When his friend passed away, David’s love for his friend did not die too. Today we see David’s faithfulness and love to his friend. He mourned deeply for his loss. And never forgot the covenant they both made with each other.
This story reminds me of a similar real life encounter. A few years ago we lost a brother in church. Unknown to his wife her husband left a huge sum of money in his friend’s care. His young widow was very surprised (who wouldn’t?) to receive the money from this family friend. She was grateful for his faithfulness.
You see, David sought for ways to extend kindness to his late friend’s son, Mephiboseth. He was not quick to forget their covenant. He did not forget his late friend.
Bible Study: 2 Samuel 9:1-13
Lesson 1: If we truly have love in our hearts, it doesn’t die out because love is contagious and lives long.
Lesson 2: Love is not self seeking.
David acts selfless, and sacrificial. Recalling the kindness that was once shown to him by Jonathan, he intentionally goes out of his way to repay that kindness. What show of gratitude!
He had a choice to walk away altogether following the actions of his friend’s father but he chose to honour Jonathan
The key word today is faithfulness. This resonates with loyalty.
A faithful man who can find? Proverbs 20:6
The house of Saul has been through a lot including the murder of his remaining sons and grandsons due to atrocities committed by Saul. Jonathan’s son escapes destruction from the blood thirsty avengers because of David.
David’s love is beautiful but cannot be compared with that we receive from God. God’s love extends to our household keeping His covenant from one generation to the next.
Imagine experiencing that kind of favour and mercy at the hand of the king, who had been repeatedly offended by your ruthless grandfather?
It would have frightened the bananas out of Mephiboseth. Talk about grace. Undeserved grace to have a seat at the king’s table. Recall, he was lame on his feet. The lame and the blind were not permitted to come close to the king’s palace because of the incident in 2 Samuel 5:8 (recommended you can study the reason using Biblestudytools.com, John Wesleys explanatory notes or Biblehub.com) this can be literally or in terms of the idols of the Jebusites)
Lesson 3: Love cannot be bound. Pure love is without boundaries. Not even death can quench the embers of love in your heart.
One lesson stands out David looked past enmity, jealousy, hatred and the hunt for his life to offer grace and kindness to Mephiboseth. It takes a man with the heart of God and deep love for Christ to do this. Because God is love. I’m not sure what I would do under the same circumstance but one thing is certain, we have availability of God’s grace and strength to go through.
Have you read how much David mourned for Saul and Jonathan when he learnt of their demise? 2 Samuel 1: 12-17
Friendships come with difficulties. It is in those difficult times we prove our loyalty, faithfulness and love.
Have you ever had tooth ache before? Or a fracture or dislocation? The discomfort. The pain. The Bible likens an unfaithful man to a broken tooth and to a joint out of place. Ouch! very painful is the wound of a friend. Unfaithfulness causes heart ache, a pain that strikes the last nerve. Proverbs 25:19
The Lord knows it is difficult to find a faithful friend. When you have them you should value such people because you may never come across such a person again. And we too should endeavor to be faithful and dependable to friends God has placed in our lives.
How to show kindness without regrets
David had a choice. After all, his friend was late. He could have swept their bind under the rug. He had a choice to forget everyone who ever helped him. But life isn’t about the money or status we attain it is about people and how much we impact lives.
In this video I share about how to continually help others without regrets. Trust me, this is worth your time! (I have got lots of useful video resources, I encourage you subscribe to receive notifications)
Journal Activity
*What if we offered grace and got peanuts in return? Will it change the fact that we give and who we give? Should it make us treat people differently?
*What if we sacrificed like Jonathan and never got a thank you in return?
Lesson 3: Our mentality about giving and helps is transformed when we do all that we do to honour God and not man. Hoot! Hoot! Not every person you ever showed kindness to would remember. That’s the ugly bitter truth.
Jesus did the same. He offered up himself but look around you, how many people acknowledge the sacrifice made on their behalf?
Prayer: Lord, help me to be a woman faithful in friendships in Jesus name. Father, I pray you help me build faith-filled, nourishing and refreshing friendships in Christ.
More Journal Activity
*Are you willing to pay the cost and risk in growing an authentic and loving friendship?
*Do you recall the sacrifice and kindness others have shown you in time past?
*Is David’s action something you can do for the friendship you once shared with a friend?
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