My favourite bible personality is King David. Here is why.

David Anointed King

When God rejected Saul as King of Israel because of disobedience, he needed a new King. He sent Samuel to look for a man named Jesse because he chose one of his sons to be King. It was David, the youngest of Jesse's eight sons. David was ruddy and handsome and had pleasant eyes. Samuel anointed him and the Lord's Spirit came mightily upon him from that day on.

Strong, Courageous, Confident

David was very brave and appeared to be fearless. He was willing to fight a nine feet tall Philistine named Goliath. When Saul told him he was not able to fight such a man, David said:

"I have been taking care of my father's sheep. When a lion or a bear comes to steal a lamb from the flock, I go after it with a club and take the lamb from its mouth. If the animal turns on me, I catch it by the jaw and club it to death. I have done this to both lions and bears, and I'll do it to this pagan Philistine, too, for he has defied the armies of the living God! The Lord who saved me from the claws of the lion and the bear will save me from this Philistine!" (I Samuel 17:34-37)

David did kill Goliath, with a slingshot and a stone on his first try.

"So David triumphed over the Philistine giant with only a stone and sling, and since he had no sword, he ran over and pulled Goliath's sword from its sheath. David used it to kill the giant and cut off his head." (I Samuel 17:50-51).

He was just 17 years old at the time.

Adultery, Conspiracy and Murder

Eventually David became King of Israel and ruled very successfully. He was mighty, powerful and prosperous.

One evening, while taking a walk on the palace roof he noticed a beautiful woman taking a bath. He enquired after her and was told her name was Bathsheba. He sent for her. We could only imagine what he told her, but whatever it was, she surely did not hesitate to go to bed with him. She later found out she was pregnant and sent word to David. David then cooked up a plan to try and cover up what happened. He sent for Bathsheba's husband, Uriah, from the battlefield and tried, on two occasions to get him to sleep with his wife so everyone would believe that the baby was his. It did not work.

David then sent a letter, via Uriah, to Joab and told him to place Uriah in the frontline where the battle is fiercest so he could be killed. The plan worked. Uriah was dead. Bathsheba mourned for him. After the period of mourning was over, David sent for her and she became one his wives, and gave birth to a son. The Lord was not pleased.

God's Punishment

God, through the prophet Nathan told David:

" I anointed you king of Israel and saved you from the power of Saul. I gave you his house and his wives and the kingdoms of Israel and Judah. And if that had not been enough, I would have given you much, much more. Why, then, have you despised the word of the Lord and done this horrible deed? For you have murdered Uriah and stolen his wife. From this time on, the sword will be a constant threat to your family, because you have despised me by taking Uriah's wife to be your own. Because of what you have done, I, the Lord, will cause your own household to rebel against you. I will give your wives to another man, and he will go to bed with them in public view. You did it secretly, but I will do this to you openly in the sight of all Israel." (2 Samuel 12:7-12)

David then confessed to what he did and Nathan told him that God had forgiven him. But he still paid for his sins. The baby Bathsheba had for him died. Over a period of time his family did rebel against him. You can read the stories from 2 Samuel Chapter 13 all the way to 1 Kings Chapters 1 - 2.

The Moral of the Story

Even though David committed these horrible acts, when they were pointed out to him, he immediately confessed. He did not make excuses for what he did, and when he admitted to what he did God forgave him. David was a man after God's own heart. (1 Kings 15:5)

David was talented, brave, courageous, smart, handsome and most importantly, human. He made mistakes and paid for them. But he confessed and was forgiven by God and was considered righteous.

So whenever you make a mistake and others judge you or you judge yourself, confess to God and he will forgive you, and remember King David, a man after God's own heart.

http://hubpages.com/_1sx5thq457vxp/hub/What-exactly-does-it-mean-to-be-righteous