How David Honored God with His Kindness and Integrity

Read 2 Samuel 6- 9

Highlights

David's intentions to bring the Ark to its proper place result in a man's death; God forbids David to build the Temple; God builds David an eternal "house" – meaning royal lineage (II Sam. 7:1-11).

And David said unto him, Fear not: for I will surely shew thee kindness for Jonathan thy father's sake, and will restore thee all the land of Saul thy father; and thou shalt eat bread at my table continually (II Samuel 9:7).

David and Jonathan had been best friends. And even more, they were as brothers. David had made a pledge to Jonathan and Jonathan to David. They were friends for life. However, it was not for as long as they had expected since Jonathan's life ended early in the same battle as his father, Saul.

David wished to honor the relationship he had with Jonathan now that he had become king. So, David inquired if there were any of Saul's house left living. He found out that Jonathan had a son that had survived even though he was crippled in his feet. His name was Mephibosheth.

It would have been very easy for David to put his relationship with Saul and his family behind him. Most people would have wanted to with the hardships that had been faced. David did not have a desire to forget. He had a love and respect for Jonathan, and Saul too, for that matter.

Therefore, David chose to do what was right. He honored the feelings he had for Jonathan and Saul. He did this by restoring all of Saul's lands to his grandson, Mephibosheth. With Saul having been king, this was probably a large piece of property. The cost did not matter to David when doing what was right in God's eyes. Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour (Rom. 13:7).

David's actions described in these scriptures are not always the easiest road to take. To be honest, it is probably pretty hard for most people to do this. Most do not even try because of fear, pride and a host of other emotions. It is just far too emotionally difficult.

Healing can be very hard to gain. This becomes even more true when it involves relationships. For a relationship to completely heal, it is often necessary for forgiveness to be asked for and given.

Forgiveness is something we have received abundantly from God. We should, likewise, give it out abundantly. It will lift many burdens off our hearts. Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven (Luke 6:37).

It is easy for us to say that we did not cause the rift with an individual. It was all the other person that caused the rift in our relationship. Even if this is true, it should not matter. As a believer, we should be prepared to go the extra mile. It is true that not all relationships with issues can be saved. However, if it is our heart's desire that the relationship be restored, we owe it to ourselves and the other person to try. David was king, but, in a way, he humbled himself in calling out to Mephibosheth and giving him Saul's lands back. There is nothing wrong in being meek and humble when the occasion calls for it.

And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted (Matt. 23:12).

Thought for Today

God is honored and blessed as we seek ways to Honor Him and His Word.

Christ Revealed:

By the Ark of the Covenant which they . . . set . . . in the midst of the Tabernacle (II Sam. 6:17). The Ark contained the Ten Commandments, given to Moses (Deut. 10:1-5). Christ is the Living Word(John 1:1) and dwells within those of us who are the Temple of God (I Cor. 3:16) Christ in you, the hope of glory (Col. 1:27).

Word Studies:

6:7 error, fault committed through negligence; 6:14 linen ephod, priestly, linen garment; 6:19 dealt, distributed; 6:21 play, celebrate, show my joy; 7:8 sheepcote, pastureland; 7:9 cut off,  destroyed, eliminated; 7:12 seed, offspring, descendants; 7:23 terrible, full of wonder; awesome; 8:3 recover his border at the river Euphrates, establish his territory to the Euphrates River; 8:4 houghed, hamstrung; 8:5 succour, help; 9:8 look upon such a dead dog, show favor to such an insignificant person.

Prayer Suggestion: Pray in faith, without doubting (James 1:6).

Optional Reading: Acts 14

Memory Verse for the Week: John 11:25

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