012319 - David's Kindness to Mephibosheth

David was a king in the Bible. He was actually one of the greatest kings. We’re told that in spite of some giant messups, he loved God with his whole heart.

But David wasn’t born into a royal family. He was the youngest son of a humble shepherd.

But God saw in David a man with a heart of compassion and love. A heart just like his.

So in spite of the fact that there was already a king who had plans for his own son to succeed him (a good man named Jonathan) God chose David to be the next king. He was like 16 years old.

Oddly enough, David’s best friend was Jonathan. Jonathan knew that David would be king and he was ok with it. Jonathan showed great kindness to David.

But it took a long time for David to become king. And by that time, Jonathan had died. So David looked for a way to honor his friend.

Today we read a story of ordinary simply kindness that made a huge difference.

2 Samuel 9:1-

2 Samuel 9:1–7 ESV

1 And David said, “Is there still anyone left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan’s sake?” 2 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.” 3 And the king said, “Is there not still someone of the house of Saul, that I may show the kindness of God to him?” Ziba said to the king, “There is still a son of Jonathan; he is crippled in his feet.” 4 The king said to him, “Where is he?” And Ziba said to the king, “He is in the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, at Lo-debar.” 5 Then King David sent and brought him from the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, at Lo-debar. 6 And Mephibosheth the son of Jonathan, son of Saul, came to David and fell on his face and paid homage. And David said, “Mephibosheth!” And he answered, “Behold, I am your servant.” 7 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.”

1. Find opportunities to care for other people.

Explanation: Sometimes it’s good to ask, who can I be kind to today. David was looking for an opportunity to be kind to someone. He actually asked for advice from his advisors. Is there someone you can ask to say, is there someone who needs a pick-me-up.

Illustration:

Application: What needs do you see around you as you walk the halls of the school? Pay attention to be people’s faces and attitudes. Look for changes in their behavior.

2. Do for 1 what you wish you could do for everyone.

Explanation: By the time it came for David to show kindness to Jonathan’s family, there was only one person left. David wished that he could be kind to them all, but he couldn’t so he was overwhelmingly kind to 1.

Illustration:

Application: Now all of us can be kind to one another. But we can’t be overwhelmingly kind to everyone.

Challenge: Find and do 1 simple act of kindness to someone this week. Don’t let it be your best friend