Week 2 - David's Broken Heart
THE HEART OF DAVID
David’s Broken Heart
Psalm 34:15-19 NIV
The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are attentive to their cry; but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil, to blot out their name from the earth. The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. The righteous person may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all.
Psalm 147:3 NIV
He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.
Introduction
When we think of King David, most of us turn our thoughts to the incredible life he lived and the kingdom he built. Through David’s leadership, there were many victories and defeats which ultimately led to the rebuilt Kingdom of Israel. David also set in motion many of the worship standards that Israel and the Christian church experience today. (Deuteronomy 12:5).
We often look at the life of King David and only see his success and accomplishments. It is easy to overlook the pain, the tears, and the inward anxiety and torment that he carried throughout his life. These challenges led to his lifelong struggles and eventual sin.
This week, we will touch on David’s life experiences that led to his broken heart. As we look at the heartaches and pain that King David carried, you may recognize some of your own brokenness. Not only does God know David’s heart, but the Holy Spirit allows us to see our own hearts in relation to David’s heart as well. “Why,” you might be asking? So Men like us will not repeat!
“The neglected heart will soon be a heart overrun with worldly thoughts; the neglected life will soon become a moral chaos.” - A.W. Tozer
Proverbs 27:19
As in water, face reflects face, so the heart of a man reflects man.
There are three main areas of brokenness in David’s heart that we will focus on this week:
- David’s Forsaken Heart - His Father Wounds
- David’s Lonely Heart - His Rejection & Loss
- David’s Shameful Heart - His Sin and Consequences
David’s Forsaken Heart
One of the most significant factors in a child’s life is their relationship with their father;it is vital to a son becoming a man. Although it may seem unfair to look at Jesse’s fatherhood and relationship with one of his eight son’s, we can observe that there were signs that David and his father had a fractured father/son relationship.
The first incident is found in 1 Samuel 16:10 when Jesse lines up his sons to be presented to Samuel:
1 Samuel 16:10
And Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. And Samuel said to Jesse, “The Lord has not chosen these.” Then Samuel said to Jesse, “Are all your sons here?” And he said, “There remains yet the youngest, but behold, he is keeping the sheep.” And Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and get him, for we will not sit down till he comes here.
You can imagine the questions that Jesse, Samuel, and David might have had because of David’s late entrance to the lineup. Samuel questioned why Jesse had not mentioned anything about his youngest boy. David wondered why he was left out yet again. And of course, Jesse wondering why waste the prophets’ time with this worthless boy.
God, however, did not have any questions about David. God corrects Samuel in verse 7 of chapter 16: “The Lord does not look at the things people look at.” God saw past what Samuel saw in the 7 other sons and what Jesse did not see in David. God tells Samuel the instant David shows up, “this is the one.” David’s maker looked upon this shepherd boy’s heart and saw a warrior in the making, a kingdom builder, a giant slayer, a song writer and a worshiper.
Although this seemingly minor detail could have been left out of the narrative, we can gather that God wanted us to see the difference between His heart, David’s heart, and Jesse’s heart. Often, our Father in Heaven will uncover priority issues, unhealed wounds, or splintered feelings, not for shaming but for confession and repentance.
David’s Lonely Heart
David dealt with rejection most of his life. As a boy, he was never good enough for his father and it is evident that his brothers didn’t think highly of him either. We see a pattern in his young life of continually being sent away: to the wilderness to tend his father’s sheep, to the front lines of battle as a delivery boy, and to the royal court to be the king’s musical entertainment. In the wild, he defeated bear and lion, on the battlefield he defeated Goliath, and he grew to become a Psalmist, writing much of the Hebrew song book and inspiring worship to this day. Yet, David seemed to be constantly underestimated. The rejection of his early life held incredible pain, sorrow, and grief. These losses were significant and beyond his control. However, the deepest of his rejections were yet to come and some of the worst pain humans feel in our lives are self-inflicted.
As David entered the service of Saul we see a pattern of the next area, his rejection. Saul, having been rejected for his disobedience, sees David as a threat and proceeds to hurl spears at him. David didn’t choose the spears. He was serving the king, playing his instrument. Many times we experience the worst heartbreaks and pains when we are serving and not seeking out trouble or fame. David was no exception.
During his time at King Saul’s palace, David found a personal confidant and close friend in King Saul’s son, Jonathon. Jonathan offered David comfort, support, and protection. Then all of that came to a heart-breaking end when Jonathon and Saul were slain in battle and beheaded by Israel’s enemies the Philistines. Crushed by the weight of his loss David lamented and became depressed. He had lost a close friend and companion.
David’s Shameful Heart
They say that “time heals” but on the other side “idle time is the devil’s workshop.” When a warrior stays home from the battle something is not right! He may think that he just needed a break, some downtime, just an evening in the man cave! It is in these off times where we can get caught unaware. Temptation, wandering eyes, sexual immorality, lies, murder and then death. Sound familiar?
John 10:10
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
In 2 Samuel 11, we read about a battle with one of the enemies of Israel, the Ammonites. As King of Israel at this time, David should have been off at war with his army. But instead, he stayed home and left himself vulnerable to a different, more diabolical type of attack. At his palace, David sees a woman across the road bathing. David gives into his lustful eyes and sleeps with her. To add insult to injury, she is married to one of his head men in his Army!
David makes matters worse by attempting to cover up his mistake and when that doesn’t work, he has the woman's husband purposely killed in battle and takes her as his wife. After all these events, David gets a knock on the door. He answered quickly to find Nathan the prophet sent by God to expose David’s sin and call him to repentance.
David responds to this correction, as we all should, with fasting, prayer, and complete repentance. As Paul tells us in Romans, we will all fall short of God’s plan for our lives. David’s sin did not disqualify him from his calling. It was not his sin that called him in the first place but his Father in Heaven. The same loving Father that is calling you right now!
Closing
When faced with sin, both our own and the sins of others, we have a choice. We can try to fix it ourselves and oftentimes make a much larger, more painful and destructive mess. Or, like David, we can turn to God and repent. We can turn from our sin and choose to follow our Fathers will for our lives. When faced with the rejection and pain of others, we can give the pain to God and allow Him to heal us. How will you respond?
Practical Application Questions
1. How has the brokenness of others affected you?
2. We have all felt loss or abandonment. How have you dealt with it?
3. David dealt with the sin of adultery with fasting, confession, and repentance. Is there anything you need to confess and/or repent of tonight?
4. What else in David's Broken Heart spoke to you? Discuss with your tables.
Week 2 - David's Broken Heart
THE HEART OF DAVID
David’s Broken Heart
Psalm 34:15-19 NIV
The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are attentive to their cry; but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil, to blot out their name from the earth. The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. The righteous person may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all.
Psalm 147:3 NIV
He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.
Introduction
When we think of King David, most of us turn our thoughts to the incredible life he lived and the kingdom he built. Through David’s leadership, there were many victories and defeats which ultimately led to the rebuilt Kingdom of Israel. David also set in motion many of the worship standards that Israel and the Christian church experience today. (Deuteronomy 12:5).
We often look at the life of King David and only see his success and accomplishments. It is easy to overlook the pain, the tears, and the inward anxiety and torment that he carried throughout his life. These challenges led to his lifelong struggles and eventual sin.
This week, we will touch on David’s life experiences that led to his broken heart. As we look at the heartaches and pain that King David carried, you may recognize some of your own brokenness. Not only does God know David’s heart, but the Holy Spirit allows us to see our own hearts in relation to David’s heart as well. “Why,” you might be asking? So Men like us will not repeat!
“The neglected heart will soon be a heart overrun with worldly thoughts; the neglected life will soon become a moral chaos.” - A.W. Tozer
Proverbs 27:19
As in water, face reflects face, so the heart of a man reflects man.
There are three main areas of brokenness in David’s heart that we will focus on this week:
- David’s Forsaken Heart - His Father Wounds
- David’s Lonely Heart - His Rejection & Loss
- David’s Shameful Heart - His Sin and Consequences
David’s Forsaken Heart
One of the most significant factors in a child’s life is their relationship with their father;it is vital to a son becoming a man. Although it may seem unfair to look at Jesse’s fatherhood and relationship with one of his eight son’s, we can observe that there were signs that David and his father had a fractured father/son relationship.
The first incident is found in 1 Samuel 16:10 when Jesse lines up his sons to be presented to Samuel:
1 Samuel 16:10
And Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. And Samuel said to Jesse, “The Lord has not chosen these.” Then Samuel said to Jesse, “Are all your sons here?” And he said, “There remains yet the youngest, but behold, he is keeping the sheep.” And Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and get him, for we will not sit down till he comes here.
You can imagine the questions that Jesse, Samuel, and David might have had because of David’s late entrance to the lineup. Samuel questioned why Jesse had not mentioned anything about his youngest boy. David wondered why he was left out yet again. And of course, Jesse wondering why waste the prophets’ time with this worthless boy.
God, however, did not have any questions about David. God corrects Samuel in verse 7 of chapter 16: “The Lord does not look at the things people look at.” God saw past what Samuel saw in the 7 other sons and what Jesse did not see in David. God tells Samuel the instant David shows up, “this is the one.” David’s maker looked upon this shepherd boy’s heart and saw a warrior in the making, a kingdom builder, a giant slayer, a song writer and a worshiper.
Although this seemingly minor detail could have been left out of the narrative, we can gather that God wanted us to see the difference between His heart, David’s heart, and Jesse’s heart. Often, our Father in Heaven will uncover priority issues, unhealed wounds, or splintered feelings, not for shaming but for confession and repentance.
David’s Lonely Heart
David dealt with rejection most of his life. As a boy, he was never good enough for his father and it is evident that his brothers didn’t think highly of him either. We see a pattern in his young life of continually being sent away: to the wilderness to tend his father’s sheep, to the front lines of battle as a delivery boy, and to the royal court to be the king’s musical entertainment. In the wild, he defeated bear and lion, on the battlefield he defeated Goliath, and he grew to become a Psalmist, writing much of the Hebrew song book and inspiring worship to this day. Yet, David seemed to be constantly underestimated. The rejection of his early life held incredible pain, sorrow, and grief. These losses were significant and beyond his control. However, the deepest of his rejections were yet to come and some of the worst pain humans feel in our lives are self-inflicted.
As David entered the service of Saul we see a pattern of the next area, his rejection. Saul, having been rejected for his disobedience, sees David as a threat and proceeds to hurl spears at him. David didn’t choose the spears. He was serving the king, playing his instrument. Many times we experience the worst heartbreaks and pains when we are serving and not seeking out trouble or fame. David was no exception.
During his time at King Saul’s palace, David found a personal confidant and close friend in King Saul’s son, Jonathon. Jonathan offered David comfort, support, and protection. Then all of that came to a heart-breaking end when Jonathon and Saul were slain in battle and beheaded by Israel’s enemies the Philistines. Crushed by the weight of his loss David lamented and became depressed. He had lost a close friend and companion.
David’s Shameful Heart
They say that “time heals” but on the other side “idle time is the devil’s workshop.” When a warrior stays home from the battle something is not right! He may think that he just needed a break, some downtime, just an evening in the man cave! It is in these off times where we can get caught unaware. Temptation, wandering eyes, sexual immorality, lies, murder and then death. Sound familiar?
John 10:10
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
In 2 Samuel 11, we read about a battle with one of the enemies of Israel, the Ammonites. As King of Israel at this time, David should have been off at war with his army. But instead, he stayed home and left himself vulnerable to a different, more diabolical type of attack. At his palace, David sees a woman across the road bathing. David gives into his lustful eyes and sleeps with her. To add insult to injury, she is married to one of his head men in his Army!
David makes matters worse by attempting to cover up his mistake and when that doesn’t work, he has the woman's husband purposely killed in battle and takes her as his wife. After all these events, David gets a knock on the door. He answered quickly to find Nathan the prophet sent by God to expose David’s sin and call him to repentance.
David responds to this correction, as we all should, with fasting, prayer, and complete repentance. As Paul tells us in Romans, we will all fall short of God’s plan for our lives. David’s sin did not disqualify him from his calling. It was not his sin that called him in the first place but his Father in Heaven. The same loving Father that is calling you right now!
Closing
When faced with sin, both our own and the sins of others, we have a choice. We can try to fix it ourselves and oftentimes make a much larger, more painful and destructive mess. Or, like David, we can turn to God and repent. We can turn from our sin and choose to follow our Fathers will for our lives. When faced with the rejection and pain of others, we can give the pain to God and allow Him to heal us. How will you respond?
Practical Application Questions
1. How has the brokenness of others affected you?
2. We have all felt loss or abandonment. How have you dealt with it?
3. David dealt with the sin of adultery with fasting, confession, and repentance. Is there anything you need to confess and/or repent of tonight?
4. What else in David's Broken Heart spoke to you? Discuss with your tables.