Read 2 Samuel 9
David and Mephibosheth
1 David asked, “Is there anyone still left of the house of Saul to whom I can show kindness for Jonathan’s sake?”
2 Now there was a servant of Saul’s household named Ziba. They summoned him to appear before David, and the king said to him, “Are you Ziba?”
“At your service,” he replied.
3 The king asked, “Is there no one still alive from the house of Saul to whom I can show God’s kindness?”
Ziba answered the king, “There is still a son of Jonathan; he is lame in both feet.”
4 “Where is he?” the king asked.
Ziba answered, “He is at the house of Makir son of Ammiel in Lo Debar.”
5 So King David had him brought from Lo Debar, from the house of Makir son of Ammiel.
6 When Mephibosheth son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, came to David, he bowed down to pay him honor.
David said, “Mephibosheth!”
“At your service,” he replied.
7 “Don’t be afraid,” David said to him, “for I will surely show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan. I will restore to you all the land that belonged to your grandfather Saul, and you will always eat at my table.”
8 Mephibosheth bowed down and said, “What is your servant, that you should notice a dead dog like me?”
9 Then the king summoned Ziba, Saul’s steward, and said to him, “I have given your master’s grandson everything that belonged to Saul and his family. 10 You and your sons and your servants are to farm the land for him and bring in the crops, so that your master’s grandson may be provided for. And Mephibosheth, grandson of your master, will always eat at my table.” (Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants.)
11 Then Ziba said to the king, “Your servant will do whatever my lord the king commands his servant to do.” So Mephibosheth ate at David’s table like one of the king’s sons.
12 Mephibosheth had a young son named Mika, and all the members of Ziba’s household were servants of Mephibosheth. 13 And Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, because he always ate at the king’s table; he was lame in both feet.
Go Deeper
In today’s reading, we see the kindness of God extended through David. David asks for any remaining relative of Saul to be brought to him. The only person left was Jonathan’s lame son, Mephibosheth. Mephibosheth couldn’t walk and had been in hiding for the years since David took the throne. Mephibosheth assumed that if David knew he was still alive, then David would kill him because he was a descendant of the former king. This was a common practice. However, David goes out of his way to show mercy. He not only gives Mephibosheth his rightful inheritance of land and servants, but also invites him in to eat at his table as if he were David’s son.
David’s kindness to Mephibosheth represents how God loves us. Mephibosheth was hiding, not living in his own house, lame in both feet, unable to provide for his family, scared and alone. Then, thanks to David, Mephibosheth owns land, has servants, and sits at the king’s table. He didn’t earn or deserve this treatment. He had done nothing for the king. He brought nothing to the table, both literally and figuratively. Yet, David brought him in and gave him a place in the family and a seat at the table. Why? Why would David do that for the grandson of his biggest enemy? David was simply doing what God had done for him. God loves us no matter what.
God shows the same kindness to us, too. God takes us as we are. Whether we are hiding and running from Him or feeling undeserving and unqualified, God brings us into His family. God gives us an inheritance and a seat at His table. We can do nothing for Him. We bring nothing to His table. Yet, He gives us all we need and then some. Why? Why would He be so extravagant with His grace towards those who reject and run away from Him? Because He is kind to us. He loves us.
Scripture tells us God’s kindness leads us to repentance (Romans 2:4). He is kind to us because He wants us sitting at the table with Him.
Questions
- How has God shown His kindness to you? Praise Him for all He has done to you and for you.
- Like David, how have you been an extension of God’s kindness to others?
- Think about the people you will interact with today. How can you show them God’s over-the-top kindness, mercy, and grace? Now, go do it!
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1 thought on “2 Samuel 9”
What a beautiful, restorative narrative we read today and what far reaching implications it carries to us! Thanks be to God “that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” so that we might sit at the King of Kings table and forever partake of his goodness and mercy. I’m thinking that the kindest, most God-honoring thing I can do is share the gospel with others, so they might “taste and see that the Lord, he is good and His mercies endure forever.”