Does David's Life Confirm Election

From Acts 13:22

22 And when he had removed him, he raised up David to be their king; to whom also he bare witness and said, I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My heart, who shall do all My will.

And from 1 Samuel 16:7-11

The Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and be on your way; I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem. I have chosen one of his sons to be king.”

2 But Samuel said, “How can I go? If Saul hears about it, he will kill me.”

The Lord said, “Take a heifer with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.’ 3 Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what to do. You are to anoint for me the one I indicate.”

4 Samuel did what the Lord said. When he arrived at Bethlehem, the elders of the town trembled when they met him. They asked, “Do you come in peace?”

5 Samuel replied, “Yes, in peace; I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Consecrate yourselves and come to the sacrifice with me.” Then he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.

6 When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and thought, “Surely the Lord’s anointed stands here before the Lord.”

7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

8 Then Jesse called Abinadab and had him pass in front of Samuel. But Samuel said, “The Lord has not chosen this one either.” 9 Jesse then had Shammah pass by, but Samuel said, “Nor has the Lord chosen this one.” 10 Jesse had seven of his sons pass before Samuel, but Samuel said to him, “The Lord has not chosen these.” 11 So he asked Jesse, “Are these all the sons you have?”

“There is still the youngest,” Jesse answered. “He is tending the sheep.”

Samuel said, “Send for him; we will not sit down until he arrives.”

12 So he sent for him and had him brought in. He was glowing with health and had a fine appearance and handsome features.

Then the Lord said, “Rise and anoint him; this is the one.”

13 So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David. Samuel then went to Ramah.


On this board, we are constantly debating election vs free will, and search out that line between saved and lost. David is a fascinating figure that paints a clear picture to both. Here is a man obviously chosen by God to salvation, but yet, he committed murder and adultery, plus disobeyed the Lord on several occasions.

From Psalms 119:164

Seven times a day I praise you for your righteous laws.

To me, it is obvious from these verses, that God not only chose David to salvation, His hand was on him his entire life. David was set apart. Yet, David committed some of the most evil acts known to man.

So that begs the question, are most people that murder and commit adultery saved? And if not, what is the difference? The difference between eternal life and death. As we read story after story about David, and the Psalms, we can see God's hand in every aspect of his life. David did not choose God, by some residual faith. God clearly states He chose David. So, the difference is election.

I would be the first to say that on the surface, those sins appear like that of a lost person. In fact, how many lost people ever had someone murdered to take away their wife? Not many in the scheme of things. The fact is, without the Lord is without the Lord. That shows many things. One is outward appearance, especially over an instant in time, does not reveal to you someone else's spiritual state. Even over time, one is just making an intelligent guess.

As Icon has said many times, a Christian's sin does not dominate. It appears on occasion, but the trip back to the Lord is swift and sometimes harsh.

Any comments? Oh yes, I have one. Those of us on this board who are Christians, do we praise God seven times a day?

 

James, thanks for bringing out those two points. I never have mentioned it, but your closing salutation "even so, come, Lord Jesus" is always inspiring. In fact, if all of us, including especially me, put that at the end of our posts, we might reword our posts.

I think the more we understand the Lord and Scripture, the more clearly that line between saved and lost becomes. God's ways are not ours. We will never understand why God chooses whom He will choose, but praise God, we have may examples of grace extended to those who have sinned. Aside from David, we have Moses, Paul and Peter.

We also have clear examples of those who are not men after God's heart, such as Judas, Saul, and the rich young man who asked Jesus what it takes for eternal life.

I once read a paper someone had written comparing Peter and Judas. Both in a manner betrayed the Lord, yet one was saved and one lost. The difference is which one loved the Lord. Peter wept tears of Godly sorrow, and was forgiven. Judas wept tears of worldly sorrow driven by his conscience and was not forgiven. Another common reason lost folks come to sorrow for their sins, is they are sorry they got caught.

 

I can see this is a set of verses that have different ways of being looked at. I really have a hard time imagining someone committing murder and adultery one day, then the next, using my free will to turn to the Lord, and praising Him seven times a day.

Maybe this is a vague or off the wall question for you, but do you think the Lord gives everyone an equal amount of free will to turn to Him, and come to salvation in Jesus Christ by grace through faith?

 

Please clarify something from your previous post. You have not been here long, but can already tell you are going to be a person I read their posts with great interest. Did you say you thought there is a significance to David being a man after God's own heart and committing murder and adultery at the same time because it was before the cross? If so, are you saying that would be an impossible situation today? I never thought of that is why I asked. I always looked at David as a unique individual that God chose to do great things. Someone who murders and commits adultery, on average, I would think in most cases is not saved, as most lost people do not murder. (except in their hearts) Anyway, I just viewed David as a man that God set aside to prove that in the Lord, all things are possible and that God gets the glory, as David was not a family of royalty. In that respect, David was unique, not the normal pattern, in his accomplishments for the Lord combined with his horrible sin.

On the election question, I think that has nothing to do with before or after the cross. God's hand is in everything as He accomplishes His purposes, and the story is David makes that quite clear. Chosen to be King in an impoverished family, and the least likely of that family. This gives the glory to the Lord. Then, even after his sin I mentioned, he falls down before the Lord and confesses his wretched state, and begs for forgiveness. In other words, he displayed true Godly sorrow.

In the course of modern daily life, if someone murdered today for a new spouse, the idea this person is saved to me would be next to impossible or very rare, as the Lord chooses.