Becoming like Him

In Psalm 101, we see a glimpse of why God called David a man after his own heart.

He starts by singing,

I will sing of your love and justice;
to you, Lord, I will sing praise. (Psalm 101:1)

Because of God’s love for him, and his love for God, David desired to become more like him. To become a person of righteousness and justice, just as God is.

And so he said,

I will be careful to lead a blameless life. (2)

He then lists all the ways he desired to be like God.

To run his household in a way pleasing to God. And to not let any vile things pass before his eyes even at home (2–3).

It’s so easy to pretend to be godly outside of your home when everyone is looking. But integrity is being the same person at home as you are outside.

David then said he would hate the evil that people do, to have no part with it, nor with the people who commit it.

When people slandered others, he would silence them.

When people walked in arrogance and pride, looking down on others and despising God, he would not tolerate it. (3–5)

But how often do we tolerate evil in our lives? When people gossip, how often do we join in? How often do we ourselves become proud and look down on others?

Because David loved God, he despised these things and refused to have anything to do with them.

On the other hand, David was very careful who he called his friends. And he was careful about who he took advice from.

He said,

My eyes will be on the faithful in the land,
that they may dwell with me;
the one whose walk is blameless
will minister to me. (6)

Finally, as leader in his house, and as leader of a nation, he was equally determined that truth and justice would reign. (7–8)

If we truly love God, these are the attitudes that should reign in our hearts. This is what it means to be people after God’s own heart.

May we all, like David, become more like the one we love and who loves us.