Repaying Kindness
2 Samuel 9:7 “Don’t be afraid!” David said. “I intend to show kindness to you because of my promise to your father, Jonathan. I will give you all the property that once belonged to your grandfather Saul, and you will eat here with me at the king’s table!”
King Saul’s son , Jonathan, was David’s closest friend. The led armies together, and they shared that common bond you get with someone who has served in the trenches right alongside you. They loved each other. Jonathan even saved David from his father’s wrath and jealousy.
In the saga of King Saul and his rejection as Israel’s king, Jonathan stayed loyal to his father, even when he disagreed with him. Eventually, Jonathan was lost in a battle that Israel had no business fighting. Saul was killed near that same battle, and David became king. Needless to say, the descendants of Saul were nervous. In order to keep rebellion at bay, a new king has to get rid of the old king’s family.
So when King David asked if there was anybody left in Saul’s family, the people must have thought, “Here it comes, Ole David is gonna slay some Saul lineage tonight!”
Can you imagine how scared Jonathan’s son, Mephibosheth, must have been when David sent for him? “Okay, today is my day to die, David has finally gotten around to killing me.” Nope, not what David had in mind at all.
David wanted to repay the kindness that Jonathan showed him. Instead of slaughtering Mephibosheth, he restored all of King Saul’s lands to him, and invited him as a permanent guest at the king’s dinner table.
Can you think of anyone who has been kind to you, who showed you love and grace in your times of need? Why not reach out to them today and tell them thanks. Do something kind for them, or if they are gone, do it in their name. Don’t do it for show, don’t call a press conference, just repay their love and kindness in some way. If we could all be kinder, this world would be a better place, and we would be more Christ-like.
Today’s Readings: 2 Samuel 8,9; 1 Chronicles 18,19; Matthew 21