Finding Jesus in a Man After God’s Own Heart (2 Samuel)

Key Verse: 2 Samuel 7:12-14a – “I will raise up your descendent (David’s) after you, who will come forth from you, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be a father to him and he will be a son to Me…”

Explanation: This verse is prophetic in two ways—both in the near term and in the long term. As with many messianic prophecies, the verse points to a near fulfillment in the lineage of David. Solomon would be the one to come forth from David, establishing an expanded kingdom, and building a house for the Lord. His throne, which would be the immediate extension of David’s throne or rule, would be established forever before the Lord. And, the Lord would be a father to Solomon and treat him as a favored son.

The rest of verse 14 that continues into verse 15 also applies specifically to Solomon: “…when he commits iniquity, I will correct him with the rod of men and the strokes of the sons of men, but My lovingkindness shall not depart from him…”

But, there is a greater Son of David who would come much later in his lineage. Jesus was the promised One who would fulfill the title of a Man after God’s own heart. He also came from David, established a greatly expanded kingdom, and built a (spiritual) house for the Lord. The Lord has promised that He will sit on the throne of His father, David, and that His rule will be established forever.

The only portion of the verse that does not apply to Jesus Christ is the anticipation that He would commit iniquity. But, even within this portion of the text, there is an expectation that He would suffer from the rod of men and by the strokes of the sons of men, but that God’s lovingkindness would not depart from Him.

This is a clear example of how the text of the Old Testament should come alive for disciples of Jesus Christ. Instead of merely pointing to the immediate son of David, this messianic passage points to an ultimate fulfillment in the great Son of David—the One who has come and is coming again.

Other Important Verses:

2 Samuel 7:21-22 – “For the sake of Your word, and according to Your own heart, You hast done all this greatness to let Your servant know. For this reason You are great, O Lord GOD; for there is none like You, and there is no God besides You…”

Explanation: David’s heart commitment to the living God is demonstrated in his response to Nathan’s prophecy (described above). Reflecting on his close relationship with God, 7:18 says, “Then David the king went in and sat before the LORD, and he said, ‘Who am I, O Lord GOD, and what is my house, that You have brought me this far?'”

The humility and awe in David’s question are obvious. That flows directly into the praise he lifts up in verses 21-22 and throughout this entire passage. The man after God’s own heart pours back praise and worship even when told that he and his house would be honored before the Lord. He recognizes the Lord’s gracious love poured out upon Israel in verses 23-24.

If we are His, our hearts will yearn to be with God. We will long to commune with Him here and now in prayer and through the study of His Word and in quiet time before the Holy Spirit; and in the fullness of time face-to-face when Jesus comes for us. Certainly, “For the sake of His word, and according to His own heart, He has done all this greatness to let His servants know…”

2 Samuel 22:47 – “The Lord lives, and blessed be my Rock; and exalted be God, the rock of my salvation.”

Explanation: The psalm-writing shepherd-king was not only a man after God’s own heart, he lived proclaiming the greatness of God.

That is not to say that David was sinless. We’ve clearly established that David committed a grievous sin. But, as General Boykin discerned, David loved God all the more because he understood the depth of his own sin and the amazing grace that had been extended to him. He overflowed with gratitude and praise to God.

Here is another messianic foreshadow: David understood that God was his immoveable Rock—the steadfast Presence who never wavers or wanders. And, he anticipated God’s singular role in providing his salvation. David—the man after God’s own heart—was in desperate need of salvation. He needed a savior. While he would turn to God with a broken and contrite heart (see Psalm 51), he also knew that “the salvation of Israel would come out of Zion” (Psalm 14:7).

We can look back and understand what David looked forward to and anticipated: the Rock of our Salvation has come out of Zion. According to His lovingkindness and the greatness of His compassion (Psalm 51:1), He offers to cleanse us from our sin, blot out our iniquities, and deliver us from our blood-guiltiness. Jesus is our Rock, the God of our salvation.

Part 1- Interview with Lt. General Jerry Boykin

Tim Moore: Our guest today is Lt. General Jerry Boykin. General Boykin served in the United States Army for 36 years, including 13 years in the mysterious Delta Force. He was instrumental in numerous operations, including the 1980 Iranian hostage rescue mission and the Black Hawk Down incident in Mogadishu, Somalia. For five years he was the Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence. Today he serves as the Executive Vice President at the Family Research Council. General Boykin, thank you for joining us today!

Gen. Boykin: Well, thank you very much. It is my privilege and honor to be with you.

Tim Moore: General, I also served in the military for 34 years, but only rose to O-6 or “bird Colonel” rank. And I told my constituents when I served as a Kentucky State Representative near Fort Knox, I was in the Air Force, what Andy Griffith once described as the “helpers.”

Gen. Boykin: Well, I think most of us in the Army believe that all the other services are here to help us.

Tim Moore: Yeah, well, General Boykin you’ve obviously had many titles. What should we call you?

Gen. Boykin: Yeah, when my wife starts calling me General again, you can call me General, otherwise my name is Jerry.

Tim Moore: Alright.

Nathan Jones: General Boykin, you’ve seen men at their best and their worst and on the battlefield from that perspective, describe the young man God led Samuel to anoint to replace Saul.

Gen. Boykin: Yeah, you know this was an obscure young man, because remember when they were questioning his father about his sons, looking for someone to go up against Goliath they finally reached the point where they said, “Do you have no more sons?” And he said basically, “Well, there is the one out in the field with the sheep, but he is a young man.” And he was a rutty complexion, almost boy but He was God’s chosen at that moment, and he arose to the occasion. He had a lot of courage, and he had demonstrated that when he killed the lion and the bear.

Tim Moore: General, one of the principles of the American military is the chain of command and unity of command. In other words, there should always be an ultimate decision-maker who takes responsibility. Is that why the Hebrews were so eager to have a king?

Gen. Boykin: Yeah, I think so, and I think God made it very clear, look I’ll give you a king, but you are not going to like it. And that’s something, that is the mistake we make frequently in our own personal lives. But I think the children of Israel looked around at their adversaries and they all had kings. And I think that in a bizarre kind of way that they wanted to feel that they were equal to their adversaries, the people who surrounded them. And at that time when they finally got a king, they had done pretty doggone well with a judge, with people appointed and anointed by God. But they asked for a king, and He gave them what they asked for. And it turned out to be just what God told them, you’re not going to like it.

Nathan Jones: There are several incidents where David stands out as a type of Christ. In other words, while he was a pale reflection of the Messiah, he demonstrated a trait or action that foreshadowed the Anointed One to come. And when David stepped forward to accept Goliath’s challenge, he became Israel’s unlikely but blessed champion. Against what seemed to be overwhelming odds, he defeated the pagan antagonist and motivated the army of Israel to rout the Philistines. The boy who fought off the lions and bears with his bare hands was fearless against the giant. Where does such courage spring from?

Gen. Boykin: Well, just think about what David said when he stood there before Goliath. He said, “You come to me with a sword and a spear and a javelin, but I come against you in the name of the living God.” Well, where does that kind of courage come from? It comes from a faith in a power higher than you, or higher than anything that man can accomplish. And he had that faith. He loved the Lord. And that was probably the most unique thing about him in terms of the kings that ultimately commanded or ruled over Israel, he was a man that loved God with all his heart. Which is one of the reasons, the primary reason, he’s called a man after God’s own heart.

Tim Moore: Jerry, even after he was anointed by Samuel to the be the future king, David exhibited extraordinary patience. How could this great leader wait while Israel was led by a man who was losing his faculties and making tragic choices on behalf of the nation?

Gen. Boykin: Yeah, a great question. And keep in mind that David he was filled with the Spirit of God. David loved God, he didn’t know it, but He loved Jesus as well because Jesus would come from His blood line. But he also knew that Saul was appointed by God. And the Bible tells us “harm not my anointed.” Now, this was, even though he was not a good king he was the king that God had given them. And He gave David no instructions to harm Saul in any way. And when he had the chance to do that, instead of harming him, while he was fleeing from Saul he actually in a cave cut off a piece of his tunic, or his robe just to let him know that he could have killed him at that particular time. So, he was being patient and honoring God’s choice as a leader at that time, for that moment, knowing that his day would come.

And I suspect he was using that time to prepare himself, in terms of thinking through what had to be done to bring the Israelites together, to make their lives better, to make them one in honoring God. So, he was a man that honored God by not harming the person that God had anointed and appointed for such a time as this.

Tim Moore: David was also surrounded by mighty men, men he could count on in a moments of crisis. Ironically, the faithfulness of David’s mighty men actually contrasts with the fickleness of Jesus’ followers in His moment of crisis, but points to their attainment of mighty man status through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Gen. Boykin: Yeah, just keep in mind, we call these David’s mighty men, but I would call them something else, I would call them battle buddies. These were battle buddies. You and I have a military background and we understand, you would call it a wing man, but in the ground forces we call them their battle buddy. And these are men who are so bonded together by sharing dangers, by sharing the task that they have to do, that they are willing to stand and risk their lives for each other. And they are even willing to die for each other. And that’s a phrase that is used a lot, but I can tell you that I have put men in for the Medals of Honor and stood in the White House as their families received those Medals of Honor for having the courage to sacrifice their lives for a battle buddy. These were battle buddies. These were men that were bound together by a transcendent cause, and that transcendent cause was the mission that they had. And in their case it was to defeat the enemies of Israel at some point.

Tim Moore: Well, Jerry even as you say that, obviously, our ultimate battle buddy is none other than Jesus Christ who laid down His life for His friends. He sacrificed Himself for all who would put their faith in Him. So, we have no better ally, no better buddy than Jesus Christ.

Gen. Boykin: Absolutely, and we need to understand that still today as men, especially, we need battle buddies. We need battle buddies. We need battle buddies who are going to be there when we need them. We need battle buddies that will not compromise us. We need battle buddies that we can tell them when we are struggling. We can tell them when we need prayer. We can tell them when we are going through a difficult situation, and they won’t compromise us. But they’ll go to the Lord on our behalf. They will intercede for us. And that’s the battle buddies that we need today. And every man needs that, but very few men actually have it.

Tim Moore: Jerry, I obviously agree with what you say, but that also means that each of us needs to be a battle buddy or a wing man ready to support our brothers and sisters in Christ at all times.

Nathan Jones: And, General, David was a great king, but he was far from perfect, right? And yet, his story conveys a powerful message of encouragement to us regarding the grace of God.

Gen. Boykin: Who knows how many failures David had? You know we only know about two really big failures that he had, and one lead to the other one. And he laid with another man’s wife, and committed adultery with her, which then produced a pregnancy. And then he had that man sent to the front to make sure that man was killed in battle to cover his sins. Think about that. Every man. Every man should think about that. When you get down on yourself and you say, “Well, I don’t want to do these things,” just like Paul says, “I do the things I don’t want to do, and I don’t do the things I want to do.” Well, as men, especially, but everybody, every Christian we need to remember that David did something probably far more egregious than anything that we’ve ever done, yet he was still the man after God’s own heart. What is that? It is a story of grace. It’s a story of mercy. It’s a story of God’s forgiving power. And we need to remember that and reflect on that because the Bible says in 1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us of all unrighteousness.” And I think that this story is so powerful because it ends well.

Nathan Jones: While Scripture refers to David as “a man after God’s own heart,” he had a tremendous blind spot that led to a disastrous moral failure. How could this tragically flawed man be held in such high esteem, to the point that Gabriel promised to Mary that “the Lord God will give Him, Jesus, the throne of His father, David?”

Gen. Boykin: Yeah, and keep in mind after that moral failure his life became very difficult. And things began to happen within his own family that were very, very difficult for any man, especially a father. But I think the answer to that is David knew he had failed. David still loved God. He still loved God with all his heart, and probably loved God even more because he knew his sins had been forgiven in spite of the egregious nature of those sins. And I think that David was indeed the man after God’s own heart because he recognized just how glorious it was to have a forgiving and loving God that we can go to when we fail. And we as humans fail all the time.

Tim Moore: General, your background in the intelligence community gives you a keen understanding of the threats against the United States and our allies. While we are fixated on domestic politics and economic uncertainty, there is a rising threat against Israel that may reach a tipping point very soon. What insight can you offer regarding the possibility that Iran is on the brink of developing a nuclear weapon?

Gen. Boykin: I can give you the assurance that is a true statement, they are on the brink of a nuclear weapon. In fact, that was just reported today that there is sufficient evidence now to validate that they are trying to enrich their uranium up to the 90%, weapon’s grade uranium. The first 20% is the hard part, from that point on it is not easy, but it is a much easier process than the first 20%. That is what they are doing. That is what they are doing. And Iran is, and make no mistake about it, it is an existential threat to Israel. One nuclear bomb, one, just one dropped right in the center of the country would do what Hitler couldn’t do in ten years.

Nathan Jones: Well, if David was king of Israel today, sir, how do you think he would deal with Iran and with the other proxy forces arrayed against Israel closer to the Promised Land?

Gen. Boykin: Yeah, every American, every Christian should study the history of Israel, and they should study the history of the wars in Israel. And you should study and understand how these Arab nations have come against Israel repeatedly, but they’ve been defeated every time. And there is no reason that they should have been defeated except for the hand of God.

So, what would David do right now? I think that what you would see from David is you would see preemptive strikes. You know there is, I can’t tell you exactly where it is there is a part of 2 Samuel where it says, “David arose early in the morning and went out to meet his enemies.” He went out to meet them. He didn’t wait for them to come to him, he went out to meet them. And I think that is the kind of approach that the Israelis are ultimately going to be forced to take here, because their intelligence on Iran and the other threats around them, the other nations around them, their intelligence is incredible. They have invested a lot of time and resources into being able to collect intelligence. Go back a few years and remember what they brought out of Iran and showed us in terms of what Iran was doing, and Iran’s nuclear program.

So, I think that the Israelis are watching it very, very closely, and I think there is going to come a point where they are going to say, “that’s far enough.” Especially if the United States is not going to do anything but coddle them and try to make peace with an enemy that doesn’t want to make peace, and we are going to have to do it ourselves, and that’s important which I think you are going to see the skies filled with Israeli aircraft, and you are going to see big clouds of smoke in Iran. It’s going to be brutal. It’s going to be ugly. And Israelis are going to die as a result of it. But they are going to come to a point where they have to do that, unless the United States and God intervene in what is going on there.

Tim Moore: Well, Jerry at the Family Research Council, your mission is advocate “faith, family, and freedom in public policy and the culture from a biblical worldview.” Today, the forces arrayed against us are growing in stature and ferocity. Christianity is no longer the dominant ideology in America, and Christians find themselves playing defense as our society secularizes. How can we fight back?

Gen. Boykin: Yeah, what we have to do is first put on your whole armor because this is a spiritual battle. Put on the armor of God. And I know that sounds rather trite, but it is absolutely what we have to do as Christians, put on the armor of God. And every piece of that armor has a common theme, and it is a personal prayer life, and knowing the Word of God. So, get into the Word and stay on your knees. Start there.

Then find a way to get involved. Get involved. Get involved through your church. Get involved in your community. Get involved in what is going on in this nation and take a stand against the evil that we have brought into our country. And there is plenty of evil here. You can fight against the killing of unborn babies. You can fight against it. There are many ways that you can do that. You can fight against this Critical Race Theory, and things like that which are just destroying our next generation’s concept of who we are as Americans, or who this country is. You can mentor somebody. You can get somebody and take them under your wing and mentor them and help bring them along. You can get involved in the activities in your church. But the thing is you can’t sit on the sideline, there is no room for spectators anymore.

Nathan Jones: General, how can our viewers connect with the Family Research Council?

Gen. Boykin: Yeah, go to frc.org that stands for Family Research Council. Frc.org, and that is our website, and you’ll find everything that we do. There are webcasts on there, podcasts on there, there are all kinds of things that really talk about the issues that are important to us today. We have a place here at Family Research Council that we call the Center for Biblical Worldview. And if you want to know what a worldview is, or you want to take a topic and you want to say, what would be the biblical view of that? You can go on our website; you can find those things and if you let us know we’ll send you a copy. It really helps you with those issues that we struggle with as Christians.

Tim Moore: Well, General Boykin, I am so glad we were able to connect with you today. We will pray for God’s blessing as you engage in this critical battle for hearts and minds! Godspeed!

Gen. Boykin: God bless you for what you are doing brother.

Part 2- Signs of the Time- Saber-Rattling in Persia

Tim Moore: While America is consumed with domestic politics, economic turmoil, and cultural tension, the world marches on.

Our leaders wring their hands about China’s rising power and Russia’s menacing pressure on Ukraine, but other significant dangers in the world today have a prophetic dimension.

It is an open secret that Iran is pursuing a nuclear weapon. The Iranian claim to want nuclear power for peaceful purposes is blown out of the water by their insistence that soon Israel will be wiped off the face of the earth. Americans cannot comprehend animosity so fixated on destroying another people, but the leaders of Iran, stoked by a radical Muslim ideology, are quite clear about their intentions. They condemn Israel as the “Little Satan” exceeded only by their nemesis, the United States, which they call the “Great Satan.” The nationalistic, ideological fervor of their hatred knows no bounds.

The modern nation of Iran emerged in 1501 in the heart of the old Persian empire. Many Iranians like to think of themselves as Persian, aspiring to the faded greatness of that bygone age. Students of the Bible realize that Persian King Cyrus was a friend of the Jewish people, and that Esther was elevated to become the queen of a Persian ruler. But now, too many descendants of ancient Persia have been radicalized.

Israel has made it clear that it will not tolerate a nuclear-armed Iran. Recently, Israeli leaders have been preparing their people for a probable conflict with Iran. In all likelihood, Israel will strike just before Iran possesses a bomb, because Iran has declared its intention to use such a weapon to annihilate the Jewish state, doing in a moment what Hitler could not accomplish in years.

But there is hope.

The Gospel Coalition considers the Church in Iran to be the fastest growing in the world. Jesus is appearing in visions to people throughout the Middle East, and hundreds of thousands of Iranians are turning away from the false religion of their leaders to saving faith in Christ.

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem. Pray for Christian brothers and sisters in Iran. And know that this threat is simply one more sign that Jesus is coming soon.

Part 3- How Then Shall We Live? The Kindness of God

Tim Moore: David offers one more lesson that points to God’s grace and our Savior’s love for us.

Following Saul’s death, his family was destitute. His sons were killed alongside him in the Battle of Mount Gilboa. David’s dear friend, Jonathan, was faithful to his father even as Saul became self-destructive and lashed out at those who were loyal to him.

When the news of Saul and Jonathan’s death arrived from Jezreel, another tragedy struck Jonathan’s son, Mephibosheth. His nurse panicked and fled with the 5-year-old boy. As she did so, Mephibosheth fell or was dropped. He was lame in both feet from that day forward.

Later, David consolidated his kingdom, “reigning over all Israel and administering justice and righteousness for all his people.” Feeling magnanimous, David sought for someone from Saul’s household to “show the kindness of God.” His servant told him that only Mephibosheth was left.

David sent for the son of Jonathan and invited him to eat at the king’s table regularly. Recognizing the unmerited generosity of such an offer, Mephibosheth asked David, “What is your servant, that you should regard a dead dog like me?”

Mephibosheth understood has standing before the king. He realized that he did not have anything of value to offer and could bring no honor to his lord. But David’s love for Mephibosheth was not based on what the lame young man could do for him. It was unmerited, representing David’s desire to honor his father and grandfather and grace.

Similarly, our great God and Savior desires to lavish His love on us. Not because we merit it, or because we can offer Him anything in return. Our Heavenly Father does so based on His amazing grace, and as a manifestation of His love for our Savior. His love for Christ overflows into the lives of every person who trusts in Him for their salvation.

Mephibosheth’s name means “from the mouth of shame.” Perhaps that reflected the lowly status he fell to as a crippled man whose grandfather had been rejected by God. But the name he gave his own son reflects the hope and blessing that was restored to his life by the king after God’s own heart: Micah, which means who is like God?

You see, even as he demonstrated love toward Mephibosheth, David was wise enough to credit God. The kindness he extended flowed from the God he served.

What about you? Have you experienced the unmerited favor of the Heavenly Father? Are you a conduit of kindness and blessing into the lives of people crushed under a burden of shame? Have you shown the kind of love that makes people around you exclaim, “Who is like God?”

Find a Mephibosheth. Invite them to the table of our soon-returning King.

Closing

Nathan Jones: Tim, many people see foreshadows of the Messiah in David, don’t they? His role as shepherd and king and “man after God’s own heart” points directly to Jesus. But I love the example he gives of extending kindness, unmerited favor, to Mephibosheth. What a picture of God’s love for us.

Tim Moore: I agree. You know Mephibosheth recognized that he had nothing to offer the king, and that he did not even deserve to sit at the David’s table. But David’s lovingkindness should be an example for all of us.

And throughout our study through the Old Testament, we are obviously highlighting appearances of Jesus, whether when He appeared in human form as a pre-incarnate Christophany, or in types or symbols. But we’ve also highlighted human exemplars who are worthy of study as role models.

You know none of the characters of the Old Testament is without fault. Even those whose character flaws and failures are not highlighted fell short of the glory of God. But David demonstrates that God restores those whose hearts are devoted to Him, lifting us up when we fall.

By putting our trust in Jesus Christ, He “hides His face from our sins and blots out all our iniquities.” He will not scorn our broken and contrite spirit if we come to Him repenting of our sin.

Nathan Jones: And David is just one of the exemplars we’ve touched on, and one of the many in the Bible, our DVD, “Profiles in Righteousness” offers insight and encouragement to that. We would be happy to send it to you for a gift of $15 or more. It is worth watching over and over again and sharing with a friend.

Tim Moore: Next week we will dive into 1 Kings. Nathan and I have a special treat in store for you as we focus on Elijah and Elisha. These two great prophets were called of God to speak into their nation as it began straying from the living God. They were filled with power as they were obedient to the Holy Spirit.

As always, we hope that you will read ahead in preparation for next week’s episode. And we hope you’ll visit our website where we offer explanations of our key verses.

Nathan Jones: And on that note, our key verses for this week are 2nd Samuel 7:12-13 and 21-22, and 2nd Samuel 22:47.

Tim Moore: Until next week, I’m Tim Moore.

Nathan Jones: And I’m Nathan Jones, saying, “Look up, be watchful, for our Savior and Lord who put on flesh and exemplified a Man after God’s own heart is drawing near!”

End of Program