Not Even as People After God’s Own Heart

Post No. Two

October 19, 2026 

Focus scriptures:

Psalm 69: 19-21; 27-29

Isaiah 53: 3; 7; 11

       Today, we examine ourselves through the lens of a man who had unique insight into the emotional sufferings of Jesus Christ. King David navigated the internal turmoil of Christ without the benefit of being fully God. Albeit King David’s destiny was not to be the Messiah; He, like us, needed a savior. Nevertheless, David’s life is a typology of Jesus’s life, His kingship, His legacy and His suffering. The bible even uses the same language to illustrate the connection between their experiences.

        As we place ourselves in Christ’s shoes and consider how He felt, it can sometimes be tempting to give ourselves an out. Although Christ was fully man, He was also fully God, and His deity may operate as a cop out for those who struggle to appreciate the depth and intensity of His suffering on our behalf. However, God, being infinitely ahead of us, gives us a purely human example. This example helps us see why God Himself had to come down and save us—because if operating in our humanity, even a man after God’s own heart (see Acts 13:22) would not have done what Jesus did.

Similar Suffering, Different Sons

       The Holy Spirit intentionally linked David’s experiences with those of the coming Christ. See the chart below highlighting the comparison most helpfully:

David in Psalm 69	Prophecy of Jesus in Isaiah 53
Verse 19:“You know how I am scorned, disgraced and shamed…”	Verse 3:“He was despised and rejected by mankind…”
Verse 20:“I looked for sympathy, but there was none, for comforters, but I found none.”	Verse 3:“Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem”
Verse 29:“But as for me, afflicted and in pain—may your salvation, God, protect me.”	Verse 3:“a man of suffering, and familiar with pain.”Verse 7: “He was oppressed and afflicted…”

        Other scriptures examined on micro and macro levels provide clearer analogies than even these do. Although their sufferings were uncannily alike, their responses differed dramatically, and Jesus, having done nothing wrong had even more reason to respond as David did (and as some of us would have).

David Wanted Payback, Jesus Served as Payment

       In response to being despised and persecuted, David prayed in Psalm 69:27-28, “Charge them with crime upon crime; do not let them share in your salvation. 28 May they be blotted out of the book of life and not be listed with the righteous.”  Polar opposite was Jesus’s prayer on the cross in Luke 23:34. He prayed, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” (Luke 23:34). What is more, the entire goal of Jesus’s suffering was to prevent our names from being blotted out of the book of life. Point being, David sought retribution and salvation from his persecution, as many of us would have, and as many of us do when we encounter suffering for Christ today. Jesus sought forgiveness and deliberately chose to endure His suffering, making the informed decision not to summon more than 12 legions of angels to save him from being arrested and taken to the cross (see Matthew 26: 50-56).

The Sufferings of Destiny Bring Satisfaction

       The prophet Isaiah foretold that, “After [H]e ha[d] suffered, [Jesus would] see the light of life and be satisfied” (Isaiah 53:11). Jesus was satisfied at the end of it all. His suffering worth it to Him. John 3:16 informs us that love was God’s motivation.  So, let us not be too hard on ourselves. Let us receive the grace that God freely gives us because He knows that even as men and women after His own heart, we will still fall short of His glory. That is why He is coming back. To set all things right and make all things new. Let us prepare for that day—to hear “Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.” (Matthew 25:21). Then we too will be satisfied in the end.

Of course this would not be an Armor of God article without prayer points. Bring these points to God in the secret place:

• Ask God, "what sufferings have you designed me to carry that are unique to my destiny?"

• Pray for wisdom and guidence on how to properly carry the load God has entrusted you with.

• Ask the Lord to help you give His love, help and grace to others as they learn to navigate the sufferings of their own destinies.

________________________________________________________________________________

Meditation points

What sufferings have we endured thus far for our own destinies?

What would it take to make our sufferings worth it to us?

Do we trust God to give us satisfaction that far outweighs our sufferings like He did for Christ?