David: The Man After God's Own Heart

Total Time: ~3 to 3.5 hours
Focus: Looking beyond the legend of the giant-slayer to see the complex, flawed, and beautiful reality of King David—a man defined not by his performance, but by his repentant heart and God’s unwavering covenant grace.

🧱 Session 1 — The Choice: A Matter of the Heart (60-75 mins)

Theme: God’s choice of David as king has nothing to do with external qualifications or performance, but everything to do with the internal posture of his heart.
📖 Reading

• 1 Samuel 16:1–13 — The prophet Samuel goes to the house of Jesse to anoint the next king of Israel, passing over all the impressive older sons to choose the youngest, a shepherd boy named David.

📖 Additional Passages for Context

• 1 Corinthians 1:27-29: “But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty… That no flesh should glory in his presence.”

📖 Key Passages

• 1 Samuel 16:7:  
  “But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.”
• 1 Samuel 16:13:  
  “Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward.”

🔍 Word Study Suggestions

📚 Historical & Cultural Context

• The Rejection of Saul: Israel’s first king, Saul, was chosen for his outward appearance—he was tall and handsome (1 Samuel 9:2). But his heart was disobedient. God’s choice of David is a direct reversal, showing that His criteria for leadership are completely different from the world’s.

🗣️ Discussion Questions

• Jesse didn’t even bother to call David in from the fields. Why do you think David was so overlooked by his own family?
• God’s standard is the heart, while man’s is the outward appearance. In what ways do we still make this mistake today, in the church and in our own lives?
• David was anointed king long before he ever sat on the throne. How does this picture of a “sealed” but not-yet-realized calling relate to our own identity in Christ?

🧱 Session 2 — The Fall: A Broken Heart and a Better Righteousness (75-90 mins)

Theme: At the height of his power, David commits a catastrophic series of sins, demonstrating his profound brokenness. Yet, it is his response of gut-wrenching, honest repentance that truly reveals why he is a man after God’s own heart.
📖 Reading

• 2 Samuel 11:1–27 — The story of David’s adultery with Bathsheba and the murder of her husband, Uriah.
• 2 Samuel 12:1–13 — The prophet Nathan confronts David with a parable, and David confesses his sin.
• Psalm 51 — David’s personal, poetic prayer of repentance, written after his confrontation with Nathan.

📖 Key Passages

• 2 Samuel 12:13:  
  “And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the LORD. And Nathan said unto David, The LORD also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die.”
• Psalm 51:10:  
  “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.”
• Psalm 51:17:  
  “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.”

🔍 Word Study Suggestions

📚 Theological Framework

• The WorkOS Failure: David’s sin is a perfect picture of the WorkOS in action—using power, deception, and performance to get what he wants. The result is death and condemnation.
• The GraceOS Response: David’s repentance is not about making excuses or promising to do better. He throws himself entirely on the unearned mercy (hesed) of God. He knows he can’t fix his own heart; he asks God to “create” a new one in him.

🗣️ Discussion Questions

• David, the “man after God’s own heart,” commits murder and adultery. How does this shatter the idea that our heroes of the faith were perfect performers?
• Read Psalm 51 carefully. What does David’s prayer teach us about the difference between true repentance and just being sorry you got caught?
• God forgives David, but there are still terrible consequences for his sin (the sword will never depart from his house). What does this teach us about the nature of grace and consequence?

🧱 Session 3 — The Legacy: A Covenant of Grace (60-75 mins)

Theme: Despite his colossal failures, God’s promise to David remains unbreakable. His legacy is not one of personal perfection, but of God’s unwavering covenant grace that would ultimately be fulfilled in his descendant, Jesus Christ.
📖 Reading

• 2 Samuel 7:8–16 — God establishes the Davidic Covenant, an unconditional promise to establish David’s house, kingdom, and throne forever.

📖 Additional Passages for Context

• Acts 13:22: “And when he had removed him, he raised up unto them David to be their king; to whom also he gave testimony, and said, I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfil all my will.”

📖 Key Passages

• 2 Samuel 7:12-13:  
  “And when thy days be fulfilled… I will set up thy seed after thee… and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever.”
• 2 Samuel 7:14-15:  
  “I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him… But my mercy shall not depart away from him, as I took it from Saul…”

🧠 Reflection & Application

• God’s covenant with David is unconditional. Notice God says “I will” over and over. How does this contrast with the conditional “if you will” of the Mosaic Covenant?
• In Acts, centuries later, God’s final assessment of David is still “a man after my own heart.” How does this prove that David’s identity was based on his heart’s posture toward God, not his performance record?
• The ultimate fulfillment of the Davidic Covenant is Jesus, the Son of David, who sits on an eternal throne. How is David’s entire life story—the choice, the fall, and the unwavering promise—a perfect “hologram” of the greater story of the Gospel?