THURSDAY June 29, 2023

A Man After God’s Own Heart

“After that He gave them judges for about four hundred and fifty years, until Samuel the prophet. And afterward they asked for a king; so God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years. And when He had removed him, He raised up for them David as king, to whom also He gave testimony and said, ‘I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My own heart, who will do all My will.’ ”
Acts 13:20-22

Paul continued his biblical discourse covering a time period when God gave His people Judges to lead them. However, when a Judge died, Israel always fell backward into a cycle of sin. They rebelled, which led to terrible consequences. God allowed their enemies to oppress and defeat them until they cried out once more for Him to deliver them.

Do you remember Deborah? She was the only woman Judge in Israel. She encouraged Barak to fight against Sisera, King Jabin’s captain. This Canaanite King had oppressed Israel for 20 years. God fought against Israel’s enemies. He used the stars and the river Kishon to overflow its banks to help Israel defeat their enemies (Judges 4-5).

God used Gideon to destroy the altars of Baal, and with only three hundred men, defeat the Midianites. Gideon, a humble man from the tribe of Manasseh, blew trumpets and smashed pitchers as they shouted, and their plan caused confusion in the Midianite’s camp (Judges 6-8).

What of Samson? He was a Nazarite––a person set apart from within his mother’s womb. Samson received incredible strength when the Spirit of God came upon him. He had enough strength to kill 1000 men with the jawbone of a donkey (Judges 13-16).

Later, Samuel the prophet became a prominent leader, until the Israel asked for a king. God gave them Saul, but later He removed him for his disobedience and raised up a man after his own heart––David, a shepherd boy. God knew David would do His will.

Are you a man after God’s own heart? Determine in your heart to do God’s will, not your own. Then you will leave behind a good legacy.

The greatest legacy one can pass on to one’s children and grandchildren is not money or other material things accumulated in one’s life, but rather a legacy of character and faith.
~Billy Graham~

For more from Raul Ries, please visit SomebodyLovesYou.com!