The Power of Kindness

Text: 2 Samuel 9:1-13

Theme: The doctrine of God's grace is expounded at length in such New Testament epistles as Romans, Galatians, and Ephesians, but who would expect to find it shining forth from the pages of 2 Samuel 9?

Date: 08/29/2021 File name: King_David_11 ID Number: OT10-09

We’ve been looking at the life of David all summer because there’s a lot to look at. There is more information about David than any other figure in the Bible. Our passage for this evening is about David searching for someone on who he can bestow a kindness.

ILLUS. The Jewish Talmud, which is the Rabbinical commentary on the Torah, claims that "deeds of kindness are equal in weight to all the commandments." In Buddhism, kindness is one of the Ten Perfections — disciplines that lead to spiritual awakening. Muhammad, writing in the Koran, says, "Allah is kind and He loves Kindness." (It would be nice if the Taliband would remember this).

Kindness it’s a necessary ingredient in any culture and finds its fullest expression in the Christian’s character as we seek to imitate Christ. In this evening’s text we will be reminded that we please God whenever we extend His grace and kindness to others.

The story before us comes after a lengthy period of warfare. After the Civil War between Judah and the northern tribes ended, David became the sole ruler over a united Israel. His achievements, however, did not result in a lasting peace in the region. War with the Philistines erupted once more along Israel’s western border. At the same time, the Moabites threatened Israel’s southeastern border. David defeated both groups and incorporated their territory into his domain. On Israel’s northeastern border, the Aramaean city states grew belligerent. David’s troops crushed the Aramaeans and occupied Damascus. Finally, David subjugated the Edomites on Israel’s southern border. All of this is recounted in first Samuel, chapter 8.

Having defeated Israel’s surrounding enemies, David turns his attention toward honoring the memory of his friendship and covenant with Jonathan, King Saul’s son, and David’s brother-in-law. He is going to seek out any surviving relatives of King Saul’s family. David’s actions will remind us of the importance of grace and kindness to others.

I. DAVID SEARCHED 2 Samuel 9:1-5

1. in our text we find David searching to locate surviving members of Saul’s family to whom he could show kindness

“And David said, “Is there still anyone left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan’s sake?”” (2 Samuel 9:1, ESV)

a. David never wavered in his respect for Saul as the Lord’s anointed king — even after Saul’s death

b. moreover, David never forgot his covenant of friendship with Saul’s son Jonathan

“Then Jonathan said to David, “Go in peace, because we have sworn both of us in the name of the LORD, saying, ‘The LORD shall be between me and you, and between my offspring and your offspring, forever.’ ” And he rose and departed, and Jonathan went into the city.” (1 Samuel 20:42, ESV)

1) the two men had bound themselves and their offspring in covenant before the Lord

2) further, David promised Saul that he would not exterminate Saul’s descendants after David rose to the kingship of Israel

2. in the ancient world when one dynasty took over from another it was not unusual for the ascending dynasty to kill all of the former ruler’s offspring

ILLUS. This was not unusual even in very modern times. When the Bolshevik revolution took over Russia in October of 1917, the Bolsheviks executed Tsar Nicholas II and his entire family in July 1918.

a. this consolidation by liquidation insured no rise of opposition to the new dynasty by a predecessors heirs, and their loyal followers

A. MEPHIBOSHETH IS IN HIDING

1. everything about the text seems to indicate that Mephibosheth is in hiding, or at least laying low — attempting to stay under King David’s radar so as not to be assassinated

a. 1st, we know this partly because of where he is at — it is a place called Lo-Debar

1) in David’s day this community was considered something of a ghetto town

a) in Lo Debar we would find the lost, unskilled, uneducated outcasts from society

2) the word Debar means thing, and the word Lo is a Hebrew prefix meaning no or nothing

3) literally Lo-Dabar is a no-nothing community — it is a nothing town in the middle of nowhere, sitting on the edge of the desert

a) we would say that Mephibosheth is living out in the boondocks

b) it is the perfect place for Mephibosheth ... he is crippled, living in obscurity and poverty in a remote and barren corner of the kingdom

b. 2nd, we see this in how he greets the king when he is brought before him

1) he came to David and fell on his face and paid homage, and tells the king behold I am your servant

2) to which David immediately responds “do not fear, for I will show you kindness ... “

2. Mephibosheth may be hiding, but ...

B. DAVID IS SEEKING

1. King David has asked his court officials, “is there anyone remaining from the family of Saul I can show kindness to ...?”

a. in light of the promises that David and Jonathan made to each other David is seeking to know if anybody from Saul’s family has survived

2. at that time the foremost authority on Saul’s family was a servant of Saul’s household named Ziba

a. he is the well-to-do manager of the former king’s estates

b. from him David learns that there is still a son of Jonathan who has survived

1) his name, as we already know, is Mephibosheth

2) we learned of him briefly back in chapter 4

“Jonathan, the son of Saul, had a son who was crippled 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 as she fled in her haste, he fell and became lame. And his name was Mephibosheth.” (2 Samuel 4:4, ESV)

c. after the debacle on Mount Gilboa were Saul and all of his sons are killed fighting the Philistines Mephibosheth’s nurse, believing that Saul’s enemies might attempt to kill an heir to the throne, takes the boy and flees

1) in her haste, however, she drops the boy and both of his ankles are broken

2) he’ll never walk again

3. Ziba confirmed to David that a member of Saul’s close family indeed has survived and reveals the young man’s location

a. that the survivor was Jonathan’s son undoubtedly pleased David

b. David will be able to fulfill his covenant obligation to care for Jonathan’s family

4. David immediately sends messengers to Lo-Debr to bring Mephibosheth and his family back to the palace

II. DAVID EXTENDED 2 Samuel 9:6-8

1. David extended kindness to Mephibosheth by restoring his inheritance and committing to care for him and his family

“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.”” (2 Samuel 9:7, ESV)

2. David instantly sought to ease Mephibosheth’s anxiety — do not be afraid

a. for the third time in this chapter David uses the term rendered kindness

1) David is not merely referring to a feeling of goodwill toward the son of his best friend

2) it’s a word that refers to the keeping of covenant obligations because of a steadfast love

3) David certainly has a feeling of goodwill toward Mephibosheth, but it goes deeper — David feels a true sense of responsibility for this man and his family based on his love and promise to Jonathan

b. in a covenant love, a covenant relationship you sacrifice your needs to sustain the relationship — you’re committed to that relationship even when it’s not meeting your needs

3. I am sure that David’s statement comes as good news to Mephibosheth’s ears

a. his anxiety level dropped precipitously!

A. DAVID’S GENEROSITY

1. in vs. 7 David specifies how he is going to show kindness to Mephibosheth

a. first, he will restore all of the family’s ancestral lands

1) in all probability David had probably claimed those lands following the assassination of Ish-bosheth

2) now they are going to be restored

b. second, Mephibosheth and his family will have the privilege of permanent access to the Royal table

c. in the customs of that day this means two things…

1) Mephibosheth and his family come under Royal protection — to harm him or his family is an attack against the king and the throne which is punishable by death

2) the decree gives Mephibosheth the status of the king’s adopted son

2. David had made a promise years ago, and nobody expected him to keep that promise

a. Mephibosheth didn’t expect him to keep it

b. David’s adversaries didn’t expect him to keep it

c. David’s supporters didn’t expect him to keep it

1) it was to David’s disadvantage to do so

3. but David does keeps it, because doing so is part of the covenant relationship he had entered into years before

B. MEPHIBOSHETH’S GENUFLECTING

“And he paid homage and said, “What is your servant, that you should show regard for a dead dog such as I?”” (2 Samuel 9:8, ESV)

1. Mephibosheth has probably traveled to Jerusalem believing that he is going to suffer a horrible fate at the hands of Israel’s new King

a. he believes that he will more than likely die, and that his family will be slaughtered

b. he literally considers himself a dead dog

1) in Hebrew culture the phrase dead dog figuratively describe someone who is useless and contemptible

2) dogs were considered scavengers, and to call someone a dog conveyed disdain

2. he is certainly stunned when he hears David’s plans for him

a. that the king of a new dynasty would bestow the privileges and properties to one of the former rulers surviving heirs seemed almost inconceivable

III. DAVID PLANED 2 Samuel 9:9-13

1. since Mephibosheth is crippled he will be unable to do many of the things needed to run the estate that has been restored to him

2. David understands this and summoned Ziba

a. the word summoned in this verse refers to commissioning a person to perform a specific task

“And you and your sons and your servants shall till the land for him and shall bring in the produce, that your master’s grandson may have bread to eat. But Mephibosheth your master’s grandson shall always eat at my table.” Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants.” (2 Samuel 9:10, ESV)

b. once again King David reiterates that Mephibosheth will shall always eat at my table

1) we’re going to see in 2 Samuel 19 that Ziba is not pleased with any of this, and is going to, as we say, throw Mephibosheth under the bus when he gets a chance

2) verse 11 tells us the Mephibosheth ate at David’s table just like one of the king’s sons

c. it’s an endearing picture of David extending grace and kindness toward a person where the culture of that day dictated David had no responsibility for

3. the doctrine of God’s grace is expounded at length in such New Testament epistles as Romans, Galatians, and Ephesians

a. but who would expect to find it shining forth from the pages of 2 Samuel 9?

b. David, the man after God’s heart, knew and applied God’s grace in his life

IV. LESSONS FROM DAVID’S TREATMENT OF MEPHIBOSHETH

A. DAVID’S TREATMENT OF MEPHIBOSHETH IS AS AN ILLUSTRATION OF GOD’S TREATMENT OF BELIEVERS

1. Mephibosheth’s handicap reminds us that, as sinners, we are all spiritual cripples

a. just as Mephibosheth once walked with his father, so man originally walked with God

1) but sin came and man suffered a fall which left him as a permanent spiritual cripple, alienated from God

b. we are all dead dogs — useless and contemptible in God’s sight

2. Mephibosheth lineage reminds us that we are all worthy of death

a. as lost sinners our allegiance was to God’s enemy — Satan — who is the ruler of the kingdom of the air (Eph. 2:2), and the prince of this world (John12:31)

b. like Mephibosheth hid from David we hid from God

c. like Mephibosheth we deserve death because we loved and served another king

3. Mephibosheth situation reminds us that we need grace and mercy and kindness

a. David could have done what all kings of that era did — slaughter the children of their rivals

b. instead, David says I will show Mephibosheth kindness — a covenant kindness where I put the needs of someone else above my own

c. God, through Christ, shows us grace and mercy and kindness — a steadfast love — through the covenant love of His son Jesus

d. grace brings us into the presence of the King

4. Mephibosheth’s invitation to the king’s table reminds us of the blessing of being adopted into a new family

a. David’s actions serve as an illustration of God’s treatment of believers

1) Christians become God’s adopted children through the new covenant established in Christ

2) because we have been adopted into His family God has made us co-heirs with Christ and restored to us all the blessings we lost in Adam’s sin and fall

b. as believers we can celebrate God’s welcome

5. David saved a man who lost an earthly throne ... Jesus lost a heavenly throne to save men who are lost

B. DAVID’S BEHAVIOR TOWARDS MEPHIBOSHETH MIRRORS CHRIST’S COMMANDS TO US

““You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.” (Matthew 5:43–45, ESV)

1. any other king of that era would have considered Mephibosheth an “enemy” whose survival would have been considered a political rival to the new dynasty

a. you have to be dispassionate about such things ... better to slaughter Mephibosheth and his family then allow an enemy to emerge triumphant years later

ILLUS. We’d like to think that such things don’t take place in a “civilized” world these days, but this is exactly what is happening in Afghanistan right now and will continue into the foreseeable future as anyone who is perceived as an enemy or unfriendly to the new regime’s agenda will be killed so ensure the Taliban’s total control of the nation for the foreseeable future

2. Jesus taught us to behave in a different way ... love your enemies ... pray for those who would do you harm

a. why? so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven

3. David embodies this New Testament ethic nine-hundred years before Jesus taught it

C. DAVID’S KINDNESS TOWARDS MEPHIBOSHETH REMINDS CHRISTIANS TO KEEP THEIR COVENANT PROMISES

1. whether it’s a marriage or a friendship or a business deal or church membership believers ought to keep the covenant promises they make with other believers

a. years after he and Jonathan entered into a covenant promise to each other David is attempting to keep that promise

2. we treat covenant promises all too lightly in this culture any more

ILLUS. Whether it is our marital covenant, or a business deal, or a vow to the Lord we break covenant promises far too easily in this culture.

a. covenant love always limits you

1) it limits your freedom ... it cuts you off from other options

b. what David was expressing was a deeper demonstration of love that is undeserved, unearned, and unrepayable

2. unfortunately we live in a world where kindness often is perceived as softness

a. be kind to someone, and you’ll more than likely be taken advantage of

b. it’s a risk believers need to be willing to take

3. we need to keep our covenant promises

D. DAVID’S ACCEPTANCE OF MEPHIBOSHETH REMINDS US TO BE ACCEPTING OF THE LOST AND THE LONELY

1. acceptance is a most wonderful feeling

a. Mephibosheth’s life had been one of rejection

1) when disaster came and Saul and Jonathan had been killed in battle, the nurse who was to care for him fled in fear

2) Mephibosheth suffered a fall and was left crippled for the rest of his life

b. he lived in obscurity, in poverty and in fear

1) he felt lost, forgotten, and unimportant

2. David’s acceptance made all the difference in Mephibosheth’s life

a. David restored Mephibosheth from a place in the wilderness to a place at his table

b. from a place of barrenness to a place of honor

c. from a no-name place to a place of plenty

3. David in one magnificent gesture of kindness reached out to him and restored him to an exalted position — “You can eat at my table”

ILLUS. The poet Robert Burns stated: “The heart benevolent and kind The most resembles God.”

ILLUS. Think about this: Every person that you will meet throughout this week,whether a family member, someone on the job, somebody just in passing, every person that you will have contact with this week is a person in need and they need kindness. Everyone of us have hurts, struggles, pain, and difficulties. We all need kindness. We all need someone that will smile. Someone that will share an encouraging word. Someone that will be appreciative. Someone that will listen to our problems. We all need that. Every single person you will encounter this coming week needs kindness. It is an opportunity for you to notice their need and begin to meet that need by being kind.

Con. It’s this chapter that helps us understand why the Bible calls David, A man after God’s own heart.