"A Man After God's Own Heart" By Kaitlyn March.

Essay by queenie42388A+, November 2003

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David, son of Jesse, grew up as the youngest in a large family. He was a shepherd boy, gifted with the sling and the harp. God chose him from his brothers, through the prophet Samuel, to be king of Israel after Saul. David began to gain the love of the people, which he was very gifted at, after he defeated the mighty Palestinian giant Goliath, with only a stone and a shepherd's sling. When Saul died in battle, David became king.

The beginning of David's reign is known as the golden age of Israel. During this time, the kingdom experienced such peace as they had never known. Israel became a great nation, and God's favor was with David. This, however, would not last.

When David was nearing middle age, he saw a young woman bathing on her roof. David was overcome with desire for the beautiful young girl. He believed he could have anything that he wanted, even the wife of one of his most faithful officers.

A fact that most people do not realize is that David should not even have been at the palace at that time. He should've been with his troops. David, however, had become bored with battle. Thus he began down the road that would lead to his destruction, and that of his family.

The young woman that David had so desired was named Bathsheba, and she was the wife of Uriah, one of David's own men. Nonetheless, the King sent for her, seduced her, and committed one of the gravest sins of all: adultery. With this, David violated his ties with God.

When David learned that Bathsheba was pregnant, he attempts to conceal his wrong doing by ordering Uriah to come home and lay with his wife. Uriah comes, but he refuses...