Homilist 1 Samuel 13:13-14 And Samuel said to Saul, You have done foolishly: you have not kept the commandment of the LORD your God, which he commanded you… Was the character of David after God's own heart? Conventional pietists will to a man say, Yes. The most thoughtful, independent, and critical students of God's Book will to a man say, No. We say, No, for the following reasons: — I. Because the affirmative is a REFLECTION OF GOD'S HOLINESS. Sin is the "abominable thing" which the Almighty hates, hates everywhere, and in every form David had his virtues, as most bad men have; but few men in history were guilty of more heinous crimes. He was guilty of falsehood, cruelties, adulteries, murders His whole nature at times seemed flooded and fired with the spirit of revenge. It is blasphemy to assert that such a character was after the heart of infinite purity We say, No. II. Because the affirmative is UNSUSTAINED BY THE WORD OF GOD. The text which is the passage quoted in its favour does not mean it. The expression, "after His own heart," does not mean after His own approval, but after His own counsel. "He worketh all things after the counsel of His own will." Indeed, when these words were uttered David was not born. The Almighty used David as He used Cyrus, Alexander, Caesar, etc., after His own "heart," that is, after the counsel of His own will. We say, No. III. Because the affirmative is FRAUGHT WITH MISCHIEF. The thoughtful worldling says, "All right; if God approves of a man whose history is so full of meanness, revenge deception, ungovernable lust, and bloodshed, we cannot be far wrong." (Homilist.) Parallel Verses KJV: And Samuel said to Saul, Thou hast done foolishly: thou hast not kept the commandment of the LORD thy God, which he commanded thee: for now would the LORD have established thy kingdom upon Israel for ever. |
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