Kindness to Mephibosheth

2 Samuel 9 NLT

One day David asked, “Is anyone in Saul’s family still alive—anyone to whom I can show kindness for Jonathan’s sake?” He summoned a man named Ziba, who had been one of Saul’s servants. “Are you Ziba?” the king asked. “Yes sir, I am,” Ziba replied. The king then asked him, “Is anyone still alive from Saul’s family? If so, I want to show God’s kindness to them.” Ziba replied, “Yes, one of Jonathan’s sons is still alive. He is crippled in both feet.” “Where is he?” the king asked. “In Lo-debar,” Ziba told him, “at the home of Makir son of Ammiel.” So David sent for him and brought him from Makir’s home. His name was Mephibosheth; he was Jonathan’s son and Saul’s grandson. When he came to David, he bowed low to the ground in deep respect. David said, “Greetings, Mephibosheth.” Mephibosheth replied, “I am your servant.” “Don’t be afraid!” David said. “I intend to show kindness to you because of my promise to your father, Jonathan. I will give you all the property that once belonged to your grandfather Saul, and you will eat here with me at the king’s table!” Mephibosheth bowed respectfully and exclaimed, “Who is your servant, that you should show such kindness to a dead dog like me?” Then the king summoned Saul’s servant Ziba and said, “I have given your master’s grandson everything that belonged to Saul and his family. You and your sons and servants are to farm the land for him to produce food for your master’s household. But Mephibosheth, your master’s grandson, will eat here at my table.” (Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants.) Ziba replied, “Yes, my lord the king; I am your servant, and I will do all that you have commanded.” And from that time on, Mephibosheth ate regularly at David’s table, like one of the king’s own sons. Mephibosheth had a young son named Mica. From then on, all the members of Ziba’s household were Mephibosheth’s servants. And Mephibosheth, who was crippled in both feet, lived in Jerusalem and ate regularly at the king’s table.

Introduction:

We have been looking at the life of David and seeing how it relates to our lives. David was a man who had many faults but remained sensitive to and loved the Lord. He had many enemies, but God said that he was a man after his own heart. Today we look a story that is rich in valuable godly characteristics.

Keeping Promises

2 Samuel 9:1 “One day David asked, “Is anyone in Saul’s family still alive—anyone to whom I can show kindness for Jonathan’s sake?””

David was now firmly rooted as the king and had remembered his promises to his dear friend, Jonathan.

You may recall as we discussed in 1 Samuel chapters 18-20 that David and Jonathan had a great friendship.

Remember that true friendship is selfless, is intentional, and speaks truth.

David and Jonathan made a covenant with each other and had every intention on keeping his word.

Let’s think about the importance of this for a moment.

Jonathan was dead and everyone in Saul’s family had been killed.

David could have easily just carried on with his life and never looked back.

Also note, that it wasn’t like someone pointed it out to him that he had made a promise and that he needed to keep it.

He went out asking if there was anyone left so he could keep his promise.

David was now king. Did he have to go out of his way to show kindness to Jonathan’s family?

David made that promise when he was on the run and in dire straights. Was he accountable to the promise he made when times were tough?

What would we do?

many of us might just keep trucking along and not worry about the promise we made

We may say things without clearly thinking through the implications

We may make rash promises or even worse make a covenant without counting the cost

Do you keep your promises when there is no one there to remind you?

An Unusual Act

2 Samuel 9:5–8 NLT

So David sent for him and brought him from Makir’s home. His name was Mephibosheth; he was Jonathan’s son and Saul’s grandson. When he came to David, he bowed low to the ground in deep respect. David said, “Greetings, Mephibosheth.” Mephibosheth replied, “I am your servant.” “Don’t be afraid!” David said. “I intend to show kindness to you because of my promise to your father, Jonathan. I will give you all the property that once belonged to your grandfather Saul, and you will eat here with me at the king’s table!” Mephibosheth bowed respectfully and exclaimed, “Who is your servant, that you should show such kindness to a dead dog like me?”

Now it would have been the custom of the day for the king to kill anyone who was related to the outed king.

It might sound pretty cruel and it was, but a king could not take any chance that one of the offspring would try to rise up and assume the throne for themselves.

We see this happen over and over again, so it was customary to kill the previous king’s kids.

When David summoned Mephibosheth, who knows what might have been going through his mind.

He may have been trembling with fear thinking, “Oh boy, he found me.”

He had been a five-year old child when the word came that Saul and Jonathan had been killed. (2 Samuel 4:4)

Mephibosheth most likely reckoned himself dead at the hands of King David.

He did only what he could do, he said “I am your servant.”

Remember that technically, Mephibosheth was an enemy. Not only was he an enemy, he was lame.

Since he was 5 years old he was severely crippled.

He had to rely on others to help him out. Makir took care of him.

For all intents and purposes, he was useless to society.

He was a burden instead of a help.

What David does next is absolutely amazing…

A Show of Kindness

By all custom, David should have killed Mephibosheth.

He was the grandson of his enemy, King Saul.

He was by all reports not loyal to David.

He was a hinderance. His very name means “Spreader of Shame.”

He lived in Lo de bar, a place that means “No Where”

However, David intends to show kindness.

This kindness was not due to anything that Mephibosheth did.

And it wasn’t because he deserved it.

David did it because he had himself been the recipient of kindness.

The Hebrew word for kindness is hě-sěd.

Hě-sěd is sometimes translated as kindness, steadfast love, faithfulness, loyalty, or favor.

What we see in this is what we can relate to as “GRACE”

It was God’s underserved favor on David that caused David to show it to others.

It was hě-sěd that God showed David when he called him out of the fields to become king.

It was hě-sěd that God showed David when He gave him the throne of Israel.

It was hě-sěd that God showed David when God promised him that He would build a dynasty from his family line.

It was hě-sěd that David recieved and it was hě-sěd that David gave.

Putting It All Together

David was a receiver of extravagant kindness.

David responded to God by showing the same kind of kindness.

Mephibosheth was the recipient of David’s kindness because of a relationship that David had with his father.

From that time forward, Mephibosheth ate at the king’s table and owned all the land that belonged to his grandfather.

He was a nobody from nowhere in total dependence on someone else.

He went from being depending on Makir in Lo de bar to being a rich man

He went from being no one to having intimacy with the king.

This is all part of a bigger story.

It is a foolish thought to think that we can get favor with God by anything that we can do.

There is nothing that we can do or nothing that we have done that causes God to show us favor.

It is totally undeserved.

What we actually deserve is separation. But God gives hě-sěd, extraordinary kindness in that He sent His Son to take the punishment for sin.

You see we are all Mephibosheths, lame spreaders of shame from no place. We are in need of extravagant favor.

And God has done that in Jesus.

As a recipient of God’s favor/grace we now get to sit at the King’s table and enjoy intimacy with Him.

Questions for Us

My first question would have to be “Have you recieved that extravagant kindness from God?”

That is available to you today. When will you quit fighting God and surrender to what He has been doing in your heart?

My second question is if you have received the extraordinary kindness, what is your response?

Where can you show extraordinary kindness? Where can you show kindness somewhere where is is not expected nor deserved?

Nursing Home

Homeless Shelter

Drug and Addiction facility

In the broken home that you grew up in

On a mission trip to a hole in the wall

Adopting or fostering a troubled or unwanted child

How about a radical financial gift

How about forgiving someone who doesn’t deserve it

Altar Call