2 Samuel 9:1-13

We serve a gracious God who blesses us far beyond or merits.  It glorifies Him when His children reflect His attributes.  David demonstrates a graciousness in this passage that is a clear reflection of the grace of God in his own life.  Saul had made David’s life very miserable for a very long time.  Despite that fact, David remained loyal to Saul and spared his life on numerous occasions.  Now, years later, David is still showing this same loyalty to Saul’s family and remembering his special friendship with Saul’s son Jonathan.  May God grant us a gracious spirit to bless those who have hurt us.

DAVID REMEMBERS HIS LOVE FOR JONATHAN: David’s kingdom has grown and his fame is at an all time high.  It is said that for every 100 men who can handle adversity well there is only 1 man who can handle success well.  David has demonstrated his ability to be faithful and loyal in the face of adversity and now he demonstrates his ability to handle success well.  At the very height of his kingdom he stops and remembers his love and devotion for Jonathan and he seeks to find out if there is anyone still alive from the house of Saul.  It is astounding to think that Saul’s family had been so utterly destroyed that David had to go looking to find someone from the family that was still alive.  The price of sin is very high; not only for us but for our entire family.  Normally a king would seek out the living descendants of a former king in order to try to destroy them; that is not the case here.  David’s desire is to bless the house of Saul out of love for Jonathan.  It is easy for us to forget the people who have been a blessing to us in the past.  We are too often focused on our present circumstances and the needs of the moment that we seldom take time to reflect on the blessings of the past and the people who have been used by God to bless us.

DAVID RESTORES THE LAND TO JONATHAN’S SON: When David finds out that there is a son of Jonathan who is still alive; calls for him to be brought to the palace.  David enlists the help of the Saul’s former servant to bring Mephibosheth to the palace and then he restores all of the land that formerly belonged to Saul and gives it to Jonathan’s son.  He calls for Saul’s servant to till the land and bring the proceeds to Mephibosheth but David promises to provide for Mephibosheth from his own table.  He treats Saul’s grandson as if he were one of his own sons and gives him a place of honor in the kingdom.  Bitterness and revenge have no place in the lives of those who follow God.  We are quick to forget the blessings of others in our lives; but we are often very slow to forget the offenses of others who have hurt us in the past.  God is not pleased when we allow bitterness to poison our hearts.  Bitterness is a poison that we drink hoping that someone else will be hurt by it.  The truth is that we are the ones who most hurt by our own bitterness.  God would have us to be gracious and forgiving like He is so we can experience the joy of living in fellowship with Him and bringing honor to His name.