2 Samuel 9:11b
What
does kindness truly look like in practice? What acts on the part of humanity
best encapsulate the character of compassion? To a world that sees no evidence
of God’s love these two questions rise to the surface. Consequently, the
negative outlook these questions typically frame help both atheists and
agnostics justify their belief that either God does not exist or that He does
not care enough to intervene in the affairs of mankind. But nothing could be
further from the truth. God is a generous God and He is a holy God. He asks
that we mirror His divine disposition and reveal a spirit of kindness in our
communities. But in our everyday frenzy of self-centered concerns we often
bypass the urgency to exercise compassion towards others. Far too often, we choose
to focus solely on our own personal bubble, or we choose to harbor grudges
against those who have wronged us. But both of these pursuits prevent us from
living out a kind heart in a culture that desperately needs to see it.
God’s
followers need Scriptural encouragement to combat the fleshly impulse to repel
the application of godly kindness. And one such positive example is presented to
believers in 2 Samuel 9. In this biblical account, King David had firmly
established his position as the successor to King Saul. As we previously
reviewed in prior blog posts, Saul was a man who spent the latter part of his
life trying to track down David and murder him in cold blood. Jealousy of God’s
anointing on David caused Saul to lose all sense of reason, or accept God’s ultimate
plan. But eventually Saul died, which paved the way for David to embrace the
call of leadership that God had given him so many years earlier. Many
transitional skirmishes and rebellions kept Israel divided for a period of time
after Saul’s death, but that was effectively put to rest in 2 Samuel 9.
As
King David reflected on his blessing as God’s anointed leader he recalled a
promise that he had made to Jonathan, Saul’s son and David’s friend (1 Samuel
20). Sadly, Jonathan perished in battle, but the covenant David established
with his former comrade was still very fresh in his mind. The oath between
Jonathan and David secured David’s loyalty and grace to Jonathan’s family
should Jonathan unexpectedly die before David became king, which obviously came
to fruition. So it came about one day that David gathered his royal staff and
asked if anyone was alive from Saul’s family, besides Michal, Saul’s daughter,
who was married to David. A servant named Ziba, who once worked for King Saul, happened
to be in Jerusalem and was called into David’s presence. Ziba informed David
that Jonathan had a living son named Mephibosheth, who resided in the region of
Lo Debar.
Shortly thereafter, Mephibosheth was taken from Lo Debar and escorted to Jerusalem. As Mephibosheth was ushered into the throne room of the king he surely must have thought the worst. Would he be given an appointment with an executioner? Would his life be snuffed out after ridicule or torture? After all, what king exercises kindness to a former king’s family when it is perceived publicly as a rivalry of power? But David was a man like no other. He encouraged Mephibosheth not to be frightened and announced that he was restoring all of King Saul’s property rights and fortunes to Mephibosheth. Furthermore, he asked Mephibosheth to relocate to Jerusalem so that he and his family could enjoy a seat daily at King David’s dinner table.
Mephibosheth
was instantly elevated from a fugitive to a guest of the king. Overnight, he
went from rags to riches. His honor and status was essentially on par with
David’s sons, giving him prince-like status. David’s generosity towards
Mephibosheth was a promise fulfilled. He made a pact with Jonathan to not harm
his family should Jonathan pass away. But David took this promise one step
further. He made Mephibosheth a noble and a privileged member in the royal
family. The significance of this kindness-laden deed speaks volumes to David’s character.
There was no external mandate to engage in such lavish good will per se; it was
an internal prompting. David recognized God’s benevolence in his life and he,
in turn, longed to share the divine benevolence with others, including the
family members of his former would-be assassin: Saul.
There was something rare about David’s heart. It was not cold or calculating; it was considerate and compassionate. It was not distant or dead; it was disciplined and devoted. It was not fake or false; it was faithful and forgiving. The man of God was a man of tremendous kindness. Whatever David did, he did extravagantly and wholeheartedly. Truly, David was a man cut from the same spiritual cloth as God. Bear in mind, Scripture does not indicate that Mephibosheth did anything worthy of David’s kindness. Therefore, David’s generosity was unexpected and unmerited. But that so clearly resembles the grace of God. Humanity collectively did nothing to earn God’s favor, but He chooses to bestow blessings and privilege upon us anyway. Therefore, how can we overlook the urge to share undeserved grace and gentleness to our fellow man? How can we not reveal a character like David’s – a character of kindness?
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