David's Kindness and Mercy

2 Samuel 9:1-13 

    1 Now David said, “Is there still anyone who is left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan's sake?” 2 And there was a servant of the house of Saul whose name was Ziba. So when they had called him to David, the king said to him, “Are you Ziba?”  He said, “At your service!”  3 Then the king said, “Is there not still someone 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 lame in his feet.”  4 So the king said to him, “Where is he?”  And Ziba said to the king, “Indeed he is in the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, in Lo Debar.”
    5 Then King David sent and brought him out of the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, from Lo Debar.  6 Now when Mephibosheth the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, had come to David, he fell on his face and prostrated himself. Then David said, “Mephibosheth?”  And he answered, “Here is your servant!”
    7 So David said to him, “Do not fear, for I will surely show you kindness for Jonathan your father's sake, and will restore to you all the land of Saul your grandfather; and you shall eat bread at my table continually.”  8 Then he bowed himself, and said, “What is your servant, that you should look upon such a dead dog as I?”
    9 And the king called to Ziba, Saul's servant, and said to him, “I have given to your master's son all that belonged to Saul and to all his house. 10 You therefore, and your sons and your servants, shall work the land for him, and you shall bring in the harvest, that your master's son may have food to eat. But Mephibosheth your master's son shall eat bread at my table always.” Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants.
    11 Then Ziba said to the king, “According to all that my lord the king has commanded his servant, so will your servant do.”  “As for Mephibosheth,” said the king, “he shall eat at my table like one of the king's sons.” 12 Mephibosheth had a young son whose name was Micha. And all who dwelt in the house of Ziba were servants of Mephibosheth. 13 So Mephibosheth dwelt in Jerusalem, for he ate continually at the king's table. And he was lame in both his feet.

King David could have taken vengeance on any remaining relatives of former the king Saul because Saul had pursued him as an enemy to kill him, as did his son Ishbosheth.  Only Jonathan had acknowledged David as Gods chosen and defended him.  But David exercised mercy and saved the last remaining relative of Saul, his grandson and the son of Jonathan who was lame in both feet from falling as a five-year old being carried away after Saul died in battle.  This Mephibosheth was instead shown kindness and mercy by David, given all the inheritance of Saul’s legacy in land and servants.  David further took care of and honored Mephibosheth as royalty by having him at his dinner table every day.  Instead of vengeance, he showed great and undeserved grace in mercy and care.  We who are in Christ, the seed of David according to the flesh and chosen Anointed seed accordingly as God’s Son, we are to take heart to this example and show mercy and grace to those enemies who persecute, pursue our destruction, and spitefully abuse us (Matthew 5:44, Luke 6:28).  We are to be as Christ to them as David gave us a shadow by example here with his enemy’s relative.  We all are Adam’s descendants, all are born in sin, all are God’s enemies (Romans 5:8, 10), and are all under His great grace of mercy.  Loving God necessitates loving others in the same way as He first loved us.