which is a characteric of a backward country. Why can't we boast of inventors and intellectuals like other societies. Religion, especially christianity breeds corruption, thats why our mega pastors are from a certain part of this country where dishonesty and back-stabbing is part of the DNA make up.

shynar24: God wil forgive u.

For what? Highlighting the evil that is clearly narrated with so much relish in the 'Holy Book'?

musKeeto: To be a man after God's own heart is to be a zombie.. If God orders you to kill people because of a long standing grudge, you better do that. .No excuses

1 Sam 15
This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘I will punish the Amalekites for what they did to Israel when they waylaid them as they came up from Egypt. 3 Now go, attack the Amalekites and totally destroy all that belongs to them. Do not spare them; put to death men and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys.’”

David was the OT Boko Haram leader. Killing in God's name, taking for himself women from all lands.. and God saw that all he did was good.

when u obey the laws of Christ with the help of the holy spirit.

God gave Israel Saul as king to satisfy their hearts. David was gaven as a king to satisfy the desires of His (God's) own heart. This is what a man afta God's heart means in a null shell

2 b a man after God's own heart dwells on 4 basic things
1. Always thanking and reminding him of what he did in d past and has bin doing for you presently just as david did repeatedly
2. Holding unto his word and boasting in his name when faced wit situations dat mankind wud eida term impossible or utter madness lyk david did wen he faced nna'm uku goliath
3. Being obedient to his instruction even if it doesnt make sense to u at d tym as in d end his words wud always hold true..
4. finally not just knowing but as well admiting whole heartedly when u are wrong and immediately asking for forgiveness both from God and from mankind and striving not to commit them again lyk david exhibited tym and tym again..
wit all diz traits ul definitely be a man after God's own heart too..

Hmmmm, man after God's heart,e be like say e mean say if u fit kill person husband, com bang and customize him wife...for better understanding,make una go ask David...

It is a man God has chosen from His own heart so that that man will, through worship ability given by the Holy Spirit, pursue (go After) God's own heart (what is the heart of God) with a view to doing them and pleasing God thereby.

In other words, he will be a man:
1. joined with God through worship ( by the ability of the Holy Spirit)
2. Chosen by God Himself
3. That, by the power of the Holy Spirit, pursues the heart and the things in the heart of God
4. that once know what is in the heart of God, do them to please God.

May I say that every mam/woman that is in Christ Jesus qualifies for the above.
God bless you all

.just watching.

musKeeto: To be a man after God's own heart is to be a zombie.. If God orders you to kill people because of a long standing grudge, you better do that. .No excuses

1 Sam 15
This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘I will punish the Amalekites for what they did to Israel when they waylaid them as they came up from Egypt. 3 Now go, attack the Amalekites and totally destroy all that belongs to them. Do not spare them; put to death men and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys.’”

David was the OT Boko Haram leader. Killing in God's name, taking for himself women from all lands.. and God saw that all he did was good.

Faith blinds us to a lot of inconsistencies. From human reasoning, there's no logical connection between this command to kill the Amalekites in such manner and a loving and merciful God giving the command. How can we reconcile this?

To b A man After God's own heart means a man that knows God's heart,he doweth what pleases God,praising and giving tnx 2God cos praise and worship is what always move God from his throne..And he asked God for 4gvnes whenever he sinned.

shol: Otipoju i swear you really fall my hand i send you pm all this while tell you say i get importand discussion with you, you no gree reply .....i'm pained ....

No vex, send me mail on: iamnapoleon101@gmail.com

36STATES: Why're we so inundated everyday with this bible craps. No country has ever progressed with prayers and thieving pastors, instead religion breeds semi educated ignorant fools. We have crooks that claim to be religious everywhere, which is a characteric of a backward country. Why can't we boast of inventors and intellectuals like other societies. Religion, especially christianity breeds corruption, thats why our mega pastors are from a certain part of this country where dishonesty and back-stabbing is part of the DNA make up.

With all due respect I think you got it wrong here, a number of countries actually progressed guided by the light of Christian values such as: dilligence,hardwork,respect for authorities, thirst for knowledge, sobriety,modesty,temperance,tolerance,charity,marital fidelity etc.

Go read the history of Quakers in USA,the effects of the reformation of Martin Luther on German society, the influence ofJohn Calvin's "Instituites" on Switzerland and of the Lutheran movement in Sweden.

Even here in Nigeria the early missionaries brought the same values and did a lot to educate our fathers free of charge by establishing schools and providing health care for the ailing for free in hospitals.Do we not remember Mary Slessor's teaching of value for human life that led to the stopping of killing of twins in Calabar?

But I must admit the brand of Religion being practiced here in Nigeria now is saddening- how can one reconcile the proliferation of churches in every nook and cranny with the abysymal state of corruption in this country.

Very few Nigerian pastors will tell you about values, why should they scare you away from church and lose a source of income.They prefer to motivate you to aquire wealth by any means necessary and bring your tithes and first fruits to them.

The bible is not the cause of retrogression in Nigeria , its the lack of teaching of its sound ethical and character moulding values that is.

Just go into the bible in the books of Samuel,the kings,and psalms to understand why king David is the man after God's heart...Because it is just beyond Human comprehension.King David is just the most capable man to get that title from God.