Undeserved Kindness

What does it mean to show undeserved kindness? Everyone would say that this world could use a little more kindness in it. Maybe if people stopped fighting and did more acts of kindness things in this world would be better.

We see it all the time of “Be Kind” on billboards, in movies, and in music. Yet why isn’t is happening? I believe it is because of the word undeserved.

It is easy to show kindness to those who do nice things to you, or who say nice things to you, but it is extremely hard to show any kindness to a jerk, or someone who is mean to you, perhaps an enemy.

What does undeserved kindness look like?

Illustrations for Biblical Preaching Kindness, Conquers

Kindness, Conquers

“You can accomplish by kindness,” wrote Publilius Syrus in the first century before the birth of Christ, “what you cannot by force.”

William B. McKinley, President of the United States from 1897 to 1901, was a man who understood that principle. During one of his campaigns, a reporter from an opposition newspaper followed him constantly and just as persistently misrepresented McKinley’s views. Eventually during this campaign, the weather became extremely cold, and even though the reporter didn’t have sufficiently warm clothing, he still followed McKinley. One bitter evening, the president-to-be was riding in his closed carriage, and the young reporter sat shivering on the driver’s seat outside. McKinley stopped the carriage and invited the reporter to put on his coat and ride with him inside the warm carriage. The young man, astonished, protested that McKinley knew that he was opposition and that he wasn’t going to stop opposing McKinley during the campaign. McKinley knew that, but he wasn’t out to seek revenge. In the remaining days of the campaign, the reporter continued to oppose McKinley, but never again did he write anything unfair or biased about the future president.

This is something that we are going to see in our text today, how King David showed undeserved kindness.

2 Samuel 9 CSB

David asked, “Is there anyone remaining from the family of Saul I can show kindness to for Jonathan’s sake?” There was a servant of Saul’s family named Ziba. They summoned him to David, and the king said to him, “Are you Ziba?” “I am your servant,” he replied. So the king asked, “Is there anyone left of Saul’s family that I can show the kindness of God to?” Ziba said to the king, “There is still Jonathan’s son who was injured in both feet.” The king asked him, “Where is he?” Ziba answered the king, “You’ll find him in Lo-debar at the house of Machir son of Ammiel.” So King David had him brought from the house of Machir son of Ammiel in Lo-debar. Mephibosheth son of Jonathan son of Saul came to David, fell facedown, and paid homage. David said, “Mephibosheth!” “I am your servant,” he replied. “Don’t be afraid,” David said to him, “since I intend to show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan. I will restore to you all your grandfather Saul’s fields, and you will always eat meals at my table.” Mephibosheth paid homage and said, “What is your servant that you take an interest in a dead dog like me?” Then the king summoned Saul’s attendant Ziba and said to him, “I have given to your master’s grandson all that belonged to Saul and his family. You, your sons, and your servants are to work the ground for him, and you are to bring in the crops so your master’s grandson will have food to eat. But Mephibosheth, your master’s grandson, is always to eat at my table.” Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants. Ziba said to the king, “Your servant will do all my lord the king commands.” So Mephibosheth ate at David’s table just like one of the king’s sons. Mephibosheth had a young son whose name was Mica. All those living in Ziba’s house were Mephibosheth’s servants. However, Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem because he always ate at the king’s table. His feet had been injured.

2 Samuel

Point one: Undeserved Kindness wasn’t expected

Verse 1 sets the picture of who David is going to show kindness too. David asks, “is there anyone remaining in the house of Saul.” Saul was king before David, and Saul had spent most of his time as king trying to kill David.

In our minds we think an eye for an eye, yet David is looking for this man’s family not to get revenge and justice because of Saul trying to end his life, but in order as he says, “to show kindness.”

And I could tell you to be Kind like David! And that is a good thing it is good to be kind and Jesus even says

Matthew 5:44 CSB

But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,

Mtthes 5:44

But the really thing I want you to see in this story is :

Christ Connection: King David showed surprising kindness to Mephibosheth even though he didn’t have to. In a greater way, God shows surprising kindness to us. Because of Jesus, He invites us into His family and gives us life with Him forever.

Christ Connection: King David showed surprising kindness to Mephibosheth even though he didn’t have to. In a greater way, God shows surprising kindness to us. Because of Jesus, He invites us into His family and gives us life with Him forever.

didn’t have to. In a greater way, God shows surprising kindness to us. Because of Jesus, He invites

didn’t have to. In a greater way, God shows surprising kindness to us. Because of Jesus, He

Point two: God has shown us Great undeserved Kindness

This is a major theme all through out the Bible. God isn’t fair! He doesn’t give us what we deserve.

Romans 3:23 ESV

for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

This is where we all begin. We have sinned, we have fallen short. We live in a world full of sin, and when we turn on the T.V. we see it. When we return home some of us will feel what a fallen world feels like, because it is just everyday life for us. Because all have sinned

Romans 6:23 ESV

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

What is earned by sinning is death. Another verse says “You were dead in your sins.”

The picture is pretty bleak and without Hope. We are very much like Mephibosheth underserving of Kindness.

We are hopeless and broken. Two times Mephibosheth being crippled in mentioned- why? it is so stressing his helplessness.

David’s actions contrasted any of the normal acts of that time- Mephibosheth had every right to be afraid, because being from the line of Saul not only made him and enemy of David, but also a possible threat to his thrown.

Christianity is different then any other world religion and even humanism. All of these are based on actions. “If I just do this then I can earn my way.”

Biblical Christianity says “You can never earn your way, so God made away.” It is a hard message to hear “you can be good enough to get into heaven.”

It is only those who acknowledge there need for a savior to save them from their sins.

Romans 10:13 ESV

For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

Illustrations for Biblical Preaching Grace, Example of

An old Indian, after living many years in sin, was led to Christ by a missionary. Friends asked him to explain the change in his life. Reaching down, he picked up a little worm and placed it on a pile of leaves. Then, touching a match to the leaves, he watched them smolder and burst into flames. As the flames worked their way up to the center where the worm lay, the old chief suddenly plunged his hand into the center of the burning pile and snatched out the worm. Holding the worm gently in his hand, he gave this testimony to the grace of God: “Me. . . that worm.”

Point three: David shows mercy because of His relationship with Jonathan

Point three: David shows mercy because of His relationship with Jonathan

Verse 1 “Is there anyone from the family of Saul I can show mercy to for Jonathan’s sake?” this is the motivation for the act of Kindness that Mephibosheth experiences.

For us it is through Jesus’ that we find ourselves experiencing God’s great Kindness. It is not something earn but it is because of Jesus dying on the cross for our sins, that we now have grace and mercy from God and the forgiveness of sin.

This is the great burden we all carry

Illustrations for Biblical Preaching Sin

A flippant youth asked a preacher, “You say that unsaved people carry a weight of sin. I feel nothing. How heavy is sin? Is it ten pounds? Eighty pounds.”

The preacher replied by asking the youth, “If you laid a four-hundred-pound weight on a corpse, would it feel the load.”

The youth replied, “It would feel nothing, because it is dead.”

The preacher concluded, “That spirit, too, is indeed dead which feels no load of sin or is indifferent to its burden and flippant about its presence.”

The youth was silenced.

Romans 5:6–10 ESV

For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.

Romans

What is Mephibosheth’s response?

First there is fear. He knows that he has not right to stand in the Kings presence, so he falls down on His face.

Then after David declares that He brought Him there to show kindness towards him, Mephibosheth responds, “What is your Servant that you take an interest in a dead dog like me?”

How do we respond to the grace that God shows us? Perhaps today you feel like you don’t deserve God’s grace? Perhaps you sit there and think, “Well you don’t know the things I have done, or the things that I have had done to me?”

“You don’t know me.”

Well I will tell you that you are right. You don’t deserve Grace. This is why the Bible calls it a gift- The act of Christ on the cross was a gift.

Matthew 9:11–13 ESV

And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” But when he heard it, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Christ came for those broken by sin, hopeless, helpless, and hurting.

Luke 18:9–14 ESV

He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt: “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Luke 18:9-1

God’s Mercy is for those who acknowledge their need for His Son. Our response to this should be just like Mephibosheth- To fall on our faces and “pay Homage” - Worship God out of a grateful heart, for we were dead but now are alive.

John