Restoring Kindness
“Then king David sent, and fetched him out of the house of Machir, the son of Ammiel, from Lodebar. Now when Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, was come unto David, he fell on his face, and did reverence. And David said, Mephibosheth. And he answered, Behold thy servant! 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.” (2 Samuel 9:5-7)
Today’s Morsel: In olden times, when a new king or leader was installed, they would oftentimes have all the family of their enemies killed for fear of them uprising and taking revenge against them. But over the course of time, David wanted to show kindness to the house of Saul for his friend Jonathan’s sake. And so he asks if Saul had any other children. He is told no, but that his friend, Jonathan, has a son, but he was lame. And so, David sends for him. I’m sure that when the word reached Mephibosheth that the king wants him, he is probably thinking that his life is about to come to an end. But to his surprise, 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. Can you imagine what Mephibosheth must have felt like when he heard those words. One moment he is without, and the next moment he is rich. He's probably thinking death, but David had in his own heart, like God, to restore kindness. You see, David had felt the kindness of God, and he knew that God’s loving kindness is always better than life. This is the attitude that must encompass all of us. We must never seek to gain revenge for what others do to us. But we must always be ready to restore kindness when the opportunity presents itself. Always remember, we reap what we sow. As Paul admonishes us: “And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.” (Ephesians 4:32)
Sing: Thy lovingkindness is better than life. Thy lovingkindness is better than life. My lips shall praise Thee, thus will I bless Thee; I will lift-up my hands unto Thy name.
Thought For Today: “As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.” (Galatians 6:10)
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