Title: A Heart Like His: Intimate Reflections on the Life of David
Author: Beth Moore
Category: Christian Non-Fiction
Published: May 1, 2012 by B & H (first published 1996)
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
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We all go through times when we feel insignificant or times when we feel certain that we have experienced a degree of failure from which there is no return. This is not a reality we experience alone, but is one that a man after God’s heart experienced as well. From shepherd, to refugee, to king of Israel, David exhibited the purest virtues and the most heinous sinfulness, but through it all his relationship with the Lord continued to grow.
A Heart Like His looks at this bond of mutual love and admiration between a man who was not unlike any of us and the one true God who is all good and all powerful. Beth Moore walks us through an exploration of David’s incredible life, drawing spiritual insights from a man who boldly fulfilled his divine destiny not merely by what he did, but who he loved and served. Bringing lessons from David’s life to bear on your own, this picture of a man who loved and followed God will help you to serve with a heart focused on Him no matter the circumstance.
I read Beth Moore’s A Heart Like His with a women’s Bible study group at my church . We only looked at three chapters a week and we took several weeks off for weather and the holidays. One the one hand that’s good – it let me digest each chapter, take my time and think about it. On the other it was bad because it made the book just seem to drag on.
David is a fascinating character, and Moore pulls out lessons to learn from all the points in his life, his ups and his downs. Her tone is conversational and easy to read. She makes it all very relatable. It was a good book to read with a group of women and the discussion questions in the back were helpful. I don’t know that anything was really earth-shattering, but it was a very thorough look at David’s like and how we can learn from his mistakes, his triumphs, and, most importantly, his relationship with God.
A few quotes:
We don’t live in a society that supports the seriousness of long-term vows, but we live under the heavenly authority who does.
We can still cry out to God for help even when we think we’re getting what we deserve! God comes to us even when our pain is self-inflicted. Times of humiliation and persecution do not have to be permanent injuries.
All worship is based on sacrifice. Worship with abandon is an intimate experience. Completely abandoned worship is often misunderstood.
Note the names David called God: “my Rock, my loving God, my fortress, my stronghold, my deliverer, my shield, my refuge, the one who trains my hands and who subdues people under me.” For all of David’s needs, his God had a name. We, too, can know God by a name for every need.
I found it encouraging and challenging. I’ve heard the story of David many times, but I liked how Moore reflects on his entire life, not just focusing on the big points, the big victories or outrageous sins. I feel like I have a better idea of why God called David a man after His own heart.
This sounds interesting. I can imagine reading it in so slowly would make the book drag yet also have you reflecting on it. I like that quote about long term vows.
I’ve been in a few bible study groups and the time between sessions has always made the book drag on for me.
It’s a shame, really. I think the book was good but reading it over so long lost the continuity for me. On the other hand, we’re reading The Story as a whole church and it’s working fine for me, one chapter a week. Maybe because it’s so many stories, not just one.