David's Kindness

If you have your Bible, turn with me to 2 Samuel chapter 9 as we continue our study in the life of David and all the things that God did in and through him.

And as you're turning, I'm going to read to you a couple of passages of Scripture. One is found in Romans chapter 2, verse number 4, which says, Or do you think lightly of the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance? Paul reminds us that it's the kindness of God, the tender mercies of God, the loving kindness, the acts of love that God displays that leads us to a place of repentance. He would later go on to say in the book of Titus, these words, But when the kindness of God, our savior, and his love for mankind appeared, he saved us.

When the kindness of God appeared, he saved us. That is, Christ himself is the God who is kind. His love is kind. First Corinthians chapter 13, the particular kind of love that God displays is patient and is kind.

He embodies kindness. And when we understand his kindness, it leads us to repentance. Paul then would say earlier in Ephesians chapter 2, And you were dead in your trespasses and sins in which you formerly walked, according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them, we too, all formerly lived in the lust of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.

But God, being rich in mercy, because of his great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ by grace you have been saved, and raised us up with him, and seated us with him in heavenly places in Christ Jesus, in order that in the ages to come he might show the surpassing riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. Paul says it's the kindness of God that leads us out of our deadness to new life, and we so desperately need to understand God's loving kindness.

In fact, there's a whole psalm, Psalm 136, that speaks of the loving kindness of God. Every verse, all 26 verses, ends with in his loving kindness is everlasting. And it says in verse number 23 and verse number 24, Psalm 136, God who remembered us in our lowest state for his loving kindness is everlasting, and he rescued us from our adversaries for his loving kindness is everlasting. God remembers us in our lowest state, in our miserable estate, in our desolate estate, in our helpless estate. He remembers and he rescues based on his loving kindness, based on his tender mercies, based on the loving acts that he gives to us that we do not deserve.

I say all that simply because 2 Samuel chapter 9 is a chapter about the kindness of God. And the kindness of God is demonstrated through a king, King David, as he manifests the character of God. There's a reason the Bible says that David was a man after God's own heart.

It simply is because he exemplified the character of God. Whenever you, as an individual, exemplify your God, you demonstrate your heart for God. And David was one who over and over again exemplified the character of his God. That is, he would live the heart of God. And that's why he was a man after God's own heart. David was a forgiving man, demonstrating the heart of God. David did not seek retaliation. He would leave vengeance in the hands of God, recognizing the sovereignty of God. And he would live that out.

David was a man who lived the grace of God, extending mercy to others when they did not deserve it. In this chapter, he extends kindness to one of the sons of Jonathan, the grandson of Saul. He goes out of his way to extend kindness, to show us what God does in our lives by going out of his way to extend kindness to us. This becomes one of those chapters portraying David at his best. David is always at his best when he exemplifies the character of God. And by the way, so are you. You're always at your best when you exemplify the character of God.

That's why we tell you, you need to live to the glory of God. Tommy sat up here on Sunday morning before he went to Russia saying, we have one verse for you, 1 Corinthians 10 31. Because whatever they did in word or deed, they wanted to do all to the glory of God, right? They wanted to glorify God himself. They wanted to reflect the righteous radiance of their Redeemer. They wanted to display the glory of almighty God. They wanted to exemplify his character. And so whenever you exemplify the character of God, you will always be at your best.

Oh, by the way, when you don't live according to the character of God, you will be at your worst. Maybe you were at your worst today. I don't know. Was it with you? But I hope and pray that you live to be at your best. Because you seek to honor and glorify the name of your God. And David in this chapter is at his best. And the response he gives, he gets from his kindness is great. Next chapter, he's still kind, but the response he gets, not so great. It's an interesting chapter. And maybe that's what kind of leads him to chapter 11.

Can't be dogmatic on that. Maybe because of his willingness to extend kindness and to live the character and nature of God, maybe because of his desire to do that and there's no response or a negative response to his overtures of kindness and grace and mercy, it would cause him to kind of slip back into carnality and fleshly desires. I don't know. Could be. But because we're in chapter 9, we want to see David at his highest, living for the glory and honor of God. David was a man who exemplified the character of God by being a faithful man.

When he gave his word, he kept it. Remember back in 1 Samuel 24? In 1 Samuel 24, David spares Saul's life. David is in a cave and you remember the story, Saul goes in to believe himself and all of David's men say, wow, God has delivered him into your hands. And David just slid off a piece of Saul's robe, but he was quickly convicted, quickly convicted. And Saul would get up and leave and his men couldn't understand why he wouldn't seek vengeance on Saul because Saul was so nasty to David. Wanted to kill him over and over time.

If you go back and you count the times, it was close to 20 times that Saul had the opportunity to kill David and wanted to kill him, but God protected him. So it wasn't like he was best friends with Saul. Saul was his arch enemy. He loved Saul. He wanted to do the right thing for Saul, but Saul was a bitter, rebellious, sinful man. And David cut to the quit, didn't do anything, but would later let Saul know in that same chapter that he had the opportunity to kill him and he didn't. And Saul was taken back by David's kindness.

Let's know what Saul says in first Samuel 24 verse 21. So now swear to me by the Lord that you will not cut off my descendants after me and that you will not destroy my name from my father's household. And David swore to Saul. Saul for a brief moment realized that David would be the king. He knew he'd be the king. He just didn't want to admit it. But he asked David, swear to me, make a commitment to me, make a promise to me that you won't cut off my descendants. What would you do? Oh no. First chance I get, man, I'm splitting their throats.

It's over. Not David made a commitment to Saul, his foe, not his friend. Earlier, first Samuel 20, he did make a commitment to Jonathan, who was his friend.

Jonathan was Saul's son. And Jonathan and David were best friends. And in first Samuel chapter 20, it says in verse number 14, and if I am still alive, will you not show me the loving kindness of the Lord that I may not die?

And you shall not cut off your loving kindness from my house forever. Not even when the Lord cuts off every one of the enemies of David from the face of the earth. So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David saying, may the Lord required at the hands of David's enemies. And Jonathan made David vow again, because it was love for him, because he loved him as he loved his own life. Jonathan and David, they made a covenant with one another. They made a commitment to one another. And Jonathan knew that David would be the next king.

And Jonathan was aligned to be the king. But God had cut off his kingly line. God said, nobody from your descendant will sit on the throne of ruling over Israel. And Jonathan knew that David would be the next king. But he too knew that when a new king rises to power, then all the descendants of the other king must die. Why? Because you don't want there to start a rebellion as they get older and rise up against you. But David made a covenant with Jonathan. The same has got worse with Saul. He made a covenant with Saul.

And now when you come to second Samuel chapter nine, David is going to fulfill that covenant, that promise that he made.

Let me read it to you. Second Samuel chapter nine, verse number one. Then David said, is there yet anyone left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan's sake? Now there was a servant of the house of Saul, whose name was Ziba. And they called him to David. And the king said to him, are you Ziba? He said, I am your servant. And the king said, is there not yet anyone of the house of Saul to whom I may show the kindness of God? And Ziba said to the king, there is still a son of Jonathan who is crippled in both feet.

So the king said to him, where is he? And Ziba said to the king, behold, he is in the house of Mechir, the son of Amiel in Lodabar. Then king David sent and brought him from the house of Mechir, the son of Amiel from Lodabar. And Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, came to David and fell on his face and prostrated himself. And David said, Mephibosheth. And he said, here is your servant. And David said to him, do not fear, for I will surely show kindness to you for the sake of your father Jonathan, and will restore to you all the land of your grandfather Saul.

And you shall eat at my table regularly. Again, he prostrated himself and said, what is your servant that you should regard a dead dog like me? And the king called Saul's servant Ziba and said to him, all that belongs to Saul and to all his house I have given to your master's grandson. And you and your sons and your servants shall cultivate the land for him, and you shall bring in the produce so that your master's grandson may have food. Nevertheless, Mephibosheth, your master's grandson, shall eat at my table regularly.

Now Ziba had 15 sons and 20 servants. And Ziba said to the king, according to all that my lord the king commands his servants, so your servant will do. So Mephibosheth ate at David's table as one of the king's sons. And Mephibosheth had a young son whose name was Micah. And all who lived in the house of Ziba were servants to Mephibosheth. So Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem for he ate at the king's table regularly. Now he was laying in both feet. Thirteen verses. Thirteen verses that have the theme kindness of God.

The kindness of God as demonstrated by the king, King David. It's a beautiful, beautiful passage of scripture that helps us see David at the height of his career. David had already conquered all the land that God had promised Israel. It was all his. He had done it all. He was king over all the land that God promised Abraham way, way, way, way, way, way back in Genesis chapter 12, Genesis chapter 15. Now he sits in king over all of Israel. And one day he begins to reflect, wow, I wonder if there's anybody in Saul's house still left.

And so we begin with the compassion for Mephibosheth. And then we'll move to point number two, which is the, the condition of Mephibosheth.

Then you're going to see the coming of Mephibosheth to the king. And then the changes for Mephibosheth. And what you're going to see is God's compassion for you amidst your condition and how you came to the ultimate king and the changes he bestows upon your life as a child of his. It's a beautiful, beautiful passage of scripture. But let's begin with the compassion for Mephibosheth. It says, and David said, is there yet anyone left in the house of Saul? Folks, that was a tragic house. That was a dreadful home.

That, that was, Saul was the first king. He was not just the first king. He was a formidable king. He was a fighting king. He was a fearful king, but he was a fallen king. And when he fell, it affected his entire house in such a way that, that it's all negative. And so you need to understand that. Why? Because as leaders of our home, gentlemen, the effects of our sin are devastating. They affect everybody. And all, all the king did, king Saul did was want to perform some priestly duties, but you're not supposed to do that as a king.

Solomon called him on it, or Samuel, excuse me, called him on it. He said, you can't do that. And God has rejected you as king. And then he just didn't kill all the people he was supposed to kill. He spared King Agag, and he spared some of the livestock, and he was supposed to wipe it all out. He just didn't obey fully what God said. He obeyed partially what God said. And we told you way back then that when you as a leader want to obey God and only obey him partially, it will cost you. How many people in the church today obey God partially, but not fully?

And it cost him. His home was a, was a tragic home. And it wore on Saul so harshly, so deeply that he became a bitter, rebellious, sinful man. And he got worse as he got older. He didn't get any better. He got worse and never truly repented of his sin. And David says, is there anyone left in the house of Saul? Anybody still alive? Anybody yet to minister to? Now, why would he even think about that? Why would he even care about that? I mean, he's now king over all of Israel. Why would he even look back and think about Saul?

Those were all bad days. They were all fearful days, days in which he ran and hid and was sought after by Saul to be killed. And yet he would say, is there anybody left? Simply because he made a commitment. He was faithful to his covenant. He was faithful to his word. He wanted to keep his word. He made a promise to Saul and Jonathan, and he wanted to keep his word. The compassion was to anybody in the house of Saul, not just certain ones, not just the males versus the females or vice versa. It wasn't the rich ones and not the poor ones.

It was anybody. Is there anybody there? And that's the way God's compassion is. He looks over the multitude in Matthew 9 and Matthew 14 and Matthew 15 and Matthew 20 and feels compassion for the people, all of them, not just some of them, all of them. The loving kindness of God is there anybody left in the house of Saul that I may show him kindness, mercy, compassion, that I might bestow on them the character and nature of God? Anybody. And the compassion or the kindness of David was great. It was gracious.

It was genuine. And it was glorifying. It was great because God's loving kindness is great. It is the loving kindness of God. We see that in verse number three, that I may show the kindness of God.

It wasn't his kindness. It was the kindness of God that he wanted to show. That's why it's such a great kindness. It was a gracious kindness because Mephibosheth was not deserving of any kindness. That's why it was a gracious kindness. It was a glorifying kindness because it magnified the character and nature of God. And it was a genuine kindness because it came from a heart that was pure and seeking to do what God would want him to do. And David says, is there anyone in the house of Saul that I might show him kindness?

Look what it says, for Jonathan's sake, for Jonathan's sake, the one he loved, his best friend who was killed with his father in battle for the sake of Jonathan. David couldn't show love to Jonathan because Jonathan was no more. But there was someone who was a descendant of Jonathan that for the sake of Jonathan, he could demonstrate his affection and kindness. Isn't it interesting that God forgives us for Christ's sake? Philippians 1 29 says, we've been granted the opportunity to believe for Christ's sake.

Isn't that good? Not for our sake, but for Christ's sake. That's an amazing statement. But somehow God wants us to believe for the sake of his son. And here is David the king who wants to show kindness for the sake of Saul's son, Jonathan, to someone in his house, that he might bestow kindness upon them. That moves us to point number two, the condition of Mephibosheth.

Number one, Mephibosheth was from the house of Saul. Now, if that's the case, he is alienated from David. He's not a friend of David. He's an enemy of David, the house of Saul. The house of Saul was against David as king, was against him ruling as king. And it's interesting to note that in the book of Ephesians, the fourth chapter, the Bible says that we are alienated from God, being darkened in our own understanding, excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them because of the hardness of their heart.

And they, having become callous, have given themselves over to sensuality. Describing us, we are alienated from the life of God. We are separated from the life of God. We are not friends of God before we're saved. We are the foes of God. And so as Mephibosheth and his condition was separate from David and an alien from David, an enemy of David, so too we are enemies of God. When he shows compassion on us, he demonstrates his love for us while we are sinners. Also note that not only was his line, Saul's line alienated from David, but it was accursed by God, accursed by God.

He was rejected by God. His whole family was rejected by God. And yet, David shows compassion and mercy and kindness. The Bible says that he was lame in both feet, that is Mephibosheth.

He was unable to walk. He was unable to move. He was lame because in 2 Samuel 4, after hearing about the death of Jonathan and the death of Saul, the nurse that kept Mephibosheth ran. She ran for fear because she knew that if the king was dead and the next in line to the king was dead and all his sons were dead, then everybody in the house would die because the dynasty had to be wiped out. So she picked up Mephibosheth. She began to run. He was only just a little boy and she tripped and he fell and he was crippled for the rest of his life.

He was lame. And so therefore he could not walk on his own. But I think this is so unique. The Bible says this about Mephibosheth.

It says, the king said to Ziba, where is he? Speaking of Mephibosheth, verse 4. Ziba said to the king, behold, he is in the house of Mekhiah, the son of Amiel in Lodabar. That's a great word because Lodabar in the Hebrew means a pastureless place, a barren place, a desolate place, a place of emptiness, a place of dissatisfaction, a place of fruitlessness. That's where the unbeliever lives. That's where Mephibosheth was. He was in a place of barrenness, a place of desolation, a place where there was no pasture, a place where there was no fruit.

It was a place of isolation, a place that he ran to and hid from out of fear. And therefore he was apart, way apart, and had to be brought back in by David and his servants. You know, the Bible says in Ephesians chapter 2, verse number 17, these words, and he came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near.

We were far away from God. We were in our spiritual Lodabar. We were in a place of desolation, a place that was pastureless, dissatisfied. And God came to us to bring us out of that place into a place of fruitfulness, in a place where there were green pastures, in a place where there was life and satisfaction. And so here was Mephibosheth. He was in a place far, far away from David in the northeast side of the Jordan River. Where would he go? What would he do? So David sends his servants. And that leads us to point number three, the coming of Mephibosheth.

You will note that David went after him. He didn't come to David. How come he didn't come to David? Because he was afraid for his life. He didn't know whether David would ever kill him or what David would do. He had no idea. He's somewhere in his 20s by now, by this time in 2 Samuel chapter 9, when he was crippled, he was around five years of age. Now he's somewhere in his 20s. He has heard all the horror stories about King David and how he is a great warrior. He's afraid for his life. He's gotten as far away from David as he possibly can.

And David goes after him. David goes after him. Why? Because in a sinful state, you never go after God. He goes after you. And David goes after him to bring him to a place of bounty, to bring him to a place in his palace, to bring him into fellowship with the King. So David goes after him, just like God goes after us. Oh, by the way, the covenant made with Jonathan was made before Mephibosheth was ever born. Just like in the spiritual realm, God made a commitment way before you were ever born to seek you, to choose you, and to bring you into his kingdom.

And David sends his servants to go after him. The Bible says in Luke 19, verse number 10, that Christ came to seek and to save that which was lost.

Because Romans 3.11 says that no man seeks after God. So if God doesn't seek him, man doesn't respond. Mephibosheth wasn't going to seek David. He was afraid of David. So David went after him. And David sent his servants. Just like that's exactly how Christ finds us. He sends his servants to preach a gospel of grace and kindness. And that's exactly what the servants of David do. And the King sent and brought him from the house of Mekir, the son of Amiel, from Lodabar. Why? They went to him and said, the King wants to see you.

The King wants to bring you into his kingdom. The King wants to extend kindness to you. The King wants to extend his mercy to you. The King wants to extend his love to you. Now, if you're Mephibosheth, what do you think? I'm not so sure. I mean, he already sees himself, as the text says, as a dead dog, right? So his view of himself isn't very good. But you'd be foolish not to respond to the call of the King. Just like anybody in this room this evening who has heard the call of the King and doesn't respond.

You'd be foolish to stay in Lodabar, a place of barrenness spiritually, a place that's dry and lonely, a place that is filled with dissatisfaction. Oh, you think that then that place, there is satisfaction, but every turn you are completely dissatisfied. You are completely disillusioned. Why? Because you're far away from God. And that's where Mephibosheth was. And I'm sure when the servants went to get him, they'd say, you know, you got to come, man. The King has got a place at his table for you.

You got to come. Mephibosheth said, I don't know, man. I'm not sure. Maybe he's going to kill me. Maybe he just wants to bring me in and hang me up. I don't know. No, you got to come. You got to come. The King wants to extend kindness, mercy, love, generosity, compassion. That's who our King is. And the servants know the King. And so they convinced Mephibosheth to come. And he does. And look what happens. Verse six. And Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, came to David and what? Fell on his face and prostrated himself.

Wow. Because you see, when you're in Lodabar and the King calls, you realize how unworthy you are to be in the presence of the King. And you bow before him to worship him, to honor him and to praise him. And that's exactly what Mephibosheth does. And David said, Mephibosheth. He calls him by name. He calls him by name. And he said, here is your servant. He immediately saw himself as what? A servant of the King. Wow. That doesn't go into the spiritual realm of how it is we respond. Because you see, when you fall down before the King, you don't want to do anything else but serve the King.

You don't. Because you recognize who the King is. That's Mephibosheth. He recognizes that he's a servant of the King. It wasn't until Mephibosheth said, well, you know, I'm not so sure I'm a servant here. I am the son of Saul, Jonathan, the grandson of the former King Saul. I have a little bit of clout here, don't you think, David? But I don't necessarily have to be a servant in your palace, do I? Can't I just be like your buddy? Can't I be like, you know, one of the guys that can sit down and just have small talk and we can be friends?

No, he immediately saw himself as a servant. He bowed before him. David said to him, do not fear. Boy, the attitude of Mephibosheth is one that explains to us that when a sinner responds to the kindness of the King, all he wants to do is be at the disposal of the King, which will lead us to reexamine our lives and ask, how often are we at the disposal of the King? Because we are a servant, having responded to the kindness of God that leads us to repentance. Which leads us to point number four, and that is a change for Mephibosheth.

Look at this. David said to him, do not fear, for I will surely show kindness to you for the sake of your father, Jonathan. Change number one, safety.

Do not fear, meaning that he was fearful. Remember the Christmas story? The theme of the Christmas story is do not fear. The angels said it to the shepherds. Mary had to hear it from Gabriel. Zacharias had to hear it from Gabriel. Do not fear. Do not fear. Why? Because when you come face to face with supernatural, you are in fear for your life. And Mephibosheth came face to face with the King. I'm sure he feared for his life to some degree, because there's always a healthy fear of God in the life of the believer.

And the response is do not fear, Mephibosheth. There is safety here. And then he says this, do not fear. Why? Because with that safety comes serenity, peace. Peace. Because David wants him to understand that he is no longer his enemy. He's extended compassion and kindness, tender mercy. He sees him not as his enemy, but as one he wants to be at peace with and be reconciled with. He finds serenity. But not only that, he finds, I like this, standing. Standing. Why? The Bible says in verse number 11, so Mephibosheth ate at David's table as one of the King's sons.

His whole standing changed. He was Jonathan's son, but in all reality now he became David's son, the King's son. That's why the Bible says in 1 John 3, 1, oh, what manner of love is this that's been bestowed upon us that we should be called the children of God.

What manner of love the Father has bestowed upon us that somehow we, of all people, should be called the children of God. Our whole standing changes when we're born again. When we come and respond to the kindness of God and repent and come before him and bow down and say, yes, King, I am your servant, the standing that we receive is one of sons. We are adopted into the family of God. The Bible says in John 1, 12, to as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God.

That's where Mephibosheth was. So the changes for Mephibosheth, number one, security. Number two, serenity, because there was no peace in Lodabar.

It's a pastoralist place. It's a barren place. It's a fruitless place. But now he's at peace with the King. So now he receives serenity. But on top of that peace, he receives standing with the King, the highest standing with the King, because now he's a son of the King. Not only that, four times it says, he receives supping with the King. Because why? He will eat at my table regularly. He will eat at my table continually. What a blessing. Because you see in Lodabar, there is no food, no food that satisfies that is.

But now he sits at the King's table, Revelation 3.20, behold, I stand at the door and knock. Anybody in there listening? He opens the door. I will come into him. And I will what? I will sup with him. I will fellowship with him. We will be joined together. And that's what Mephibosheth was now experiencing. One who is a son of David. But he also receives not just safety and serenity, standing and supping, but he also receives substance. Substance because now he gets all the land that his grandfather had.

He didn't deserve that, but he received it because of a King who was compassionate and loving and kind. He went from poverty to plenty in a moment. He went from having nothing to having everything. And he deserved none of it. But that's the kindness of God. And that's what David would show to him. And then he also had support. That's number six. Support. Why? Well, he's laying on both feet. He can't do much, right? And so, so Ziba now becomes a servant of Mephibosheth and all of his sons and servants become servants to Mephibosheth to support him, to strengthen him.

And that's the same thing that happens when you and I are born again. We get all the support we need from who? The Spirit of God who strengthens us, who supports us, who stands with us to help us in our time of need. And he received all that. And lastly, he received security because he would eat at the King's table forever. Nothing would change that. Let me show that to you.

Go to chapter 21 of 2 Samuel. 2 Samuel 21. This is where we're going to conclude tonight. Now, there was a famine in the days of David for three years, year after year. And David sought the presence of the Lord. And the Lord said it is for Saul and his bloody house because he put the Gibeonites to death. Now, this is very important. Why? Because 400 years before this, Joshua made a covenant with the Gibeonites. Oh, the Gibeonites deceived Joshua. They did. You can read about it in Joshua chapter 9.

They deceived him. But he made a covenant with them anyway. And God says, even though you were deceived in the covenant, you must always keep the covenant, the promise.

Why? Because God is big on promises. God is big on people keeping their word. And let me show you what happens to those of you who decide not to keep your word, because this chapter tells us what happens.

It's brutal. It really is. There's a famine in the land. And David says, there's a famine. Why is there a famine? Now, remember, David's ruling over all of Israel. He has faced the consequences of his sin with Bathsheba. He's experienced a turmoil in his home. But now there's a famine in the entire land of Israel, and he is concerned about it as king. And he finally seeks the Lord and says, Lord, there's a problem.

We got a famine. Why is there a famine? And God says, I'm going to tell you why. Because of Saul. What? Saul, that was so long ago. And we're experiencing the effects of Saul now, and that happened so long ago. God says, you got it.

Because of what he did to the Gibeonites. Saul, in his effort to rid Israel of all, the land of Israel from all the enemies of God, decided to put the covenant that Joshua made with the Gibeonites aside and seek to slaughter them. Well, he didn't kill them all. And they never forgot that. So here goes the story. So the king called the Gibeonites and spoke to them. Now, the Gibeonites were not of the sons of Israel, but of the remnant of the Amorites. The sons of Israel made a covenant with them. But Saul had sought to kill them in a zeal for the sons of Israel and Judah.

Thus David said to the Gibeonites, what should I do for you? And how can I make atonement that you may bless the inheritance of the Lord? Then the Gibeonites said to him, we have no concern of silver or gold with Saul or his house, nor is it for us to put any man to death in Israel. And he said, I will do for you whatever you say. So they said to the king, the man who consumed us and who planned to exterminate us from remaining within any border of Israel, let seven men from his sons be given to us and we will hang them before the Lord in Gibeah of Saul, the chosen of the Lord.

And the king said, I will give them. Wow. What do you want us to do? We don't want anybody from the house of Israel, but what we do want are seven members, seven sons, grandsons, sons of the house of Saul. Cause we're going to hang them up for all to see. And David says, you got it. Wait a minute. I thought David was a man of compassion, men of kindness. Read on. But the king spared who? Mephibosheth. Mephibosheth. Because when you become a son of the king, security is yours. You have nothing to fear.

He would not give Mephibosheth because he made a covenant. The son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, because the oath of the Lord, which was between them, between David and Saul's son, Jonathan. Even if David wanted to give Mephibosheth up, he couldn't do it. Because if he did, he'd break a covenant that he made with Jonathan. Say, wait a minute. It was just a covenant he made with Jonathan. No. When you make a covenant, when you make a promise, it is before God Almighty. And when you break that covenant before God, mark this, you will bear the consequences in your house forever.

Forever. You can't break a covenant and say, well, you know, I'm just going to walk out of the marriage. It's going to be okay. I found something better. Oh no. Let me tell you something.

You will face the consequences of a broken promise for the rest of your lives because God has high value on keeping your word because he keeps his word. And for those who don't, havoc will be all over their homes. Just like it was over the house of Saul. Even at this point, it just never left his house because of a one man's sin, because of his rebellion against God, his rejection by God, it never left his house. Yes, he never sought repentance. He never did, Saul. But what he did was against the promise made that God had honored.

And this chapter tells us that God in his providence allowed this memorable retaliation as a lesson about keeping your word. That's why David said you can have seven. Why seven? Because seven is the number of completion. That's why. That's why it was seven. And David said, you can have him, but you cannot have Mephibosheth because I made a covenant with his father and with his grandfather that I would show kindness, loving kindness to his descendants. And I brought him in. But God allowed to take place as these men hung in Gibeah.

Why? Because God said, this is a testimony. You cannot ever break a vow without experiencing devastating consequences. That's second Samuel 9.

That's what caused David to go back and take Mephibosheth in to show compassion because he made a promise. That should cause every one of us to say, you know what? What promise have I made? What covenant have I made? What word have I given that says, before God, because when you make a promise, how many times have people stood on this altar behind me and made a promise? The promise is not to their spouse. The promise is to God. And the spouse is the one who evidences my commitment to God because I've kept the covenant I made with God about them.

That's powerful. And so God expects his people to keep his word because if we don't keep our word, why would the world keep their word? Right? When we make a vow, when we make a covenant, when we give a promise, we must follow through. And that's what led David to exemplify the character of God in all of his kindness because he was a man after God's own heart and he was committed to keeping his word. That's powerful. It should be a reminder to all of us that should be our mission to keep our word no matter what.

And Mephibosheth, because David kept his word, found himself secure as a son of the king, eating regularly at the table of the king because David kept his word. Let's pray. Father, thank you, Lord, for today and all that you do. Lord, it's a great reminder for every one of us, Lord. May we be people who do not renege on our commitment, who are strong in the faith, standing strong on the word of the Lord. David in this chapter demonstrates to us the character of his God and shows us how you seek after us and you send your servants to preach the word of grace and loving kindness and mercy.

And when we come, we bow before you and prostrate ourselves and see ourselves as servants. And even Mephibosheth after that saw himself still as a dead dog because in light of all the grace and all the mercy he saw himself as undeserving. May we keep that perspective, Lord, for truly we have not earned anything in your kingdom. You have freely given it to us because of your grace and mercy. For that, we will be eternally grateful. In Jesus' name, amen.