David, “To Kill With Kindness”
2 Samuel 9:1-13
Vs. 1-6 Dropped, crippled, and barren
Vs. 7-13 What the kindness of God looks like
Intro.
Before us in these 13 verses is a story that serves to illustrate what the “kindness of God” looks like. There are two main characters in the passage, David and Mephibosheth, the only surviving son of Jonathan Saul’s grandchild. How can you and I know if we have ourselves been recipients of the goodness of God? Well, the most visible way is to see how we distribute God’s goodness to others.
David had his mind blown by God’s promise to bring forth the Messiah from his loins and responded three ways;
- 7:18-29 Praying in the promises: The first thing we do is begin by trying to get our hearts and minds around His goodness towards us. This is accomplished by “Faith” looking at our unworthiness laid next to His faithfulness.
- 8:1-18 Walking in the victory of the promises: The next thing we do is begin to apply those promises to our lives by ridding our lives of things that have defeated us and occupied far too much of our hearts (anger, lust, materialism, and the pursuit of the things of this world).
- 9:1-13 Distributing the promises to others: Finally, there comes upon our hearts a realization that what has happened to us must be given away to others who are in need.
Dropped, crippled, and barren
Vs. 1 When we come to this chapter, David has been on the throne for close to 15 years. Here we see two important things:
- David clearly remembered the covenant he made with Jonathan. (1 Sam. 20:12)
- He clearly understood the goodness that had been given him by the Lord.
We are not told specifically what caused him to remember Jonathan and the promise made in 1 Sam 20:15, where Jonathan said, “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.” But David found himself and the nation in the place where God had cut off every one of his enemies, so he sees the faithfulness of the Lord and desires to be faithful to his promise. So David asks, “Are there any family members left from Saul?”
Now David did not ask if there were any alive from the house of Saul that he might take vengeance upon them, that he may eliminate them as a threat to his kingdom, but instead that he may show God’s kindness upon them. Only a man who has himself experienced the kindness of God in his life can act so, and then only upon continual reflection of such goodness.
Consider this in light of David: “Is there any alive from the family of the man who twice tried to kill me with a spear, any alive who robbed me of my wife, who pursued me for 15 years seeking to kill me?” Are you alive from the man who made my life so miserable that I turned my back upon my God?” Why do you ask David? “Oh, that I may shower God’s loving kindness that I promised my best friend Jonathan.” Now this is important, as we are told that David desired to do so “for Jonathan’s sake.” This wasn’t just based upon feelings; it was because he had promised Jonathan. The desire to bless his enemy’s grandson was based upon a promise made to another. Hey saint, doing what is right based upon our feelings is a slippery slope. We must not allow our feelings to dictate to our hearts what is right; our obedience is based upon a promise made to our friend, Jesus.
Vs. 2-4 The fact that David looked up Ziba reveals that Mephibosheth was in hiding, which explains why even Mephibosheth’s Aunt Michal, who is married to David, has no idea of his whereabouts. So David asks Ziba (strength), and apparently he at one time was quite loyal to Saul. It is here that we begin to get a picture of the candidate that David seeks out to distribute “kindness of God” towards. Now as we look at this fellow Mephibosheth, pay close attention to him as you find that he fits the profile of the person today whom God desires to distribute His kindness towards.
- First we have his name, Mephibosheth. It means idol killer, but originally it was Meribbaal, or “Baal contends,” but was changed to “killer of idols.” Here was a young man whose name extolled the virtues of an idol, and so it was changed to killer of idols. In Hebrew, it came to be recognized as “shameful one.”.
- Second, we note that he is the son of Jonathan and was lame in his feet. He had been dropped, and the result of the fall had left him lame in both feet, as his nurse took him up in her arms upon hearing the news that his father and grandfather were dead. Gone from his memories and hope was that he was the son of a prince and himself an heir to the throne. How about you? Have you ever been dropped and the resulting fall left you lame or crippled? I don’t think there is one of us who, at some point, hasn’t experienced the sensation of being dropped in this life. Dropped by a boyfriend or girlfriend, dropped from a job, dropped by a parent who has left or died! The resulting fall has affected you; you still can’t put full weight on those legs, and you still can’t get up and dance with joy or trust as you once did. “He/sshe said they loved me!” “They said they would always be there for me!” “They promised me a raise!”
- Third, we note his whereabouts: “the house of Machir, the son of Ammiel, in Lo Debar.” Looking up the names, Machir means to “be sold,” while Ammiel means “people of God,” and Lo Debar means “no pasture or barrenness.” Here’s the picture: Mephibosheth, living in someone else’s house in an area called “barrenness,” on the other side of the Jordan River, in the area of Gilead, where the tribes of Manasseh, Gad, and Reuben had settled. It became a place where when anybody was in trouble, they’d run to this area, and this is where the nurse took the child. Mephibosheth is living apart from the people of God in a barren wilderness; he is the only heir to his grandfather’s throne, and he is living with some friends in Lo Debar.
Oh, I can so relate to Mephibosheth, as he was yet five years old when someone came and told him that his father and grandfather were dead and life dropped him and it crippled him! I can still recall being only two weeks shy of my fifth birthday, excitedly awaiting to go to my father’s airport in Hesperia to watch his stunt show, when my grandparents came to our home to let us know that my father’s plane had crashed and he was dead. Life dropped me at that moment, and the legs that had carried me with joy to his arms were shattered. And for 17 years I lived crippled in a wasteland, starving for the love of my father. Oh, how my heavenly father longed to scoop me up and take me into his table as His son. But I was afraid, angry, and crippled by life! That’s my story of being dropped and crippled living in Lo Debar, but we all have a similar experience.
Vs. 5-6 David wants to show the greatness of God and the goodness of God, but how do you suppose that you can show the world the greatness and goodness of God? Well, you take a person, any person in whom you have promised to demonstrate the love of God towards one who has been dropped by this world and it has left him crippled and afraid. He has made his home far away in another person’s house, living in a parched land, all out of fear of being dropped once more and that person you reach out to and love on. Mephibosheth is a picture of all of fallen humanity, dropped by life, living in bareness where not even those close to us care to know where we are.
Hey, listen up as verse 6 says that David sought him out and called out his name, “Mephibosheth”! Oh, he had heard his name called many times, but it had been years since he had heard spoken this way with such love and care. Perhaps Mephibosheth had feared that one day David would come calling and it would mean his life and the life of his family would be killed. Mephibosheth must have thought that things had gone from bad to worse, as he now comes in before the man whom his grandfather had sought to kill and ruin. There are a great many that see God the way Mephibosheth saw David. But what did David see? When Mephibosheth looked at him and spoke, “Oh, how this man reminds me of my friend Jonathan,” David saw in Mephibosheth the resemblance of the man he loved more than a brother. Is that not what God sees when he sees us in our struggle and failure, “Oh, I see that one through the eyes of my son, his voice, oh, how it reminds me of the voice of My Son?”
On this day, when he heard his name, it was from the very one whom he had been hiding from. Do you not see the parallel? You have been dropped, and it has left you crippled, and you are held in a dry and bitter place, afraid of the very One who wants to bless you. Do you hear Him call your name? He is not angry. He has not come to take your life. He has come to save your life and to give you back your life. And what did Mephibosheth reply? “Here is your servant… such a dead dog as I.”. Oh, the heaviness of hopelessness, “Dare I trust? I’m crippled and bitter; I’ve been dropped so many times I have nothing to give. What kind of servant can I be to one who cannot walk? What burdens can I bear for a master worthy of saving my life?”
What the kindness of God looks like
Vs. 7-9 I believe that when David called out to Mephibosheth, it was in a tone that communicated love, as David was thinking of his father Jonathan and his desire to fulfill that vow he had made with Jonathan. So though he could hear the excitement and love in the voice of David, it should have brought comfort, but based upon Mephibosheth’s reaction, he was still uncertain and fearful of David’s intentions, as David tells him not to fear and then gives the reasons why he has no worries.
Is that not the way our Lord treats us? He seeks us out while we were yet lost, then gives us back all that we lost from His inheritance, then invites us to sit at His table forever and provides for the well-being of our future. And all this is for the sake of another because of His love and promise to another. David said, “Do not fear!” And then I did not wait for fear to set in. “I loved your father, and I promised him I’d take care of you; I’m going to give back to you what is rightfully yours; more than that, I’d be honored if you would become my son and sit at my table the rest of your days.” “Why, you can have the family of Ziba work the fields to provide for them and your family, but you, well, you sup with me from here on out!” That’s how we ought to pray, “Father, it’s for Jesus’ sake, not for my sake; you have been gracious to me; you have given me not what I deserve; I come now in Jesus’ name to receive Your grace that is extended to me.”
In the 3rd verse, David declared that he was going to show the descendant of Saul the “kindness of God,” but what does it look like?
- Vs. 3-6 It is towards those least likely to be its recipients but yet need it the most.
- Vs. 7a Its first order is to move the person from fear to security.
- Vs. 7b It is distributed not upon the value of the person but upon the promise made to another.
- Vs. 7c Its aim is restoration, to give back all that God wants to give the person.
- Vs. 7d Its heart is reconciliation; the kindness of God is not just about returning lost items but reuniting broken relationships.
- Vs. 10-11 It is not just after an immediate change but provision forever, changing our location and our sustenance, that which sustains us.
Four times in seven verses, David says that Mephibosheth shall “eat bread at my table” continually, always, like one of his sons. Those three descriptions serve to qualify the meaning of David’s words towards Mephibosheth of “eating bread at my table.” Clearly, the greatest thing that David was giving was time with him daily, time with the king.
- Continually, not just on a whim or when the king was in a good mood.
- Always, even when Mephibosheth had blown it, messed up and had not been what he should have been.
- Like one of his sons, not a 2nd class citizen but treated with all the rights and privileges of a full heir
In Luke 10:20, as the disciples whom Jesus has sent out came back to Him to give a report of all that had happened, they were so excited about what they were able to accomplish in Jesus name, but hear what Jesus said to them, “Do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.” Oh dear saint, do you hear the heart of God towards you in the repeated phrase of David to Mephibosheth of “eating bread at my table”? The king’s table is the place that through out eternity will hide crippled legs and imperfect walks, and we will sit down at His Father’s (now our Father’s) table, and His banner over us is LOVE!
What a great exhortation this is for you and me to reach out to those who may have a beef with us and kill them with kindness. One wonders what would happen in a world where those who have mistreated us were paid back not with hatred or kindness but with the kindness of God. A world in which we would truly follow Jesus’ words to “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you.” Oh, you just bombed us and killed some of our family; well, let me bless you with food and love! Hate cannot exist in a world where love and kindness are the only weapons. Now that we have sat at the king’s table, we ought to be like David to Mephibosheth:
- Seeking out our enemies to bless them
- Looking for the poor, weak, lame, and hidden to bless them
- Bless others when they don’t deserve it and bless them more than they deserve.
- Bless others for the sake of someone else.
Vs. 10-12 We are told that Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants according to 19:17, but in the 16th chapter, as David is fleeing Absalom, he comes with a tall tale saying that Mephibosheth doesn’t want to come and that he wants to be king, but it’s all a lie, as we are told in the 19th chapter, so that Ziba and his family can have all that David had given to Mephibosheth. Even so, Ziba and his descendants remained servants to Mephibosheth and his son Micha (who is like God) all of their days as they ate at the king table. There will always be those who will do what they are told but will change their tune when they have a chance, but don’t let it “eat at you,” because it won’t change the truth that you still get to sit at the king’s table and they will still have to be tilling the fields.
Vs. 13 Take a close look at verse 13 and the words, “So Mephibosheth dwelt in Jerusalem, for he ate continually at the king’s table. And he was lame in both his feet.” Do you see that? Mephibosheth simply made a choice to receive the king’s offer and moved to Jerusalem and ate continually at the king’s table. You see, there are a great many who do not take the King up on His offer, and they instead remain crippled living in Lo Debar. How about you?
Yes, Mephibosheth was lame in both his feet, but he didn’t need to be crippled living apart from the king, and neither do you! I can’t help but wonder how many of the promises of God go unclaimed simply because we refuse to believe in the kindness of God that has been bestowed upon us by the Son of David. Could it be that there are yet fast amounts of blessings that are ours by faith, but they lay dormant because of the fear of unbelief?
So David restored what was Mephibosheth’s by way of his father and grandfather, but more than that, he invites him to be his son and takes care of his family from here on out. Oh, how good is God, as He more than restores the years of sin upon our lives. We have messed up our lives, family, and health, but God restores the years the locusts have eaten.