[A ‘Tuesday Challenge‘ originally prepared for the congregation of Horley Baptist Church during October 2026]
‘Don’t be afraid,’ David said to him, ‘for I will surely show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan. I will restore to you all the land that belonged to your grandfather Saul, and you will always eat at my table.’
2 Samuel 9 v7 [NIVUK]
It was a common practice in Old Testament times for a new monarch to kill the former ruler’s family, as a means of eliminating potential rivals. Perhaps the most prominent example is that of Jehu who became king of Israel in around 840BC. He ordered the assassination of some 114 relatives of the previous royal family.[1]
This practice was not confined to the nation of Israel. There are credible reports of similar actions in the courts of Assyria, Babylonia, Egypt, Mesopotamia and Persia. More recently, it can be argued that events surrounding the succession of Richard III to the throne of England in 1483 have similar characteristics. In each case the incoming king thought that he was in charge of the affairs of state. God thought otherwise:
And He changes the times and the seasons; He removes kings and raises up kings; He gives wisdom to the wise And knowledge to those who have understanding.
Daniel 2 v21 [NKJV]
Do you assume that you are in charge of your affairs?
Does the realisation that you are not in charge cause resentment or relief?
In due course God brought each of those empires to an end.[2]
All of the above is in contrast with David’s gesture of showing mercy to someone who could not offer him any compensatory service. By accepting the lame Mephibosheth at his table David is honouring the covenant that he made with Jonathan and giving his court a lesson in what we now call ‘inclusion’.
The king spared Mephibosheth son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, because of the oath before the Lord between David and Jonathan son of Saul.
2 Samuel 21 v7 [NIVUK]
Are we willing to keep our promises even if there is no one to hold us to account?
Are tempted to dismiss those who cannot keep up with us?
The Biblical account tells us that King David had more trouble with his own family rather than with his predecessor’s descendants. David, the ‘man after God’s own heart’, the writer of psalms that have been a great blessing for more than 3,000 years, was forced to face the consequences of his own sin.[3]
Do we recognise that our mistakes and sub-optimal decisions have consequences?
Are we afraid that those consequences may catch up with us?
We may not be in a line of succession to an earthly kingdom but we do live in a world where fear, real or perceived, is widespread. Love transcends fear. David’s demonstration of his love for Jonathan dispelled any fear that Mephibosheth may have felt; God’s demonstration of his love allows us to overcome our fears.[4]
Despite his own shortcomings David wrote some words that may be helpful:
When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise – in God I trust and am not afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?
Psalm 56 v3-4 [NIVUK]
References:
[1] 2 Kings 9 & 10
[2] Nahum 3:7, Isaiah 13:19, Ezekiel 30:22
[3] 2 Samuel 12:11-12
[4] John 3:16
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Contributed by Steve Humphreys; © Steve Humphreys