David Shows God’s Kindness
2 Samuel 9
Memory Verse: 2 Samuel 9:3a – “The king asked, "Is there no one
still left of the house of Saul to whom I can show God's kindness?"
I.
Read 2 Samuel 9
II.
Questions
1.
What was the main
question of this chapter? (vs. 1)
2.
Why did David want to
show kindness to a survivor of Saul’s family? Because of Jonathan’s
faithfulness to him and their friendship
3.
Who did David’s
servant say could help him with his questions? (vs. 2) Ziba
4.
What did David ask
Ziba? (vs. 3a)
5.
What was Ziba’s
reply? (vs. 3b) A crippled son of Jonathan.
6.
Do you remember how
this son was crippled? When his nurse was carrying him from the palace to save
his life after Saul and Jonathan were killed, she dropped him.
7.
Where was Jonathan’s
son? (vs. 4) At Machir’s house in Lo-debar. He was the son of Ammiel, a chief
of one of the tribes who served Saul and David. Lo-debar was a town in Manasseh
east of the Jordan River.
8.
David sent for
Jonathan’s son. What was his name? (vs. 6) Mephibosheth. Mephibosheth means “exterminating
the idol.”
9.
How did Mephibosheth
approach David? (vs. 6) He approached him humbly as a servant did. He fell on
his face and prostrated himself before David and called himself the servant of
David. Mephibosheth was not certain of David’s intentions and so he went humbly
before him so as not to arouse his suspicion or anger.
10.
What was the first
thing David said to Mephibosheth? (vs. 7) Do not fear. I will show kindness to
you because of your father, Jonathan. Mephibosheth could breathe easier knowing
David did not intend to harm him.
11.
Not only did David
intend no hard of Mephibosheth, he said he would restore his grandfather’s,
Saul’s, land to him. David honored Saul even after his death.
12.
Added to this, David
invited Mephibosheth to eat at his table any time. (vs. 7) He was not to be a
stranger, but a part of his family. Mephibosheth had family again.
13.
David made sure what
he declared happened and told Ziba, Saul’s servant, all he declared to
Mephibosheth. What did this do for Ziba and his family?
14.
What did this do for
Ziba? David honored Ziba’s family and raised them in public stature by making
them the stewards and caretakers of Mephibosheth’s lands (vs. 9-10). He gave
them purpose, too, with jobs. They no longer had to hide or hang their heads in
shame.
15.
What was Ziba’s
response when David told him his plans? (vs. 11) I am sure he was happy and
excited. Ziba declared himself David’s servant and said he would do everything
he commanded him to do. David won Ziba’s loyalty by caring for Saul’s
descendants and looking upon Ziba and his family with favor.
16.
Ziba and his family
were now servants of Mephibosheth and his son, Mica, whose name means “who is
like God.” Mephibosheth gave glory to God when his son was born by naming him
this. He could have been angry at God for letting his family (Saul and Jonathan
along with the others) be killed, but he wasn’t. He honored God with his son,
Mica.
17.
Did Mephibosheth
honor David? (vs. 13) By eating at David’s table regularly, he honored him with
his presence and trust.
III.
Teaching Points –
A.
Honor
1.
Honor means to regard with great respect and to fulfill and obligation or keep
an agreement. Did David do this?
2.
First let’s look at
what David meant when he said he wanted to show the “kindness of God” to the
house of Saul.
a.
“Kindness” comes from
the Hebrew word Checed. It means
goodness, kindness, and faithfulness.
b.
Why did David want to
show the kindness of God?
1)
David wanted to be
faithful to his vow to Jonathan. Jonathan and he made a vow to each other in 1
Samuel 20:13-17. Specifically David and Jonathan vowed to “show the lovingkindness
of the Lord” to each other’s houses/families.
2)
This lovingkindness
comes from Hebrew word checed and means
goodness, kindness, and faithfulness. It is the same Hebrew word David used in
2 Samuel 9:3.
3)
So, the kindness of
God from 2 Samuel 9:3 is the same as the word from David and Jonathan’s vow to
show lovingkindness (checed).
4)
David wanted to honor
his vow to Jonathan.
3.
David did not have to
search for any survivors in Saul and Jonathan’s family.
a.
He chose to honor God
by looking for survivors of the man God anointed as king of His people.
b.
In doing this David
honored God and Saul.
c.
He honored Jonathan
by keeping his pledge to him of caring for his descendants.
4.
David honored
Mephibosheth by
a.
recognizing he came
from the line of the God-anointed king, Saul.
b.
He treated him better
than a servant.
c.
He also honored him
by making him a part of the family – he ate at his own table.
d.
He honored
Mephibosheth by giving him all the lands of his grandfather.
e.
David did not have to
do this. He was the rightful king at that time. He knew God had taken His hand
off Saul and his kingship. He knew Mephibosheth did not have a right to land
that was previously Saul’s because God dis-inherited him. Yet, David wanted to
show the “kindness of God,” that is goodness, kindness, and faithfulness.
5.
David honored Ziba
and his family.
a.
He gave them dignity by
restoring them to their place in society – servants of the king’s family
(Mephibosheth). They were no longer dogs who served an unfaithful God-anointed
king.
b.
He gave them a
purpose – to serve the previous king’s grandson
c.
He showed faith and
trust in them by making them stewards of Saul’s/Mephibosheth’s land.
d.
He gave them jobs/income
– by having them work and thereby have income to support their families.
6.
David showed goodness,
kindness, and faithfulness to each of these –Saul, Jonathan, Mephibosheth, and
Ziba as well as their families. He did it because of his vow to Jonathan. He
did it because of who his God was – Yahweh.
7.
David honored Yahweh
God by exhibiting God’s characteristics. He showed His goodness, kindness, and
faithfulness. He did what God would want him to do.
8.
David honored Saul
and Jonathan by doing what God would want him to do for them and their
descendants and by fulfilling his vow to Jonathan.
9.
David honored
Mephibosheth by respecting him and his father and grandfather, the first kingly
line anointed by God and the one to whom he made a personal vow. He honored him
by including him as a part of his family. He also honored Mephibosheth by
showing him respect when he did not deserve it according to cultural standards.
Families of deposed monarchs were normally hunted down and killed so they could
not attempt to re-gain the throne.
10.
David honored Ziba by
showing respect to him when he did not deserve it according to cultural
standards. The culture believed that the servants of deposed kings were low and
should be looked down upon. David gave Ziba and his family dignity, purpose,
trust, and jobs.
B.
Application –
1.
To whom do you need
to show honor, kindness, respect, goodness, and faithfulness? [Parents,
friends, siblings, grandparents, who else?]
2.
To whom does God want
you to show His lovingkindness? [beggars, street people, cleaning person at the
shops, cashiers, who else?]
CHILDREN’S TAKE HOME SHEET
BELOW (on page 4)
David Shows God’s Kindness
2 Samuel 9
Memory Verse: 2 Samuel 9:3a – “The
king asked, "Is there no one still left of the house of Saul to whom I can
show God's kindness?"
Application of Sunday School Lesson –
1. To whom do you need to show honor, kindness, respect, goodness, and faithfulness?
[Parents, friends, siblings, grandparents, who else?]
2. To whom does God want you to show His lovingkindness? [beggars, street
people, cleaningperson at the shops, cashiers, who else?]
David's
Vow Fulfilled
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
