Having a Heart for God

David loved the LORD. He wrote praises to Him. He sang to Him. He revered Him. Even so, David committed horrible sins. He took Uriah's wife, Bathsheba, while Uriah was off fighting the Ammonites at David's command. When Bathsheba conceived, David had Uriah placed in a position that could only lead to his death. (2 Sam 11)

God was so angry with David that He caused the child to die, cursed David's lineage with bloodshed, and promised to take his wives from Him!

Now therefore the sword shall never depart from thine house; because thou hast despised Me, and hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife. Thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house, and I will take thy wives before thine eyes, and give them unto thy neighbor, and he shall lie with thy wives in the sight of this sun. -- 2 Sam 12:10 - 11.

Notice that God says that David's sin reflected a lack of regard of the highest level: "thou hast despised Me"! To understand why God punishes us for sin, we must start with understanding how God views sin. We see clearly here that He sees it as the ultimate disrespect. Today, we have the idea that because God loves us, He would never harm us. Truly, God loved David.

But now thy kingdom shall not continue: the LORD hath sought Him a man after His own heart, and the LORD hath commanded him to be captain over His people, because thou hast not kept that which the LORD commanded thee. -- 1 Sam 13:14

But God still punished David. He did not just look the other way. No, David's life after this sin was much more difficult. He faced one serious problem after another. He had problems in his family, and problems in his kingdom. I believe the only thing that kept him was the fact that he still had a heart for God.

To have a heart for God is to consider Him above all else, to put what He regards above all else. David certainly had a heart for what God was concerned with in his day. He fought to free Israel from the sinful nations around them. He fought to keep God on the throne of Israel's heart. He didn't even fight Goliath just to be a hero. No, He fought Goliath, because Goliath disrespected God. David was truly into honoring God for the one true God He is.

We see David's passion for God in many of his Psalms. He speaks intimately to Him, committing all he has unto His care. He doesn't just trust Him. He truly believes Him. There's a familiarity to their relationship. God is not just his God in name. No, He is David's God in truth.

Draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. -- Jam 4:8

I often return to the Psalms to be reminded of their relationship. Wherever David was obedient, we see God blessing, guiding, and delivering David. Wherever David was sinful, we see God reenforcing His boundaries clearly. Indeed, David was sorely punished for his sins, and greatly blessed for his obedience. Through it all David continues to acknowledge that God does right by him. He doesn't take the attitude that he should be blessed regardless. No, he fully understands that he deserves God's wrath.

Unto Thee, O LORD, do I lift up my soul. -- Psa 25:1

If the holy God of Heaven is to be our God, we, too, must take on this attitude. Like David, we must place ourselves in His care. Even in His wrath, He is merciful. Even when we are at our best, we deserve His wrath. We must seriously repent of our sins, but we need also remember that it is His mercy that keeps us.

Remember, O LORD, Thy tender mercies and Thy lovingkindness; for they have been ever of old. -- Psa 25:6

All the paths of the LORD are mercy and truth unto such as keep His covenant and His testimonies. -- Psa 25:10

Note that David attested to the need to be obedient. He was a man after God's own heart who understood the price of sin. He shed innocent blood to get what he wanted, greatly disrespecting the God he loved, but he sincerely repented and did not commit that sin again.

Like David, we are guilty of shedding innocent blood. We need to repent, too; but also, we need to get busy about following His call to not allow the shedding of innocent blood. Failing to do otherwise leaves us at odds with God, because even ignoring shedding of innocent blood is sin to Him.

That innocent blood be not shed in thy land, which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance, and so blood be upon thee. -- Deu 19:10

Some have mistakenly argued that this only applied to Israel. No, although this was originally written to them, it is like many other things no serious person would argue against. It basically assures us that nations are destroyed by the shedding of innocent blood, and there are other Scriptures that back this up.

Therefore, as I live, saith the Lord God, I will prepare thee unto blood, and blood shall pursue thee; sith thou hast not hated blood, even blood shall pursue thee. -- Eze 35:6

Acceptance of the shedding of blood brings bloodshed to a nation. As a nation, we not only accept the shedding of innocent blood, we promote it.

Yea, they sacrificed their sons and their daughters unto devils, and shed innocent blood, even the blood of their sons and of their daughters, whom they sacrificed unto the idols of Canaan: and the land was polluted with blood. -- Psa 106:37, 38

We need to have a heart like David. When God called him on his sin, he wept and repented. We have wept, but not many have repented like they truly meant it. No, many still turn a blind eye and deaf ear -- expecting that God will forgive them, while they remain in their sin. In reality they despise God, because they do not respect Him enough to obey Him.