In his days as a young monk, Martin Luther struggled to love God. His words looking back were, “Love God? I hated him!” This isn’t surprising, since all Luther had seen at that point was God’s severity; he’d yet to behold his kindness. It’s hard to love someone you think is unkind. Perhaps this is why Satan’s goal from the beginning has been to call God’s kindness into question. But that’s why chapters like 2 Samuel 9 are in the Bible. This is a story of David’s kindness. The words “show. . .kindness” appear three times (vv. 1, 3, 7), culminating with these comforting words: “Do not fear, for I will show you kindness.” But it’s more than just David’s kindness. Scripture tells us that David was “a man after [God’s] own heart” (1 Sam. 13:14). This story explicitly recognizes the connection between David’s kindness and God’s (2 Sam. 9:3). So let’s look at four aspects of David’s kindness in this story, then consider how they reflect God’s heart to us. 1. Mephibosheth: Object of David’s Kindness The object of David’s kindness was Mephibosheth, a crippled member of a rival house. As Saul’s grandson, it’s no wonder Mephibosheth feared David (2 Sam. 9:7). Kindness from David must have been the last thing he expected. After all, it was common for new kings to kill off members of the previous dynasty. Mephibosheth’s lameness resulted from a fall—his nurse had dropped him when he was 5. She was fleeing at the news that Mephibosheth’s father had been killed in battle (4:4; 9:3, 13). So this young man now labored under a double curse. Not only was he the king’s enemy, but he had been crippled and was totally unable to help himself. This is the kind of person David chose to show kindness to: a member of his enemy’s house, rendered helpless by a fall. 2. Covenant: Origin of David’s Kindness Perhaps surprisingly, it wasn’t David’s love or pity for Mephibosheth that prompted this kindness—not originally. It was his love for someone else. There was one man in Saul’s house who had been his loyal friend. And that man was Mephibosheth’s father, Jonathan. It wasn’t David’s love or pity for Mephibosheth that prompted this kindness—not originally. It was his love for someone else. David said, “Is there still anyone left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan’s sake?” (9:1). If we want to find the origin of David’s kindness, we have to go beyond Mephibosheth, all the way back to an act of covenant-making love that existed between David and Mephibosheth’s father (1 Sam. 18:1–4). Even though David posed a threat to his own claim to the throne, Jonathan had loved David “as his own soul,” defended him against Saul’s murderous rage, and recognized David as the rightful heir. Eventually, he’d asked David to show “steadfast love” [Hebrew, chesed] to his house when David finally became king (20:13–17). It’s that oath-bound request that David is honoring now when he asks, “Is there still anyone left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness [Hebrew, chesed] for Jonathan’s sake?” (2 Sam. 9:1). That’s the origin of David’s kindness. It wasn’t because Mephibosheth was worthy, or even because he was miserable. It was because of David’s love for Jonathan and the covenant that love had led them to make with each other. Mephibosheth was simply an unworthy and unfortunate sinner now reaping the blessings of a covenant love he had nothing to do with. 3. Lavishness: Demonstration of David’s Kindness David demonstrates his kindness to Mephibosheth in three ways. First, he calls him and welcomes him into his presence (vv. 5–7). Mephibosheth didn’t come on his own initiative—David sought and sent for him and then welcomed him with words of assurance (v. 7). Second, he restores Mephibosheth’s inheritance (vv. 7, 9–10). Everything his father had lost is now returned to him. The inheritance alone would have made Mephibosheth a wealthy man. He could have sat at his own table and eaten his own food. But it gets better. As a crowning act of kindness, David gives Mephibosheth a seat at the king’s table. Four times this is repeated (vv. 7, 10, 11, 13). It’s a permanent seat (three times we hear the word “always”; vv. 7, 10, 13). This isn’t a trial period; this is covenant security. Moreover, it’s a family seat. “Mephibosheth ate at David’s table, like one of the king’s sons” (v. 11). Should anyone ever reproach him for being Saul’s grandson, David would have his back. David’s rod and his staff would comfort him, and he would dwell in the house of David forever. 4. Gratitude: Response to David’s Kindness Only one question remains: How do you respond to kindness like that? Mephibosheth “paid homage and said, ‘What is your servant, that you should show regard for a dead dog such as I?’” (v. 8). Such humility! He could’ve responded with bitterness—“You stole the crown from my father!” Or with pride—“I’m sorry, but I don’t accept charity!” Or with entitlement—“It’s the least you can do, since if it weren’t for you I might have been a king instead of a cripple!” Instead, he gladly receives this unspeakable gift, grateful that a great king like David would stoop to show kindness to a wretch like him. 5. Gospel: Beholding God’s Kindness to Us If all this sounds strangely familiar, it’s because you and I are Mephibosheth. This is more than a story of David’s kindness to Mephibosheth. It’s the story of God’s kindness to us in the gospel. If we ask, “Who are the objects of God’s kindness?” it’s not his friends but his enemies. Not the healthy but the sick (Mark 2:17). Not the strong but those crippled by the fall and unable to help themselves (Rom. 5:6, 10). This is more than a story of David’s kindness to Mephibosheth. It’s the story of God’s kindness to us in the gospel. If we ask, “Where does such kindness come from?” its roots don’t lie in us—they go much deeper. Ultimately, God doesn’t show us kindness for our sake but for the sake of Jesus and the covenant they made long before we were born. It’s an eternal covenant in which the Father agreed to send his Son, the Spirit agreed to help him, and the Son agreed to come and die for hell-deserving sinners like us. If we ask, “How does God demonstrate his kindness to us?” the gospel says that having delivered up his Son for us, he now calls us and welcomes us into his presence, restores our inheritance, and gives us a seat at his family table. Because of Jesus, we can now approach the throne of grace and expect to hear our Father say, “Do not fear, for I will show kindness to you” (see Heb. 4:16). If we ask, “How should we respond?” the answer is simple. We should see God loving us so much that we can’t help but cry out, “Who am I that a king would show kindness to a dead dog like me?” We know we’re not worthy of any of this. We didn’t even seek him out—he called us. But when the King wants to show you kindness, dead dogs don’t argue. Instead, we accept our inheritance, thank our new Father, and pull up a chair at his table, just like Mephibosheth did.