A Little Grace for One Another

Grace

One of the most peculiar things about grace is the fact that Grace pertains to God’s activity rather than to his nature. Grace allows God to confront our rebellion and indifference with the capacity to forgive and to bless. In other words God is gracious in action. The beauty of grace is the fact that God extends it so we can extend it. Because of God’s grace we can show grace to the person sitting next to you. You might not even know the person next to you, but you have the ability to show them grace.

Grace is defined as a manifestation of favor, especially by a superior: it’s something that does not have to be done, truthfully is an unexpected deed. Essentially when we have jumped off the cliff of life, God puts a soft landing there even when the reason why we fall off the cliff is our fault.

There are a few tenets that we can take away from this biblical story.

Keeping your word with one another.

Being gracious to one another.

Forgiveness can break cycles

Background

David has essentially settled in to being King. Not just being the king but really dominating in a manner that expanded his territory. David conquers the Philistines, defeats the Moabites, defeats the King of Zobah, he took shields of Gold, he was able to seize large amounts of bronze.

David was even able to recover the territory of the Euphrates River. A quick history lesson this river was home to the Roman Empire, Egyptian Empire, Assyrian Empire, Persian Empire and of course the people of God in this text. Today this area is home to modern day Iraq and we know according to the importance of many natural resources that contribute to drinking water, natural gas, and even resources that provide electricity to many people within this part of the world.

In conjunction with David having all these victories he seized 1,000 chariots, 700 horsemen, and 20,000 Foot Soldiers. So much success happened that Toi found out about his conquering he gave David gifts. You really get insight to David’s heart when we see that the gifts given to him he dedicated them to the Lord. So much so that the bible reads, “The Lord preserved David wherever he went”.

One thing that applies is that what we do with power and success is a reflection of our true character, there is an old adage that says money does not change people, it enhances who they already are.

Keep Your Word With One Another

It’s easy to keep your word when people are watching, but the love David had for Johnathan is exemplified in this deed.

Then Jonathan and David made a covenant, because he loved him as his own soul.

It’s important that we can keep our word with one another. This is the beauty of friendship, it can have positive impacts even after a friend dies. Keeping your word is a tenet of kindness or covenant faithfulness. David and Jonathan had a covenant with one another.

The dynamics of this relationship are so peculiar because the father of David’s best friend was the man that wanted to kill David. So here we have David who says, “Is there still anyone who is left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan’s sake.

This is what Grace does, it extends a net of kindness that is bigger than we can imagine.

He calls for any descendant of Saul’s household. Let us set the scene, all of the kings of foreign lands are in hiding. People are afraid of David’s conquering. When you extend kindness when you don’t have to, this shows folks what Grace looks like.

We have to be gracious to one another, the beauty of this is David could have used this as another opportunity to conquer. instead David uses it as an opportunity to show grace.

We have to be careful in attaining power and success. We should never be so addicted to power that we are willing to go back on our word, or step on people to get further.

We talk about building legacies, how about we build a legacy of kindness. If you have ever been to a funeral during the remarks if the person has been kind, that kindness is spoken to.

The New King James Version Chapter 20

14 And you shall not only show me the kindness of the LORD while I still live, that I may not die; 15 but you shall not cut off your kindness from my house forever, no, not when the LORD has cut off every one of the enemies of David from the face of the earth.” 16 So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, “Let the LORD require it at the hand of David’s enemies.”

17 Now Jonathan again caused David to vow, because he loved him; for he loved him as he loved his own soul.

Grace in Action

David plans a see of kindness by helping a man who can’t help him self. He meets a servant first, by the name of Ziba.

Ziba (meaning statue) it’s interesting that this effort of kindness is a visual analogy of what a statue represents.

Kobe Bryant physically died this year, but the statue in front of staples center will be a reminder of that legacy. The people of Philadelphia will always be reminded of the greatness of Joe Fraizer because of the statue downtown.

Ziba further emphasized this act of kindness by living of to his nature as a servant. Ziba has influence on his own but is willing to become a servant of David. Sometimes we have to serve people we did not expect to do anything for.

On the other hand, David exemplifies “and be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.

Grace in action happens when we extend the nature of God to people who have been injured by life, we’ve all be hurt, we have all needed grace.

Mephibosheth was lame at the feet, due to an accident. “4 Jonathan, Saul’s son, had a son who was lame in his feet. He was five years old when the news about Saul and Jonathan came from Jezreel; and his nurse took him up and fled. And it happened, as she made haste to flee, that he fell and became lame. His name was Mephibosheth.” (:4)

David takes this change to change the cycle of a generational span of toxicity. This is the grandson of the man that tried to kill David. Nonetheless this covenant that David has with Jonathan changes the trajectory of an entire family.

The New King James Version. (1982). (). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

Grace puts us in places we wouldn’t normally be in if not for grace. How many of us have walked through doors because of Grace, how many of us are sitting here right now because of Grace. Despite the close relationship of his father and David, he never would have been at the table with the King, but this is what Grace does. It puts us at the table of King even when we have had accidents in life that prohibit us from even walking on our own.

The New King James Version Chapter 9

7 So David said to him, “Do not fear, for I will surely show you kindness for Jonathan your father’s sake, and will restore to you all the land of Saul your grandfather; and you shall eat bread at my table continually.”

Forgiveness can break the cycle. David restores the land of Mephiboseth grandfather.

Gives him a seat at the table.

As Christians we should be like David and having another grace to restore and invite people to the table that would not normally be there. Jesus did that.

We all have fallen, we all have struggled. Mephibosheth name even means lame or ashamed.

It’s one thing to invite someone to the table, but to leave space for the person who can’t get to the table on their own is what grace looks like.

His past no longer matters, he’s at the table.

His name no longer matters, he’s at the table.

God restores those who can’t walk on their own, God saves a place for us at tables we wouldn’t normally be at. That is what Grace looks like.

I might be lame and ashamed on my own, but with the invitation of God, even in a lowly position you still have the ability to be great because of GRACE.

The New King James Version. (1982). (). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

In the midst of war David found a way to be graceful.