KEY VERSE
“And David said, ‘Is there still anyone left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan's sake?’”
2 SAMUEL 9:1
Read 1 Samuel 24:20-22; 2 Samuel 9:1-13
Someone once said that humans are the only part of God’s creation that when you pat them on the back, their heads expand. I’ve also observed that the older we get, we go one of two ways: gracious or grumpy. Recently, a friend retired after 40 years of very successful ministry. I was amazed by his humility as, for the final time, he addressed the church that he had led for the past 19 years, using three words as his outline:
Sorry… for not getting it right all the time and always responding the way he should have.
Thank you… to the church for their willingness to change and for their sacrificial contribution over the years.
Please… continue to be open to the leading of the Holy Spirit.
He had built a church of thousands and none of the buildings on the site which had cost millions of pounds were there when he arrived 19 years earlier, yet every word he spoke was saturated with grace.
Saul is dead, King David is now on the throne. It’s been such a long journey of highs and lows since he took down Goliath as a shepherd boy.
How will he handle himself?
I think one of the most beautiful pictures of grace in the Old Testament is when King David discovers that there is still a living relative of his friend Jonathan, Saul’s son. In those days, new kings wiped out the entire families of previous rulers that had been deposed, just in case one would make a challenge for the throne. This man, Mephibosheth, was a cripple. When he was summoned to the palace, he thought for sure that he’d die – he’d be executed. But we read the contrary – it’s a story of grace given freely.
“Mephibosheth fell to the ground before the king. ‘Should the king show such kindness (grace) to a dead dog like me?’ he exclaimed… You and your sons and servants are to farm the land for him to produce food for his family. But Mephibosheth will live here at the palace with me." 2 Samuel 9:8, 10. Instead of a death sentence, Mephibosheth received a royal welcome and a place at the king’s table for life. David built a house of Grace. What a picture of God’s passion for His people and His House! It’s no accident that the first followers of Jesus were also known for their grace. “And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all.” (Acts 4:33)
This was literally a house of ‘mega’ grace.
To whom do you need to show such grace today?
Author: Jonathan Stanfield - Lead Elder, Living Hope Church, Isle of Man