Book Review
By Daniel L. Chisholm, Pastor, Signal Mountain BC
Signal Mountain, Tennessee
After God`s Own Heart: The Life and Faith of David
By Randy Hyde, Baltimore: Publish America, 2005.
Much has been written about the life and experiences of David. His humble beginnings as a shepherd, installation as King of Israel, successes on the battlefield, and his adulterous affair with Bathsheba are well known to students of the Bible. Even those who are unfamiliar with the details of David`s life are somewhat aware of what happened in his climactic battle with a giant named Goliath.
Randy Hyde is aware that presenting another work on David has its challenges, but believes that an understanding of David “is key to comprehending all of scripture and the plan of God for the ages” (7).
After God`s Own Heart is not an academic presentation on the subject of David. It is more of a personal reflection on David`s decisions and experiences and how they are relevant to servants of God today. Hyde explains that “the pilgrimage through David`s life is a tough journey. But it is well worth it. Why? Because it is our life journey. It is our story. We are David” (16).
Several life stories are interwoven throughout this work. First, Hyde sketches the biblical story of David from his earliest days as a shepherd to his rise as King of Israel. David`s victories and struggles are included in this process. Second, Hyde interjects experiences from his own life story and how they parallel those of David. Finally, he encourages readers to draw upon their own spiritual story and how it intersects with David`s. The trials, tribulations, and joys that were part of David`s spiritual development are familiar to many Christians. The author allows the narrative to stand on its own while allowing readers to find themselves in the situations that David faced so long ago.
The eleven divisions in this 90-page book are brief and devotional in nature. A familiar pattern of contemporary illustration, personal reflection, and retelling of the biblical text appears in each section.
Hyde does well to present what happened in the past and how David`s experiences are relevant to persons today. David was “a man after God`s own heart” despite his imperfections and failures. Hyde utilizes this depiction of David throughout the book and encourages readers to be men and women after God`s own heart as well. This does not mean that persons will not sin or make poor choices occasionally, but that the goal of life should be to please the Lord through words and actions. Life has its good and bad, but through it all God has an ongoing purpose that will be accomplished. Hyde states, “There come those times in life when we know we cannot do it by ourselves anymore. We must give our trust, wholly and completely, to God” (25).
The section entitled “God in a Box” proved to be the most meaningful to this reviewer. Hyde talked about the feelings that are associated with beginning a new pastorate with its hopes and ambitions. He mentioned the special relationship that exists between a pastor and congregation, almost like a sacred trust. The pastor is accountable to offer responsible, loving leadership to the people. Hyde linked this sort of sensation to what David must have felt as he began working with “his flock.”
David believed the Ark of the Covenant belonged in Jerusalem. In the process of getting the Ark moved, a man named Uzzah touched the Ark to keep it from toppling over. When he did, the Lord “struck him there” and he died. Although David feared the Lord, David felt he was doing the right thing and got angry when this terrible event happened. David assumed that he knew God`s purpose, but evidently he had forgotten who was in charge and who he was trying to please.
Hyde draws this conclusion: “We yield to the temptation that we are God`s custodians, and in the process, without our even knowing it, the freedom and joy, the spirit of awe and reverence we once had toward God has shriveled into a lifeless form because we have reduced God to our limited specifications. We`ve got God in a box” (61). This is a good lesson for pastors and other “professional ministers” to recall the mystery and wonder of serving a Holy God.
Readers familiar with the biblical text probably won`t find anything new in Hyde`s recounting of David`s life and experiences, but they will be challenged to weave the biblical story into their own. Hyde presents a modest portrait of the “life and faith” of one who served the Lord thousands of years ago. He writes, “There is to be a certain earthiness to our faith, and to have that is not only to follow in the spiritual steps of David, it is to understand Jesus more fully too” (89). It is through struggles and decisions that persons come to be more Christlike.
Hyde helps his readers recognize the potential to be men and women “after God`s own heart” no matter what the opinion or perception of others might be. God looks at the heart and knows who is truly fit to serve Him.
