King Saul had been flagrantly disobedient, and God had rejected him as king. God tells Saul in 1 Sam. 13: 14 But now your kingdom must end, for the Lord has sought out a man after his own heart. The Lord has already appointed him to be the leader of his people, because you have not kept the Lord’s command.
God told the prophet Samuel to go anoint a son of Jesse of Bethlehem. Jesse called his sons together for Samuel. 1 Sam. 16: 6 When Jesse and his sons arrived, Samuel noticed Jesse’s oldest son, Eliab. “He has to be the one the Lord has chosen,” Samuel said to himself. 7 But the Lord told him, “Samuel, don’t think Eliab is the one just because he’s tall and handsome. He isn’t the one I’ve chosen. People judge others by what they look like, but I judge people by what is in their hearts.”[1]
Samuel will go onto anoint David, Jesse’s youngest son, who is the man after God’s own heart. Usually, we don’t know what a Bible character is thinking in the story. The narrative of 1 Samuel tells us little of David. But we have the songs, or Psalms, that David wrote. The past few days we have considered both Psalm 8 and 19. Scholars surmise that David probably wrote these in his younger years as a shepherd. These Psalms reveal to us the condition of David’s heart toward God.
God has plans for David. He can use him because David is willing to be obedient, unlike King Saul. God used the early days of David to prepare him for what was ahead. Basically, today set the stage for tomorrow. God still does that with us today. But what happens if today isn’t good? What if you don’t want tomorrow to be like today? God is waiting for you to turn back to Him. He can change things so that a new today can set the stage for a wonderful tomorrow.
Jesus paid the price for all the wrongs we have done on the cross. When we ask forgiveness and are willing to change and trust Jesus, the Holy Spirit comes and begins to restore us. Now this restoration isn’t complete until Jesus comes again, but we can be assured of spending eternity with Him.
To hear more about David and his heart for God, listen here: https://podpoint.com/light-of-christ-church-podcast/series/david-and-his-songs-the-early-years/today-sets-the-stage-for-tomorrow
[1] Contemporary English Version (CEV) Copyright © 1995 by American Bible Society