This is the concluding part of the thread titled "10 Characteristics Of A Man After God's Heart".

I wasn't able to complete them on that thread before it got to front page, hence the need for this one.

To get the first part, please go to this link:

https://www.nairaland.com/6182609/10-characteristics-man-after-gods#94952567

The ten characteristics were drawn from David's life, but I did seven then so these are the remaining three:

8. He was a defender of the poor, helpless, oppressed, and stood-up for their rights.

9. He was God-led. He always enquired of the Lord and relied on Him for direction.

10. He was very passionate and proud of his God. He defended God's interest to the very last even if it meant putting his life on the line.

I would expound on each one with subsequent posts.

God bless.

8. He was a defender of the poor, helpless, oppressed. He stood-up for their rights.

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Ezekiel 22:7 (KJV)

In thee have they set light by father and mother: in the midst of thee have they dealt by oppression with the stranger: in thee have they vexed the fatherless and the widow.

Ezekiel 22:29-31

The people of the land have used oppression, and exercised robbery, and have vexed the poor and needy: yea, they have oppressed the stranger wrongfully.
And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none.
Therefore have I poured out mine indignation upon them; I have consumed them with the fire of my wrath: their own way have I recompensed upon their heads, saith the Lord GOD.

The above passages of the Bible were given to illustrate the extent to which God detests the oppression of the poor and helpless and consequently those who perpetrate such.

Hence any man who doesn't contribute to their suffering but instead helps alleviate it, and also defends their rights and justice is a delight to God. So that's one of the qualities God seeks in a man, but on this occasion God didn't find the kind of man He sought as He said "I found none".

But there was a time God found such a man, who knew how much it meant to God, and that man was David.

Psalms 41:1 (KJV)

Blessed is he that considereth the poor: the LORD will deliver him in time of trouble.

Psalms 82:3-4 (KJV)

Defend the poor and fatherless: do justice to the afflicted and needy.
Deliver the poor and needy: rid them out of the hand of the wicked.

So in David God found a defender of the poor and oppressed, who was going to stand in the gap before Him for the land. And this was illustrated when there was said to be a famine in the land of Israel for three good years during the reign of David.

2 Samuel 21:1 (KJV)

Then there was a famine in the days of David three years, year after year; and David enquired of the LORD. And the LORD answered, It is for Saul, and for his bloody house, because he slew the Gibeonites.

Now after David had enquired of the Lord, the Lord said the famine was because of the atrocity Saul committed against the poor and helpless Gibeonites.

So despite that the famine took place during the reign of David, the injustice that caused it didn't take place during his reign but that of King Saul who had perpetrated that injustice on the Gibeonites. But God had caused the famine to take place in the days of David because in David he'd found a man who would stand in the gap for the poor and oppressed to bring justice to them. And that was exactly what David did.

2 Samuel 21:3-9 (KJV)

Wherefore David said unto the Gibeonites, What shall I do for you? and wherewith shall I make the atonement, that ye may bless the inheritance of the LORD?
And the Gibeonites said unto him, We will have no silver nor gold of Saul, nor of his house; neither for us shalt thou kill any man in Israel. And he said, What ye shall say, that will I do for you.
And they answered the king, The man that consumed us, and that devised against us that we should be destroyed from remaining in any of the coasts of Israel,
Let seven men of his sons be delivered unto us, and we will hang them up unto the LORD in Gibeah of Saul, whom the LORD did choose. And the king said, I will give them.
But the king spared Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan the son of Saul, because of the LORD'S oath that was between them, between David and Jonathan the son of Saul.
But the king took the two sons of Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, whom she bare unto Saul, Armoni and Mephibosheth; and the five sons of Michal the daughter of Saul, whom she brought up for Adriel the son of Barzillai the Meholathite:
And he delivered them into the hands of the Gibeonites, and they hanged them in the hill before the LORD: and they fell all seven together, and were put to death in the days of harvest, in the first days, in the beginning of barley harvest.

And after David had brought justice to the poor Gibeonites who had suffered great injustice in the hands of King Saul, the famine in the land ceased.

"And after that God was intreated for the land." 2 Samuel 21:14

That illustrated the extent to which God frowns at the oppression of the poor, needy, and helpless, as that was one of the reasons He rejected King Saul.

It also showed the length God would go to ensure they get justice and why He chose a man like David to be King of His people in Saul's stead. It was because in him God had a found the kind of man He sought who would help and bring justice to the poor, helpless, and oppressed.

God bless.

9. He was God-led. He always enquired of the Lord and relied on Him for direction.

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There's nothing that pleases God more than when humans who He created in His own image seek His guidance and counsel in their affairs. That's another aspect of David's life that pleased God, as he was said on several occasions in the Bible to have "enquired of the Lord".

1 Samuel 22:10
And he enquired of the LORD for him, and gave him victuals, and gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine.

1 Samuel 23:2
Therefore David enquired of the LORD, saying, Shall I go and smite these Philistines? And the LORD said unto David, Go, and smite the Philistines, and save Keilah.

1 Samuel 23:4
Then David enquired of the LORD yet again. And the LORD answered him and said, Arise, go down to Keilah; for I will deliver the Philistines into thine hand.

1 Samuel 30:8
And David enquired at the LORD, saying, Shall I pursue after this troop? shall I overtake them? And he answered him, Pursue: for thou shalt surely overtake them, and without fail recover all.

2 Samuel 2:1
And it came to pass after this, that David enquired of the LORD, saying, Shall I go up into any of the cities of Judah? And the LORD said unto him, Go up. And David said, Whither shall I go up? And he said, Unto Hebron.

2 Samuel 5:19
And David enquired of the LORD, saying, Shall I go up to the Philistines? wilt thou deliver them into mine hand? And the LORD said unto David, Go up: for I will doubtless deliver the Philistines into thine hand.

2 Samuel 5:23
And when David enquired of the LORD, he said, Thou shalt not go up; but fetch a compass behind them, and come upon them over against the mulberry trees.

2 Samuel 21:1
Then there was a famine in the days of David three years, year after year; and David enquired of the LORD. And the LORD answered, It is for Saul, and for his bloody house, because he slew the Gibeonites.

And the reason David enquired of the Lord so much was because he trusted in the Lord, and knew that if he was led by God and did whatever God instructs him to do, that it would make his way successful.

Psalms 18:30
As for God, his way is perfect: the word of the LORD is tried: he is a buckler to all those that trust in him.

Psalms 37:5 (KJV)
Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.

So that's the secret behind his incredible achievements and numerous victories he recorded over his enemies, as on this occasion when the Lord went before him:

2 Samuel 5:23-25 (KJV)

And when David enquired of the LORD, he said, Thou shalt not go up; but fetch a compass behind them, and come upon them over against the mulberry trees.
And let it be, when thou hearest the sound of a going in the tops of the mulberry trees, that then thou shalt bestir thyself: for then shall the LORD go out before thee, to smite the host of the Philistines.
And David did so, as the LORD had commanded him; and smote the Philistines from Geba until thou come to Gazer.

Therefore the Lord went before David and gave him victory over his enemies because David relied on Him for guidance, and that God's earnest desire for every man. So apart from the victories that David had over his enemies as a result, that also helped him win over God's heart.

God bless.

10. He was very passionate and proud of his God. He defended God's interest to the very last even if it meant putting his life on the line.

---

1 Samuel 17:4-11 (KJV)

And there went out a champion out of the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span.
And he had an helmet of brass upon his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail; and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of brass.
And he had greaves of brass upon his legs, and a target of brass between his shoulders.
And the staff of his spear was like a weaver's beam; and his spear's head weighed six hundred shekels of iron: and one bearing a shield went before him.
And he stood and cried unto the armies of Israel, and said unto them, Why are ye come out to set your battle in array? am not I a Philistine, and ye servants to Saul? choose you a man for you, and let him come down to me.
If he be able to fight with me, and to kill me, then will we be your servants: but if I prevail against him, and kill him, then shall ye be our servants, and serve us.
And the Philistine said, I defy the armies of Israel this day; give me a man, that we may fight together.
When Saul and all Israel heard those words of the Philistine, they were dismayed, and greatly afraid.

Now it was those very same words of the same Philistine called Goliath, which brought so much fear and dismay to King Saul and all the hosts of Israel that appeared to inspire so much courage and confidence in David, as it was said:

1 Samuel 17:22-24 (KJV)

And David left his carriage in the hand of the keeper of the carriage, and ran into the army, and came and saluted his brethren.
And as he talked with them, behold, there came up the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, out of the armies of the Philistines, and spake according to the same words: and David heard them.
And all the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him, and were sore afraid.

1 Samuel 17:26 (KJV)

And David spake to the men that stood by him, saying, What shall be done to the man that killeth this Philistine, and taketh away the reproach from Israel? for who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?

So while all the men of Israel were fleeing for their dear lives from Goliath whenever he spoke those words, which went on for about forty days, those same words appeared to provoke David to advance towards the giant he called "uncircumcised Philistine" because he had the audacity to defy "the armies of the living God".

Therefore what made David to react differently from his fellow Israelites to Goliath's threat could be drawn from that passage. It was how passionate he was for the things of God, for that was what he had which others lacked. So while everyone else saw a scary giant, David saw a man who defied God's armies, and hence was determined to put a stop to that.

1 Samuel 17:31-32 (KJV)

And when the words were heard which David spake, they rehearsed them before Saul: and he sent for him.
And David said to Saul, Let no man's heart fail because of him; thy servant will go and fight with this Philistine.

However the courageous decision of David to go up against the Philistine who defied the people of Israel because of his passion for God, appeared insane and foolish to many including the giant himself that he wanted to fight called Goliath.

1 Samuel 17:42-44 (KJV)

And when the Philistine looked about, and saw David, he disdained him: for he was but a youth, and ruddy, and of a fair countenance.
And the Philistine said unto David, Am I a dog, that thou comest to me with staves? And the Philistine cursed David by his gods.

But David let him know that the source of his confidence wasn't of this world but of the most High God.

"Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied.
This day will the LORD deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcases of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel.
And all this assembly shall know that the LORD saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the LORD'S, and he will give you into our hands." 1 Samuel 17:45-47

And the rest as they say, "is history" as that turned out be the greatest giant-killing feat in history, and also one of the most inspiring truelife stories of courage ever told. And it was inspired by David passion for God.

1 Samuel 17:48-51 (KJV)

And it came to pass, when the Philistine arose, and came and drew nigh to meet David, that David hasted, and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine.
And David put his hand in his bag, and took thence a stone, and slang it, and smote the Philistine in his forehead, that the stone sunk into his forehead; and he fell upon his face to the earth.
So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and smote the Philistine, and slew him; but there was no sword in the hand of David.
Therefore David ran, and stood upon the Philistine, and took his sword, and drew it out of the sheath thereof, and slew him, and cut off his head therewith. And when the Philistines saw their champion was dead, they fled.

Although at the time David achieved this memorable courageous feat, no other person in Israel could dare attempt such, this remarkable feat by David seemed to serve as inspiration to other Israelites, as it paved the way for the emergence of a courageous group of men called the mighty men of David, among whom were men who also achieved similar courageous feats including slaying of giants.

2 Samuel 21:16-22 (KJV)

And Ishbi-benob, which was of the sons of the giant, the weight of whose spear weighed three hundred shekels of brass in weight, he being girded with a new sword, thought to have slain David.
But Abishai the son of Zeruiah succoured him, and smote the Philistine, and killed him. Then the men of David sware unto him, saying, Thou shalt go no more out with us to battle, that thou quench not the light of Israel.
And it came to pass after this, that there was again a battle with the Philistines at Gob: then Sibbechai the Hushathite slew Saph, which was of the sons of the giant.
And there was again a battle in Gob with the Philistines, where Elhanan the son of Jaare-oregim, a Beth-lehemite, slew the brother of Goliath the Gittite, the staff of whose spear was like a weaver's beam.
And there was yet a battle in Gath, where was a man of great stature, that had on every hand six fingers, and on every foot six toes, four and twenty in number; and he also was born to the giant.
And when he defied Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimea the brother of David slew him.
These four were born to the giant in Gath, and fell by the hand of David, and by the hand of his servants.

When Jesus spoke to His disciples in the book if Luke about many prophets and kings desiring to see what they saw and hear what they heard, i believe one of those prophets and kings Jesus talked about was King David, because if David had received that knowledge of the kingdom of God, instead of achieving giant killing feats as that of Goliath for defying the armies of God, he would be using his passion for God to be killing and destroying the works of the "strong man" called the devil.

He wouldn't be afraid of putting his life on the line for sake of the gospel of Christ, but he'd be passionately preaching it to all and sundry, casting out devils, healing the sick, raising the dead, as the disciples of Christ had done because his passion for God which inspired his giant killing feat of Goliath would now be transformed into a desire to bring as many souls as he possibly could from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of God.

This is the last of 10 characteristics that made David to be a man after God's heart.

God bless.

Cc. Femieddy

Anyone who has never changed his core beliefs or religion is yet to die to his old self. Dying to old self is prerequisite to a new birth. A seed has to be buried to the ground before it can germinate. Many atheist and agnostic are dead to their old self. They are one step ahead than most of us who are yet to question our belief. The second step is observation. Not one created by someone else but one based on his own seeking and experience. A born again person does not take things because it is repeated by many or asserted by majority or written in a holy book. He listens to all side and filters them based on his reason and experience.


Born again persons are original in thoughts and deed. He is saperated from the mass . To be born again comes with a price of violating recognises order. This lead to grave consequences including death .