Humble Yourself!

I’m quite certain that every Christian who is familiar with the key men of God in the Bible knows that David is the only person who was described as “a man after God’s heart.”  We all know too well the story of David, how God called and anointed Him to be King when he was just a shepherd boy, and of course how he slew the Philistine giant Goliath with a mere pebble to the amazement of all. The book of Psalms written primarily by David, is one of the most widely read scriptures in the Bible.

For quite a number of months now, I’ve been pondering about this honorable man of God and have been trying to understand why He was so loved by God, so much that our Saviour Jesus Christ has His earthly heritage in the lineage of David. This is confirmed in the book of 2Samuel 7, where God makes a covenant with David, promising to establish his kingdom forever. David was not a perfect man, just like none of us (even those that are God’s righteous) are. He had his weaknesses, and he committed two notable sinful acts….adultery and murder.  But God’s love was continually upon this man after God’s heart all the days of his life. My thoughts on this issue compelled me to spend ample time reading about the life and times of David.  Its been months since I started, but it was today, as I read through 1Samuel 7 that it finally dawned on me one of the reasons why David touched the heart of God so much. He possessed a character trait that God expects from everyone who professes to love Him: humility.

David was a genuinely humble man. He always saw himself as nothing, as much as he was revered and loved by all of Israel.  For instance, Saul had spent years wanting to kill him but when David had the chance to retaliate, he spared Saul’s life. Because he still saw himself as a servant in Saul’s kingdom (since Saul was still King), he didn’t deem it right to avenge his master. In fact, I don’t think in his heart, David ever thought of Saul as an enemy. This act also portrayed that David had a forgiving heart…and true forgiveness requires humility. David even openly mourned when Saul died, proving that his loyalty to Saul was genuine.

As successful as David was as King of Israel, as many victories God gave him, as many cities as he conquered, he never let pride enter his heart. This is in complete contrast to Saul whose pride was ultimately his undoing. David’s humility also showed when he praised God and danced until his clothes fell off as the Ark of the Covenant  was being taken back to Jerusalem (2Samuel 6). David’s wife Michal even despised him for this, because she felt it was a show of shame for a king to behave that way in public. David’s response to her was, “it was the Lord who chose me…to appoint me ruler over the people of the Lord, over Israel. Therefore I will play music before the Lord, and I will be even more undignified than this and will be humble in my own sight” 2Samuel 6:21-22. David didn’t allow his position as King, affect how He expressed his praise and worship to God. Even when he sinned against God and was confronted by the prophet Nathan, he admitted his sin to Nathan, and God forgave him (see 2Samuel 12:1-15). I bet David must have felt ashamed when Nathan came to him; however, he did the right thing by confessing.

David may not have been a perfect man, but he sure had a perfect heart. His humility stands out for me because the word of God states that, if you humble yourself before God, He will lift you up (James 4:10). This explains why the glory of God was evident in his life. The scriptures also state that God detests the proud, but He gives more grace to the humble (Proverbs 3:34, James 4:6). And we can clearly see the grace of God at work, even in that God forgave David for all his sins. It is evident by the words David used in writing the Psalms, that he never attributed his success and fame to his own effort, but rather to God’s favour, grace and love.

Pride is completely antagonistic to the nature of God and having examined closely the life of David, it is now my prayer and desire that pride remain as far away from my heart as possible. I know that if I can get my heart in the right place by God’s grace, then my actions will be right as well. May God help us all be men and women after His own heart.