Shelby Olive
2 Samuel 9:1-11
David asked, “Is there still anyone left of the house of Saul to whom I may show kindness for Jonathan’s sake?” 2 Now there was a servant of the house of Saul whose name was Ziba, and he was summoned to David. The king said to him, “Are you Ziba?” And he said, “At your service!” 3 The king said, “Is there anyone remaining of the house of Saul to whom I may show the kindness of God?” Ziba said to the king, “There remains a son of Jonathan; he is crippled in his feet.” 4 The king said to him, “Where is he?” Ziba said to the king, “He is in the house of Machir son of Ammiel, at Lo-debar.” 5 Then King David sent and brought him from the house of Machir son of Ammiel, at Lo-debar. 6 Mephibosheth son of Jonathan son of Saul came to David, and fell on his face and did obeisance. David said, “Mephibosheth!” He answered, “I am your servant.” 7 David said to him, “Do not be afraid, for I will show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan; I will restore to you all the land of your grandfather Saul, and you yourself shall eat at my table always.” 8 He did obeisance and said, “What is your servant, that you should look upon a dead dog such as I?”
9 Then the king summoned Saul’s servant Ziba, and said to him, “All that belonged to Saul and to all his house I have given to your master’s grandson. 10 You and your sons and your servants shall till the land for him, and shall bring in the produce, so that your master’s grandson may have food to eat; but your master’s grandson Mephibosheth shall always eat at my table.” Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants. 11 Then Ziba said to the king, “According to all that my lord the king commands his servant, so your servant will do.” Mephibosheth ate at David’s table, like one of the king’s sons.
Reflection:
Remember Saul? Yeah, the Saul? The Saul who made several attempts to kill David? The same Saul whose very own son put his neck on the line to save David’s life? Well, some things have happened since then. King Saul is dead, and tragically, so is his son, Jonathan. The reigning family is out, and David is in. He’s the king now.
I’ve never been a part of a company that has been bought out or has gotten new executive leadership, but from my friends and family members who have experienced this, I’ve heard that it can be an anxiety-inducing time. Nothing is certain, and there are a lot of questions. Will I still have a job? How will I provide for my family? Can I financially manage this? What will I do next? These questions get asked because it is entirely normal—almost routine—to implement major staff changes when new company leadership takes over.
We find Mephibosheth at risk of getting the boot at any moment. Orphaned and disabled, his ties to the kingdom are suddenly and completely gone. David could have easily removed anyone and everyone—including Mephibosheth—who were once associated with the former king, and it would have been counted as customary, appropriate even. But David’s first order of business? Show kindness to anyone in the house of Saul for the sake of Jonathan. Mephibosheth gets to keep his home and is reserved a seat at David’s table, treated as his own son. He even keeps Saul’s servant, his servant’s children, and his servant’s staff.
I wonder what it would look like for us to make kindness our first order of business. There are times in our lives where our interactions with others may be customary. They may be completely warranted and deserved. They may be entirely normal. But that does not make them kind. David could have easily said, “It’s not personal; it’s just business,” but for David it absolutely was personal, and the kindness that God’s Spirit pours out on us is entirely personal. It enters the room and sees people as not means to an end but as they truly are — those who are made in the likeness of their holy Creator. Perhaps, making kindness our first order of business is just that: seeing each and every person as a beloved child of God, to see their basic human worth, and then treating them like those who bear God’s image.
Prayer:
God,
You have deemed us all worthy of kindness. I pray today, and every day, that you make kindness my first order of business. Constantly remind me that each person I interact with is worthy of compassion and love. Help my words and my actions reflect this worthiness. Amen.