David’s Kindness to Mephibosheth

Topic: Kindness
Passage: 2 Samuel 9:1–13

August 28, 2019

Commentary

Every election year we have a barrage of “campaign promises,” which we know will be forgotten as soon as the candidates reach office. We don’t even expect them to keep their promises and would be shocked if they did. David is a man who kept his promises. Before he became king he made promises to both Jonathan and Saul. To Saul David promised he would not harm his descendants and to Jonathan he covenanted to show kindness. David is now in a position to carry out his promises.
David summons a former servant of Saul, Ziba and asks if he knows anyone who is still living from the house of Saul. Ziba remembers Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan but notes that he is a handicapped person who has been crippled in both feet from birth (vv. 1-3). He betrays the hiding place of Mephibosheth, and David could have easily killed him (v. 4). Instead, David sends for Mephibosheth, who is living in Lo-debar which is a city east of the Jordan river and beyond Manhanaim. He came with great fear to David, not knowing what the king would do to him. When he presents himself to David, he prostrates himself before him as David’s servant, but David soon calms his fears (vv. 5-8). David speaks kindly to him, calling him by his name and explains the reason he as sent for him.
David promised to restore to Mephibosheth all the land that had been his father’s and also he will make him a regular guest at the palace. David issues orders to Ziba, instructing him that all that once belonged to Saul now belongs to Mephibosheth and should be restored to him. He makes Ziba and his sons the servants of Mephibosheth to help take care of this property that is now his. If it had been another king on the throne he would have no doubt been slain. From this time on, Mephibosheth is David’s honored guest and eats regularly at his table (vv. 9-13).

Application

Like Mephibosheth, I need to recognize my unworthiness to dwell in God’s presence and humbly accept all that He has done for me through His Son.

2 Samuel 9:1– 13 (NET)

1 Then David asked, “Is anyone still left from the family of Saul, so that I may extend kindness to him for the sake of Jonathan?”

2 Now there was a servant from Saul’s house named Ziba, so he was summoned to David. The king asked him, “Are you Ziba?” He replied, “At your service.” 3 The king asked, “Is there not someone left from Saul’s family that I may extend God’s kindness to him?” Ziba said to the king, “One of Jonathan’s sons is left; both of his feet are crippled.” 4 The king asked him, “Where is he?” Ziba told the king, “He is at the house of Makir son of Ammiel in Lo Debar.”

5 So King David had him brought from the house of Makir son of Ammiel in Lo Debar. 6 When Mephibosheth son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, came to David, he bowed low with his face toward the ground. David said, “Mephibosheth?” He replied, “Yes, at your service.”

7 David said to him, “Don’t be afraid, because I will certainly extend kindness to you for the sake of Jonathan your father. I will give back to you all the land that belonged to your grandfather Saul, and you will be a regular guest at my table.” 8 Then Mephibosheth bowed and said, “Of what importance am I, your servant, that you show regard for a dead dog like me?”

9 Then the king summoned Ziba, Saul’s attendant, and said to him, “Everything that belonged to Saul and to his entire house I hereby give to your master’s grandson. 10 You will cultivate the land for him—you and your sons and your servants. You will bring its produce and it will be food for your master’s grandson to eat. But Mephibosheth, your master’s grandson, will be a regular guest at my table.” (Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants.)

11 Ziba said to the king, “Your servant will do everything that my lord the king has instructed his servant to do.” So Mephibosheth was a regular guest at David’s table, just as though he were one of the king’s sons.

12 Now Mephibosheth had a young son whose name was Mica. All the members of Ziba’s household were Mephibosheth’s servants. 13 Mephibosheth was living in Jerusalem, for he was a regular guest at the king’s table. But both his feet were crippled.

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