David is a man of action. So much so, that one gets the impression that he thrives in motion and cannot be still. From herding sheep and delivering food to his brothers on the front lines as a boy to hiding in caves to escape Saul and protecting the Philistines for pay while secretly sabotaging Israel’s enemies. The man is clever and makes good use of his time. But all of that is over.
David is king. He doesn’t have to do it all. He has people, who have people. Yet, David has been told he can’t build a house for God because too much blood is on his hands. So what is he supposed to do? It is unsurprising that while looking for something he can do God leads him to do something that everyone else has failed to do – secure the Promised Land. David must go to war.
In 2 Samuel 8, David takes action to build the nation God had planned for Israel. David has already united Israel, now he will greatly expand its boundaries.
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Mephibosheth’s name means one who scatters shame. Mephibosheth lives in Lo Debar which means Nothing. So it is no wonder that the poor guy describes himself as a dead dog.He scatters shame and lives in nothing. But the king sees him and David’s heart is to save him and raise him from his shame and life of nothing.
David gives 2 gifts of hesed to Mephibosheth. He restores to him all the property in Saul’s estate. And he gives Mephibosheth the status of a son. He restores to him the honor that was lost to him when his father was killed, the right to eat at the king’s table, forever. A good leader is kind and a good leader is generous.
David’s hesed is a mirror of Christ’s. Christ has secured our inheritance in the eternal promised land and Christ has secured our invitation to the King’s table always…forever. Christ can and will raise us from nothing just as David did for Mephibosheth. David was the example of what a king should be like. Up until this point, he has been a good example in contrast to Saul’s bad example. However, this act of hesed to Jonathan’s family will starkly contrast David’s treatment of another honorable family in our next episode.
Scene 1: David Delivers Defeat
Scene 2: David Dedicates the Plunder
In Scene 3: But What Else is There for David to Do?
Scene 4: The Ammonite Humiliation + Retaliation
Verses Mentioned:
The author of this article is Hayley Mowatt, producer of Bible Book Club.
