A Merciful King
For Meditation
This Sunday we are jumping ahead a bit into the time that David has already been inaugurated as the new King of Israel. In 2 Samuel 9, David inquires about whether anyone is still left in the house of Saul. This was a common inquiry of a new king, who would often want to find out if there were any remaining relatives of the previous monarch so they could eliminate any potential rivals. But in this case, David asks about remaining relatives of Saul not so that he can destroy them but so that he can show them mercy and kindness.
The relative identified is a crippled man named Mephibosheth. While he expects punishment, David extends kindness to him instead, even welcoming him into his house. You might call this a “double grace”- not only is David not acting as the kings of the nations do, but he is also showing him grace far beyond anything he deserved by giving him a seat at his own table. In this, David models what true power looks like, power that is stewarded in mercy, kindness and compassion especially toward the vulnerable.
As you prepare for worship this week, read the story of David and Mephiboseth and contemplate how David’s actions reflect those of Jesus the true King.
2 Samuel 9:1-13
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 summoned him to appear before David, and the king said to him, “Are you Ziba?”
“At your service,” he replied.
3 The king asked, “Is there no one still alive from 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 lame 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!”
“At your service,” 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 steward, 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 Mika, 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; he was lame in both feet.