Kings and Kindness

Often times we read about the rise and fall of kings in the Bible with little thought about the ramifications that each change has on the nation. The death of popular kings would cause worry and fear about the nature of the next leader. Bad kings, unpopular with the people, would be a reason to rejoice. A change in leadership is more than just a change in names. It is an entire shift in the way that the people ae led and the future of every individual is at stake.

Saul, the first king of Israel, had begun as a popular leader. While his reputation waned the longer he ruled, there was still an element of support for Saul. The first transition of power in Israel was a messy affair. After the death of Saul, Abner, his general, took Saul’s son, Ishbosheth, and made him king. What began was a bloody conflict lasting nearly seven years. Intrigue reigned in the highest offices as Abner and Ishbosheth fought for power. Abner would eventually defect and be killed as he planned to meet with David. David then takes power but must go to battle in Jerusalem to claim it as his own. What kind of king would David make? His first years are years of battle. How would the people view this new leadership? While David honored God and seemed to remain aloof from this initial intrigue, David was still coming to power in the midst of a mess.

2 Samuel 9 records a touching story in the life of King David. It starts in 2 Samuel 4:4 where we learn that Jonathan, the beloved friend of David and the son of Saul, had a son, Mephibosheth. At the time of Saul and Jonathan’s death, Mephibosheth was 5 years old and in the care of a nurse. When word came from Jezreel, the nurse took Mephibosheth and fled. Her fear must have been great. The common practice among kings of the time was to kill all of the family of the former leader in order to secure the throne. A family with no heirs could never rise up to challenge future authority. In their haste to flee, Mephibosheth falls and becomes lame in both feet. He and his nurse go into hiding and years pass.

Pick up the story in 2 Samuel 9 and we see David remembering his time under the leadership of Saul. His love for Jonathan endures, the love of friends who shared their youth. He begins to ask if there is anyone left of the house of Saul to whom he can do a kindness. Word comes that Mephibosheth, the son of David’s friend is alive and living in Lo-debar. David sends for the man and Mephibosheth comes to David with great fear. Mephibosheth is unsure of David’s intentions, but David quickly reveals the reason for his summons. David wants to do a kindness for the son of his friend. David welcomes Mephibosheth into his home and invites him to eat at the king’s table.

It is a story that would spread far and wide in Israel. The king is not a man who is only out for destruction. He is a man who can lay aside old hatreds, a king who is confident in God’s ability to establish and maintain the throne. David is a king who offers kindness.

The story has further meaning. Lo-debar has often been translated as “no-thing.” Mephibosheth went from a future of power and influence as the king’s grandson to a nobody and a nothing. All in one night, Mephibosheth’s future was changed. His health, his ability to walk, was impaired and now Mephibosheth was living outside of the spotlight, broken and hurt. But one day a king called him. That king changed his life. No longer was Mephibosheth and outcast, he became family. He was an honored guest with all the benefits of eating at the king’s table.

Sound familiar. It should. It is the same story that you and I share. There was a time when we were hurt and broken by sin. We were nothings in the world with no hope of a future. But Jesus, our King, invited us to eat at His table. He blessed us with more than we could ask or imagine. He made us family and committed Himself to our care. He is the King who has brought kindness into our lives.

Embedding the Bible is not only about learning the past. It is about how we see God at work in our lives. So many of the stories we read are more than history. They are our story as we walk with God today.