2 Samuel 9
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We move into chapter 9. God is blessing David’s kingdom.
He is reigning with righteousness and justice.
So David reigned over all Israel; and David administered justice and righteousness for all his people.
He is defeating every enemy that stands before him.
David is very much so a man of war.
He is a strong and mighty king.
He carries a strong sword, and he swings it violently at his enemies.
But David is not just a King of war.
He is not just a king of strife and battle.
David is also a King of kindness.
Here in chapter 9, we find the heart of David to be a heart of love, grace, and kindness.
After chapter 8 ends with the log of David’s victories, chapter 9 opens with David not searching for more enemies to slay.
Rather, chapter 9 begins with David’s search for someone one whom he can pour out his grace.
Then David said, “Is there yet anyone left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan’s sake?”
Two things I want you to see here in verse 1—
The complete and utter decimation of Saul’s house because of Saul’s sin.
In 1 Samuel 28, God had promised that Saul and His sons would be killed. Do you remember this? Saul consults a medium, and Samuel is brought to Saul and delivers a prophecy.
God tore the kingdom of Saul away, and gave it to David. Samuel tells him this.
“The Lord has done accordingly as He spoke through me; for the Lord has torn the kingdom out of your hand and given it to your neighbor, to David.
And tear he did. All of Saul’s sons are killed in the last chapter of 1st Samuel.
To the point, where David has no idea whether there is anyone left.
David has experienced success as king, and he desires to share that success with the family of his friend Jonathan if there is still anyone left.
Here is the second thing I want you to see.
David still has love for his friend, Jonathan, and his love leads him to action.
We have spoken about the love David had for Jonathan. David still intended and desired to keep his promise to Jonathan.
Do you remember what David had promised Jonathan? Jonathan speaking said this—
“If I am still alive, will you not show me the lovingkindness of the Lord, that I may not die?
“You shall not cut off your lovingkindness from my house forever, not even when the Lord cuts off every one of the enemies of David from the face of the earth.”
There it is, the plea of Jonathan, and the promise of David that followed.
David has all intention of keeping his covenant.
Church, when we see in Scripture a covenant being made, our ears should perk up. We ought to lean forward a little bit in our chairs because something important is happening.
Covenants are meaningful, despite the cheapening and the all out assault on marriage today, the marriage covenant is meaningful and important. It is covenant taken before God and man to love the one to whom you are vowing.
Here, David has not married Jonathan, but he has covenanted to him to be faithful to his house.
And what you see here is that love led to the covenant and thus this covenanted love leads to action. It is not merely words that David speaks with regard to Jonathan.
David promised Jonathan because David loved Jonathan and it leads him to action even when Jonathan is long gone, even when Jonathan is no longer there to exoprienece the benefits of that love.
He seeks out to see if anyone is left of Jonathan’s family, because he loved Jonathan.
Love always leads to action.
If there is no action, there is no love.
Here David takes the initiative.
Thats just verse 1, y’all got to listen faster.
Look at verse 2-3
Now there was a servant of the house of Saul whose name was Ziba, and they called him to David; and the king said to him, “Are you Ziba?” And he said, “I am your servant.”
The king said, “Is there not yet anyone of the house of Saul to whom I may show the kindness of God?” And Ziba said to the king, “There is still a son of Jonathan who is crippled in both feet.”
So David, not knowing off hand who was left in Saul’s house after God’s judgment, he goes to one of Saul’s servants, you see Ziba was a servant of Saul there in verse 2.
And he asks Ziba, because Ziba would know, and sure enough, there is a son.
He is crippled. Paralyzed. No ability to walk.
Now at this point, there are two options.
David could have left him there. He would be no help to his kingdom. Let whoever is taking care of him now take care of him and move on.
If the boy was able bodied, he could have used him in some regard.
But this son of Jonathan can’t even walk.
He would be of no use to David in the advancement of His kingdom.
But thats not what David does.
So the king said to him, “Where is he?” And Ziba said to the king, “Behold, he is in the house of Machir the son of Ammiel in Lo-debar.”
Then King David sent and brought him from the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, from Lo-debar.
David says, bring him to me.
David searches this son out.
The Son doesn’t have the ability to come to him, so he goes to him.
He goes down in to Lodebar with the intention of bringing this son to himself.
And he does.
Then King David sent and brought him from the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, from Lo-debar.
Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan the son of Saul, came to David and fell on his face and prostrated himself. And David said, “Mephibosheth.” And he said, “Here is your servant!”
David sends for Mephibosheth, and at this point, for all Meph. knows, David could be calling him there to take out another enemy.
After all, Mephibosheth is the RIGHTFUL heir to the throne of Saul.
He’s the only one left.
David could have and maybe even in worldly eyes, should have saw Meph. as an enemy.
I believe Meph. knows his condition make him no match for king David, so he comes, bows before the king, and proclaims himself to be David’s servant.
This is the ultimate sign of submission.
And David comforts him.
David said to him, “Do not fear, for I will surely show kindness to you for the sake of your father Jonathan, and will restore to you all the land of your grandfather Saul; and you shall eat at my table regularly.”
See, David has no intention of taking Mephibosheth out.
David had made a covenant, and now David, in an act of pure grace.
David will graciously give Mephibosheth everything that would have been his as if his grandfather were still alive.
And not only that, David will give him a place at his table.
A place of honor.
And David acts on this immediately. At the sight of David, and immediately upon being in the king’s presence, Mephibosheth goes from having nothing, able to gain nothing, to now having everything he could ever ask for.
He is given the estate of a king. And he is promised to eat at the king’s table- Always.
The NASB translates this “regularly”.. The NASB translators, in my opinion, miss the point here.
And David said unto him, Fear not: for I will surely shew thee kindness for Jonathan thy father’s sake, and will restore thee all the land of Saul thy father; and thou shalt eat bread at my table continually.
And David said to him, “Do not fear, for I will show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan, and I will restore to you all the land of Saul your father, and you shall eat at my table always.”
It is not merely regularly. He always has a seat. There is never a question as to whether he is invited. He will ALWAYS have a place at the table.
And Mephibosheth can’t believe this.
Look at verse 8 and following.
Again he prostrated himself and said, “What is your servant, that you should regard a dead dog like me?”
Then the king called Saul’s servant Ziba and said to him, “All that belonged to Saul and to all his house I have given to your master’s grandson.
“You and your sons and your servants shall cultivate the land for him, and you shall bring in the produce so that your master’s grandson may have food; nevertheless Mephibosheth your master’s grandson shall eat at my table regularly.” Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants.
Then Ziba said to the king, “According to all that my lord the king commands his servant so your servant will do.” So Mephibosheth ate at David’s table as one of the king’s sons.
David gives him everything he promised.
David fulfills his word and keeps his covenant with Jonathan.
This crippled, helpless enemy is brought to the table of the king to eat as a son.
He is now treated as a son of the king. This is why “always” is a better translation than continually.
He will always be there.
The passage ends with the promotion of Mephibosheth.
Mephibosheth had a young son whose name was Mica. And all who lived in the house of Ziba were servants to Mephibosheth.
So Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, for he ate at the king’s table regularly. Now he was lame in both feet.
I love how the chapter ends.
With a reminder that Mephibosheth is lame.
He cannot walk, and yet, he eats at the kings table.
I don’t want you to miss the significance of this story.
From chapter 8 to chapter 9 you get two separate pictures of the same king.
David in both these chapters is a picture of Christ and shows us what Kind of King Jesus will be.
Christ like David, will be a warrior, yes. He will defeat every enemy that stands before him.
He will defeat sin and death for us.
But he is also a kind and gracious King who seeks out the lowly, the broken, those with no hope, and he bring them to the table with him.
He is a covenant keeping King.
See Jesus has also made a covenant.
Ephesians 1 and John 17 refer to what in theology is known by many names. But it is a covenant between God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, this is sometimes called the eternal covenant, the everlasting covenant, some call it the covenant of grace, some call it the innertrinitarian covenant. And this covenant is between the persons of the trinity where they agree to save a people.
And Jesus, like David, because he has all intentions of keeping his promise in that covenant, comes to earth, defeats the enemies, establishes his kingdom, and having established his reign through his life death and resurrection, he comes to helpless, dead In their trespasses dogs like us, he comes and gets us when we could not have gotten to him. He brings us into to his family, sits us at the table as sons and daughters, and promises that we will forever have a seat with him At the table.
Thats what I believe David meant when he said “I will show you the Kindness of God In verse 2.”
The question is-how will we respond to this grace?
