A man after Gods heart

What does it mean to be a man after God’s own heart? We are told that David pleased God, and that he was a man after God’s own heart. We also recognize him as a model of what it means to be a man of faith. We know that he wrote many of the Psalms, and was considered a very good King, but are these the things that make him a man after God’s own heart? Lets examine the Scriptures to find out what was so special about David.

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 13:21-22)

We know that God was not happy with Saul, which is why he was eventually replaced by David as king. But what did Saul do to displease God?

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Righteousness that Surpasses the Pharisees

This is a scripture that has been on my mind for a while now. “For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:20) It keeps coming back to my mind. What did Jesus mean when he said that our righteousness must surpass that of the Pharisees? The Pharisees were considered the most holy and most righteous people of their day. These Pharisees were known to have the entire Tanak (Old Testament) memorized, and were also considered to have been the people with the most accurate interpretations of the Scriptures. Jesus himself even said to do what they teach. So, what does it mean for us to be more righteous than the Pharisees?