2 Samuel 9:1-13 (CLICK HERE FOR BIBLE VERSES)
Hi GAMErs,
Today’s passage is 2 Samuel 9:1-13. As usual, I encourage you to open your Bible and read the passage yourself first. See what you can glean with the Holy Spirit’s help. Then read the GAME sharing below. Let’s go!
2 Samuel 9:1-13 (NIV)
1 David asked, “Is there anyone still left of the house of Saul to whom I can show kindness for Jonathan’s sake?”
2 Now there was a servant of Saul’s household named Ziba. They called him to appear before David, and the king said to him, “Are you Ziba?” “Your servant,” he replied.
3 The king asked, “Is there no one still left of the house of Saul to whom I can show God’s kindness?” Ziba answered the king, “There is still a son of Jonathan; he is crippled in both feet.”
4 “Where is he?” the king asked. Ziba answered, “He is at the house of Makir son of Ammiel in Lo Debar.”
5 So King David had him brought from Lo Debar, from the house of Makir son of Ammiel.
6 When Mephibosheth son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, came to David, he bowed down to pay him honor. David said, “Mephibosheth!” “Your servant,” he replied.
7 “Don’t be afraid,” David said to him, “for I will surely show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan. I will restore to you all the land that belonged to your grandfather Saul, and you will always eat at my table.”
8 Mephibosheth bowed down and said, “What is your servant, that you should notice a dead dog like me?”
9 Then the king summoned Ziba, Saul’s servant, and said to him, “I have given your master’s grandson everything that belonged to Saul and his family.
10 You and your sons and your servants are to farm the land for him and bring in the crops, so that your master’s grandson may be provided for. And Mephibosheth, grandson of your master, will always eat at my table.” (Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants.)
11 Then Ziba said to the king, “Your servant will do whatever my lord the king commands his servant to do.” So Mephibosheth ate at David’s table like one of the king’s sons.
12 Mephibosheth had a young son named Mica, and all the members of Ziba’s household were servants of Mephibosheth.
13 And Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, because he always ate at the king’s table, and he was crippled in both feet.
On verses 1-13: Back in 1 Samuel 20:14-17 David made a promise to his best friend Jonathan that he would show kindness to Jonathan’s family. David asks who is left from Saul’s household and Ziba, a servant in Saul’s household, tells David about Mephibosheth, Jonathan’s son who was crippled in both feet. Faithful to his promise to Jonathan, David reaches out to Mephibosheth. At the time Mephibosheth is living in Lodebar (literally, “a pastureless place”), probably hiding for fear that David’s troops would hunt him down. Could you imagine the fear that Mephibosheth must have felt when David’s troops found him? That fear was matched only by his shock when he meets King David, and rather than hurting Mephibosheth, David shows Mephibosheth great kindness. David gives Mephibosheth all the land that belonged to Saul’s family. He even gives Mephibosheth a place at David’s table where he could always eat, as if he was a member of David’s royal family. David also commands Ziba and his family to attend to Mephibosheth’s needs. Mephibosheth is blown away by the kindness David shows him (v8)
What can we learn from this?
1. David was faithful to his promise to fulfill Jonathan’s will and showed kindness to Mephibosheth. The Hebrew word for kindness is hesed and can be defined as compassion and mercy mixed with faithfulness. Likewise, Jesus the Son of David was faithful to His commitment to obey His Father’s will and showed kindness to us (Titus 3:4). Though we were crippled by sin and past hurt, Christ restored to us the land that we lost, gave us His own family to belong to and a place at His table to eat at. In so doing Jesus showed us compassion, mercy and faithfulness that we didn’t deserve.
2. Notice what David says in verse 3: “The king asked, ‘Is there no one still left of the house of Saul to whom I can show God’s kindness?’” Having received much of God’s kindness, David is now looking for someone to give that same kindness to. Since you have received much of God’s kindness, who is someone you can show God’s kindness to today?
Father, who am I that You would show kindness to me? Thank You for reaching out to me just like David reached out to Mephibosheth. Thank You that because of Jesus, I am restored, I belong to Your royal family and I always have a place at Your table. In Jesus’ name, AMEN!
Copyright © 2022 Justin Lim. All rights reserved.
