When David's time to die drew near, he commanded Solomon his son, saying, “I am about to go the way of all the earth. Be strong, and show yourself a man, and keep the charge of the Lord your God, walking in his ways and keeping his statutes, his commandments, his rules, and his testimonies, as it is written in the Law of Moses, that you may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn 1 Kings 2:1-3
What is the measure of a good life? We have looked at David’s life for the past few weeks. We have seen successful actions and we have seen actions that were failures in many ways. We have seen lives saved and lives ended. So, how does one judge a life? As we come to David’s death, how can one judge if the life of the man after God’s own heart was good or not?
In our world, actions are judged. When we see someone act in a particular way, we tend to judge that action and extend that judgement to other aspects of the person, including character. Remember, however, that as we first met David we heard how God sees: “For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7) Despite David’s dark times (and there were several), when confronted with his sin, he was consistently repentant. His heart was receptive to God’s direction and consistently demonstrated his love for his God. The heart attitude is deeper than the actions.
In the reality of this truth, David still advises Solomon about his actions. You see, David knew about the heart, but as he lived, he also learned about the importance of right actions. David suffered the consequences of his actions. Unfortunately, Solomon, despite his wisdom, does not heed the advice of his father as desired.
A prosperous life requires obedience. Obedience is only possible through a heart that loves God. Jesus tells us in John 14:15, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” Notice the love precedes the action. David’s life illustrates how to handle poor actions--hear God’s direction/correction, repent, and continue to love God. In this way, David’s life was very good.
As you come to the end of this season, it is easy to look at the record (actions) and think that it determines if a season was good. While the external results may not have been what was hoped for, the real success of the season is found in the heart. What has God done in your life through the season? In what ways did your heart reflect Jesus during the practices, games, and team interactions? In what ways do you now look like Jesus that you did not at the beginning of the season?
Thanks for this season, men. Thanks for working hard and representing Taylor University. It is our prayer that the season and the playing of the game afforded you the opportunity to grow in Christ and to represent Him well in the future!!