After God's Own Heart: The Gospel According to David by Mark J. Boda

Gospel According to the Old Testament

by Mark J. Boda

With lucid insights on every page, After God's Own Heart examines the life of David, showing how the Old Testament king relates to anointing, covenant, the temple, and sin. But ultimately, the author shows how David pictures the Messiah to come. This volume in the Gospel According to the Old Testament series includes questions for individual or group study.About the Mark J. Boda (M.Div., Westminster Theological Seminary; Ph.D., University of Cambridge) is chair of Old Testament at McMaster Divinity College in Hamilton, Ontario

Genres: Theology, Biblical Studies, Christian, Nonfiction

Paperback

First published June 1, 2007

Reviews

[Stephen Hoogerhyde]

This book takes an unusual approach to studying a Biblical figure. Rather than working through the life of David, and showing how he pointed forward to Christ, Boda examines David from a variety of perspectives, or from a variety of different aspects of his life. Thus he gives us chapters on, for example, David and covenant, rule, faith, justice, worship, temple, sin, and Messiah.

True to the principles briefly explicated in his preface, Boda considers David in the context of Biblical history and prophecy, in the circumstances of his life, and in how he points forward to the Messiah, Jesus. Each chapter ends with "Implications", which more fully flesh out how David points us to his greater son, Jesus Christ. Also included are questions for further reflection, which are excellent for individual or group study.

I wish he had included a chapter on David and Psalms, since David wrote such a large percentage of that book. He does include numerous references to the Psalms throughout, but I would love to see Boda tackle specifically that aspect of David's life, particularly since the Psalms, like the rest of the Old Testament, point forward to their fulfillment in Christ.

The book is very approachable. If you want to go deeper, the plentiful endnotes and bibliography will guide you to additional sources.

[Maria]

This book helped me understand the significance of David in the Old Testament but also includes reflection questions for personal application that helped me apply scripture to my own life. I understood a lot of portions of 1 and 2 Samuel much better.
While reading this book, I thought, “wow David is great but Jesus is so much greater!” I found myself longing for Jesus Christ over and over while reading this book.
The only downside was that it was a bit challenging to read. You have to be really familiar with a lot of the people and story of Samuel and Chronicles. It’s also more systematic than other books in the series.

[Patrick Poteet]

Used for a men’s study. Not the best book in this series. A few good sections but otherwise unless you are not very knowledgeable on the life of David, this is not a good use of your time.

[Philip]

A very helpful and accessible treatment of the biblical theological themes in David’s life and how his life points to Christ.

[David]

I read this book with a specific purpose - seeking insight into the life of David as related to God's kingdom purposes. It turned out to be a little less than I had hoped, but still has some great information concerning the connections between David and Christ. Boda provides more in the way of general themes from David's life that reflect on the purposes of Jesus as Messiah without articulating how some of the specifics of David's life/decisions are used to continue the Davidic journey toward Messianic fulfillment. I am not sure that what I was seeking is even possible, or if the audience and brevity of Boda's work simply wouldn't allow for that.

Great application points and reflection questions close each chapter. For those seeking to strengthen an appreciation of the Old/New Testament union, I recommend this book. I have all the other books in this series and am looking forward to reading them in time.

[Joshua Rodriguez]

The first few chapters explaining the seed principle are great. Afterwards, there was very little Biblical Theology and more of a systematic study of David’s life. Not bad, but not what the series seems to seek to communicate.

[Terence Tan]

“After God’s Heart: The Gospel according to David” is a good introduction to Biblical Theology. If you have ever wondered what is the big deal about King David, why do Christians from all around the world bother about a long-dead king in a faraway land? This book answers that question using history, law, songs and prophecy, organised through themes with straightforward application and thought-provoking reflection questions.

If you will ever do a study on David, and you should, because David is all over the Bible, then this is, for you and your small group, a must-have resource.

Full 2,360 word review: https://readingandreaders.com/podcast...

[Parker]

A surprisingly comprehensive and accessible biblical theology of the life of David and the Israelite royalty. There's a marvelous depth of exegetical work, theological insight, and contemporary application. Each chapter ends with questions and points for further reflection that are far more substantial than what I've seen in most books of this sort (even the good ones!). There's also a fantastic chapter on Ruth and how it fits into the covenantal structure of the whole biblical narrative. (This came as a pleasant surprise to me, as I'm about to teach a class on Ruth!) Highly recommend.

[Brian Pate]

I read this while preparing Sunday School lessons on 1-2 Samuel. The book is not bad -- he makes good connections to Christ and applications to the church -- but I was wanting much more. Each chapter was just a quick introduction to the topic. Confusingly, he approached David's life topically (rule, faith, justice, unity) rather than just walking through David's story chronologically. Again, it's not a bad book, but it's not one I would recommend if you want to study or preach the life of David.

[Monte Hickingbottom]

Some chapters were amazing, but some drug on. Overall a great reference book on David as a type of the Messiah.

[Neil Kruger]

4.5 Stars

A series of biblical theologies of David culminating in Jesus the Messiah.

[Sam Nesbitt]

Overall good content and clearly written, but not as insightful as others in this series. It is a fitting book for someone who is new to Christianity and the Bible.

[Keith]

A great overview of the life of David and an eye toward Jesus the Messiah.

[Jeanie]

This book goes into detail in what it means to be a man (woman) after God's Own Heart. It involves worship. When you look at David's life, you see a life of worship. Was he perfect? Was he the perfect father? Was he the perfect husband? Perfection is on the side of heaven, however, worship is now and forever. Each 13 chapters cover David and a numer of topics from biblical theology to the Messiah. Each chapter ends with implications to Christ. It went very deep into the kingship of David and what that was during that time. Also the implications of what the Lord had wanted for his people by providing a king. A king was to be a warrior who would fight for his people. It also goes deeply in the promise of the Land which the Jews still hold tightly even today. David's purpose was the worship of God and has John Piper has challenged the Church to make the purpose of the church not the salvation of human souls but the worship of God. That is heart of God.

[Mark A Powell]

Boda examines the Davidic covenant (of 2 Samuel 7) through various aspects of David’s own life, as well as through the rest of the Bible. Ultimately, he explains how Jesus is the complete and final fulfillment of the Messianic prophesies given throughout the Old Testament era, including those given to David. While dry in some places, Boda has created a helpful addition to this series and a solid reminder that all of Scripture points to Christ.