The God Type of Heart vs. The Outward Appearance. It is a running theme in the Bible, that God, time after time, chooses people to lead and carry out tasks of high importance based on their heart rather than their outward appearance.
1 Corinthians 1:27-29 “But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, so that no man may boast before God.”
God's Heart, Part One: David — God utterly rejects the prideful and boastful person. He uses instead, the humble, obedient and faithful servants who have the God type of heart. These servants are put in positions to lead and to carry out astonishing tasks that show the power of God. Look at the example of David. In 1 Samuel 16, we pick up the story where Samuel the prophet has come to Bethlehem according to the command of the Lord to find a new king, because Saul (the current King) has grieved the Lord and not done right in the sight of God. At this point, Samuel has just arrived at the house of Jesse in Bethlehem and has consecrated all the sons of Jesse in his search. As they stand before him the selection begins. Now, as we read the text, notice how even Samuel looks according to the outward appearance rather than the heart, and prefers the eldest son of Jesse: 1 Samuel 16:6-7 “When they entered, he (Samuel) looked at Eliab and thought, 'Surely the Lord's anointed is before Him.' But the Lord said to Samuel, "Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart."
Then, after this, Samuel asks Jesse if the seven sons standing before him are all his sons. Jesse tells Samuel there is yet one more, the youngest of the brothers, who is in the field tending the sheep. Samuel then commands for this young one to be brought before him because the Lord has rejected all the other sons of Jesse. Then, young David enters.
1 Samuel 16:12-13 “So he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, with beautiful eyes and a handsome appearance. And the Lord said, 'Arise, anoint him; for this is he.' Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David from that day forward.”
David was forgotten and deemed unworthy because he was the youngest, but he was not forgotten by God! For God sees not as man sees. Never forget this. God is looking for a right heart, not your appearance or social standing. You don't have to be a good preacher, biblical scholar or someone popular in social circles to have God use you. All you need is the right heart and everything else will follow.
So what are the characteristics of a person with the God type of Heart? Let's examine these from the Biblical example of King David further.
Words: A person with the God type of Heart speaks bold words of confession and are convinced of the power of God. They possess a loyalty and faith in the Almighty that is not an act, but true from their heart. They aren't playing around with their convictions, they are all in and cannot act to the contrary. Let's look at an example of this when David ventured down to the frontlines of combat with the Philistines.
David had been sent down to the battlefield by his aged father Jesse to get news of the engagement, as three of the other sons of Jesse were apart of the army arrayed against the Philistines. When David arrived, he heard and saw a giant Philistine, Goliath, spewing out insults against the God of Israel. Goliath was challenging any Israelite to a one on one fight and whoever would win, the other side would then have to surrender and be the other's servants. Now, look at the conviction of David's words when he speaks about the situation with the other soldiers of Israel:
1 Samuel 17:26 “Then David spoke to the men who were standing by him, saying, 'What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should taunt the armies of the living God?'
David is not concerned with the size or the stature of Goliath, for he looks at Goliath like a mere mortal and says, “Who is this person to defy God?” David's attitude and speech is different from the others in the army who tremble with fear at the size of Goliath. Even David's own brother despises him for making such comments. 1 Samuel 17:28 “Now Eliab his oldest brother heard when he (David) spoke to the men; and Eliab's anger burned against David and he said, 'Why have you come down? And with whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your insolence and the wickedness of your heart; for you have come down in order to see the battle.'"
Eliab was angry with David because Eliab was thinking, who are you to question our courage little brother? You are just a spectator here. But David was simply making a statement about God's might and how Goliath is nothing compared to the Living God. To David, his belief was — either we serve the true Living God, or we are just playing around and acting religious. He wasn't saying such comments to embarrass anyone or to act self-righteous, David was only speaking from his heart and confessing that God was greater than this giant.
Actions: There is a faith in the Lord that is not just words, but actions. Even if there is a risk of death, the person after God's heart will trust in the Lord and take actions that display this faith. To them it is better to die, rather than consider that God is not able to follow through on His Word. A person after God's heart remembers all the wonderful things the Lord has done in their life and says, if God has done these great things in the past, then surely he can accomplish even greater things now. A perfect illustration of this is when David faced Goliath.
1 Samuel 17:32-37 “When the words which David spoke were heard, they told them to Saul, and he sent for him. David said to Saul, “Let no man's heart fail on account of him; your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.” Then Saul said to David, “You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are but a youth while he has been a warrior from his youth." But David said to Saul, "Your servant was tending his father's sheep. When a lion or a bear came and took a lamb from the flock, I went out after him and attacked him, and rescued it from his mouth; and when he rose up against me, I seized him by his beard and struck him and killed him. Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, since he has taunted the armies of the living God." And David said, "The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine." And Saul said to David, "Go, and may the Lord be with you."
In these scriptures, we see King Saul looking at things according to the outward appearance, but God doesn't see as man sees. No matter David's seemingly outward deficiencies — a youth, too small and not a real warrior, he was selected by the Lord and had the God type of heart to conquer all foes. And what was the result of these events? David slew Goliath with a rock from his sling. It is one of the most retold Biblical stories of all time. David went on to be remembered for much more, but the most memorable thing written about David is that he was called, by the Lord, and a man after God's own Heart.
Acts 13:22 “He raised up David to be their king, concerning whom He also testified and said, 'I HAVE FOUND DAVID the son of Jesse, A MAN AFTER MY HEART, who will do all My will.'”
Know this, God sees you not as the world sees you. For in the world there are falsities, pride, jealousy, deceit and social standings according to man, but God sees your heart and cares not for what the world thinks. Even if you are looked upon with low esteem, know that God looks at your heart and can raise you up in a moment. Trust this, for it is the truth of the Word.