North Anderson Baptist Church
Kindness is a characteristic of Christ that is given to us through the power of the Holy Spirit. Paul calls it part of the fruit of the Spirit, seen in Galatians 5:22-23,
Galatians 5:22-23 NIV
God desires that we all show the kindness of God to all we meet. Kindness is a mark of a man or woman of God.
In today’s message we see David’s actions in 2 Samuel 9 are a result of the commitment he had made to his great friend Jonathan. Jonathan had tried to convince his father, Saul, of David’s innocence in an accusation from Saul regarding David trying to kill him because he desired to take over Saul’s throne. Saul never got over the fact that he was jealous of David for the admiration of the people and his popularity because of his defeat of Goliath. When we come to this chapter in 2 Samuel, Saul and Jonathan are already dead because of war and we see, now King David inquiring about the relatives of Jonathan so that he could show kindness toward them, for Jonathan’s sake.
Saul had a servant that was still alive and was called before David. He was Ziba. He told King David that there was one descendant of Jonathan’s left, he was called Mephibosheth, but he was crippled in both feet. The Bible doesn’t say specifically, but it would be an obvious thing that Ziba would have then told the story of how Mephibosheth became crippled. We see that story in 2 Samuel 4:4,
2 Samuel 4:4 NIV
Our outline for the message today is as follows:
David honors Jonathan’s friendship - vv.1-5
David shows the kindness of God - vv. 6-8
David makes Mephibosheth a part of the royal family vv. 9-13
2 Samuel 9:1-5 NIV
1. David honors Jonathan’s friendship - vv.1-5
There has rarely been a friendship as close as David’s and Jonathan’s. In the Bible they became friends right after David killed Golliath as David entered into a difficult relationship with Saul. Jonathan was the son of Saul, and because David spent time in the palace and they were close to the same age, they spent much time with one another. These two young men became fast and close friends seeking to help one another in spite of the danger David was in from a jealous and imbalanced Saul. Their story of friendship is told in several places in 1 Samuel, in chapter 18;1-4, and throughout chapter 20. Looking at 20:13-17,
1 Samuel 20:13-17 NIV
Jonathan requested from David something that fits into the theme for today. In verse 14 above, Jonathan asks of David to forever show the kindness of the Lord to him and to his family. And to Jonathan, David affirmed to him that covenant.
And then in verse 42 above, we see where they swear their everlasting friendship between the two of them but also regarding their descendants. Their friendship was sealed for the rest of both of their lives.
Because of this earlier commitment to each other and their descendants, when David became king at the death of Saul and Jonathan, David asked those in his palace if there were any relatives of Jonathan’s still alive. He had sworn to show the kindness of the Lord to those family members of Jonathan and he intended to fulfill that promise.
2 Samuel 9:6-8 NIV
2. David shows the kindness of God - vv. 6-8
From among the people who were still around after Saul died, a man named Ziba was found. Ziba was actually a servant in the household of King Saul. When King David asked if there were those of Jonathan’s family still alive, Ziba replied that there were, his son who was named Mephibosheth. In telling David about the son of Jonathan, he added the little description of Mephibosheth that was extremely important, “he was crippled in both feet.”
David never asked Ziba what happened to Mephibosheth and why he was crippled, because it did not matter to David, he was going to show the kindness of the Lord to the son of Jonathan no matter what condition he was in. I found this so interesting that Mephibosheth being crippled made no difference to David because of his commitment and love for Jonathan. David was a man of honor and he would keep his word no matter what. David had experienced the kindness of the Lord from Jonathan and it was important to return that kindness back to his best friend’s family as he promised he would do.
Do you keep your word to others?
Is your life honorable and is your word is your bond?
Are you known for your honesty toward others and in keeping your word?
Are there conditions to your word because of certain circumstances?
Are you willing to show the kindness of God to everyone, no matter the circumstances?
Are there conditions to your acts of kindness?
David found out where Mephibosheth was and sent for him. When he came to the palace King David said to the son of Jonathan, “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.” (v. 7)
2 Samuel 9:9-13 NIV
3. David makes Mephibosheth a part of the royal family vv. 9-13
Because of his great love for Jonathan, King David said to Ziba, the one time servant of King Saul. that he would now serve Saul’s grandson, Mephibosheth and his family. Not only would Mephibosheth have land and his family have servants but King David made it clear that the family would be a part of the family of King David’s. The statement that Mephibosheth would sit at the king’s table tells us that David followed up with his commitment to show the kindness of God to Jonathan’s descendants.
What can you and I learn from this event in the life of David and Mephibosheth? I hope a lot.
For one thing, friendship can extend to the generations to come because of the friendship of parents or grandparents.
Many times friendships are based upon common experiences people have and times spent together.
Job is quoted to have said in Job 6:14,“Anyone who withholds kindness from a friend forsakes the fear of the Almighty.
Kindness is a special characteristic of the children of God, we do not have the “right” to withhold it.
Proverbs 12:26 “The righteous choose their friends carefully, but the way of the wicked leads them astray.”
God tells us that some friends do you harm rather than good. Be careful who you choose to be friends with.
David’s son, Solomon, shared this special proverb about friendship, Proverbs 17:17
“A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity.”
Maybe David told Solomon of the special bond of friendship that he and Jonathan had and therefore God led Solomon to write this very precious proverb, for surely the friendship of those two were born in adversity.
One can make friends with those who are not Christians and they can be significant friendships but when you have a Christian friend you can know that because of that common bond of Christ and the relationship you have with the Son of God, both can trust the other to follow through with commitments made with each other because of Christ.
Christian friendships last for eternity!
Are you a kind person?
Since the theme of today is showing the kindness of God to others, I hope you will make it a practice this week to find someone to practice acts of kindness to, “in the name of Christ!” Today, God desires that everyone be saved and that none missed the gift of salvation and spend eternity separated from God.
2 Peter 3:9 NIV
John 15:14 NIV
John 15:13 NIV
The love of Jesus is so great He chose to lay His life down on the Cross of Calvary to bring a lost sinner like me to salvation. He can do it for you too, if, you will surrender yourself to Him and by faith, trust Jesus as Lord and Savior this day!