The book of 1 Samuel is a tale of two drastically different kings. The first king is Saul, who is loved because of his appearance. He came from an upstanding and wealthy family and is described as the tallest and most handsome in all of Israel (1 Samuel 9:1,2). While he looked the part of Israel’s king, he quickly fell short because of disobedience and self-conceit. In contrast, David was a shepherd and the runt of the litter compared to his brothers. He was the youngest brother and when Samuel asked Jesse to bring forward all of his sons, David was not called in from the field to be presented as an option for king.
However, the Lord chooses David to be king over Saul not because of appearance, his job, or family status, but because of his heart. The heart, as you may have guessed, refers to more than just the life-giving internal organ. The “heart” in this context refers to the entire inner self: character, attitude, integrity, wants and desires, hopes and dreams, loves, and all the things that are not apparent from one’s appearance. David would prove to be a man after God’s own heart and was everything that Saul was not (1 Samuel 13:14). He loved God and delighted in keeping His commands (Psalm 119:47,48). David was humble even during his flourishing reign as king and gave all glory to God (1 Chronicles 29:10–14). David was by no means perfect, but he was quick to be broken over his sin and to repent (Psalm 51). While David did not meet any worldly requirements of a king as Saul did, he had what was more important: the heart of a king.
The heart is essential, yet it is easily forgotten. It beats faithfully, second after second, yet we seldom think about it. We don’t instruct our heart to beat. However, no one would say that the heart is unimportant; it just goes unnoticed. While it is easy for us to forget about the beating of our physical heart, we should not let ourselves neglect the heart that God discerns within us. It is equally as important as our physical heart, yet we are constantly drawn to value outward appearance over the issues of the heart. It is easy to fall into the trap of only valuing what others think of us over our underlying heart motivations.
This is the reverse of how God works. David did not look the part but had the heart of a king, and his example points us to our one true King, Jesus. He was gentle and lowly in heart (Matthew 11:29). Jesus was perfectly humble and always delighted in the will of God the Father, even to the point of dying on the cross (Philippians 2:6–8). Instead of riding into His kingdom on a magnificent steed, King Jesus rode in on a colt (Luke 19:34–40). Out of love, our King brought ultimate peace through His death. And through His resurrection, our King brought ultimate victory over sin and death.
We are called to imitate the heart of a king, the heart of King Jesus. Don’t fall into the trap of keeping up appearances or going through the motions, but examine your heart and devote all of yourself to your King.
Written by: Parker Lambert, Former Pastoral Resident
Based on: 1 Samuel 16:7
Passion Week Devotional 2025: Day Two