Book of 2 Samuel Chapter 9
David's Compassion
What is compassion?
A suffering with another; painful sympathy; a sensation of sorrow excited by the distress or misfortunes of another; pity; commiseration.
One of the great pictures of compassion in the New Testament is the work of the Lord Jesus with the wild man of Gadara.
Mar 5:19 Howbeit Jesus suffered him not, but saith unto him, Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee.
Why did Jesus die for us all?
Mat 9:36 But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.
Mat 9:37 Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few;
Mat 9:38 Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.
Compassion is the key to being a servant of the Lord Jesus Christ!
Compassion and kindness must be the traits of all God's people!
What is one of the two greatest commandments from our Lord and Savior?
Joh_13:34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.
Joh_13:35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.
Joh_15:12 This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.
Joh_15:17 These things I command you, that ye love one another.
The world we live in today has left out love and swapped it for hatred, especially in America!
The Lord provides our needs as He sees them and if we are to be like the Lord Jesus Christ, then we need to show compassion to those that we see who have a need, especially when we have no need of items that could help them.
One of the greatest lessons on compassion in the Old Testament can be seen in our lesson today.
*****2Sa 9:1 And David said, Is there yet any that is left of the house of Saul, that I may shew him kindness for Jonathan's sake?
We should understand that King David did not know that there were children of Jonathan that remained. He therefore thought he could show his kindness to the next of his kindred.
We should understand that any kindred of King Saul would probably be hidden for fear that David would search them out to kill them.
This is what a new king would do in most cases during the Age of kings, but David was a man after God's own heart and he would not have done this, especially for the promise he had made to Jonathan.
David was doing his best to fulfill the promise he had made to Jonathan.
1Sa 20:14 And thou shalt not only while yet I live shew me the kindness of the LORD, that I die not:
1Sa 20:15 But also thou shalt not cut off thy kindness from my house for ever: no, not when the LORD hath cut off the enemies of David every one from the face of the earth.
1Sa 20:16 So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, Let the LORD even require it at the hand of David's enemies.
Jonathan knew in his heart that David would be the next true king of Israel.
It was the custom of that day for the new king to murder all his predecessor's family and Jonathan wanted David to promise that he would not do this.
This was done to stop any claim the throne by the family of the previous ruler.
We would think that things like this no longer happen in our modern world, but we need only look at what is happening to Donald Trump to know that these things still happen today!
The Democratic party has gone after all the family of Donald Trump in order to keep him from becoming president and are trying to ruin the reputation of Donald and all his family to keep them out of politics in the future.
This cannot be denied!
We can see that not much has changed in politics and world leaders throughout the Ages.
Ecc 1:9 The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.
Ecc 1:10 Is there any thing whereof it may be said, See, this is new? it hath been already of old time, which was before us.
We see just about every day the results of new leaders disposing of the old leader in many cruel ways including assassination and use of prison and other ways.
King David did not do these things after becoming King of Israel.
David found one man Ziba who had been one of Saul's servants.
*****2Sa 9:2 And there was of the house of Saul a servant whose name was Ziba. And when they had called him unto David, the king said unto him, Art thou Ziba? And he said, Thy servant is he.
2Sa 9:3 And the king said, Is there not yet any of the house of Saul, that I may shew the kindness of God unto him? And Ziba said unto the king, Jonathan hath yet a son, which is lame on his feet.
2Sa 9:4 And the king said unto him, Where is he? And Ziba said unto the king, Behold, he is in the house of Machir, the son of Ammiel, in Lodebar.
2Sa 9:5 Then king David sent, and fetched him out of the house of Machir, the son of Ammiel, from Lodebar.
I am not going to try to describe this event as Preacher Sam does.
The story of Mephibosheth and King David is a splendid example of the Grace of God.
David treated Mephibosheth and his son Micha with the greatest kindness, which was Grace.
He remained in Jerusalem and ate at the King's table.
Every child of God will one day go home and eat at the table of the Lord Jesus Christ because of Grace.
We know GRACE as "God's Riches At Christ's Expense".
Ziba had taken over the lands of Saul and was considered to be a rich man himself at this time.
There will be different versions of stories between Mephibosheth and Ziba as time passes.
Mephibosheth was five years old when the Philistines came to the home of King Saul to kill any remaining in the family of Saul, when one of the servants escaped with him and he fell, hitting his head, and that fall caused him to lose the control of his feet making him a cripple for life.
2Sa 4:4 And Jonathan, Saul's son, had a son that was lame of his feet. He was five years old when the tidings came of Saul and Jonathan out of Jezreel, and his nurse took him up, and fled: and it came to pass, as she made haste to flee, that he fell, and became lame and his name was Mephibosheth.
Ziba had been a servant in the house of Saul, but was now a free man and he was determined to remain a free man.
King David did not allow this to happen.
Later, what David asked him to do was to become a servant to Mephibosheth.
2Sa 16:1 And when David was a little past the top of the hill, behold, Ziba "the servant of Mephibosheth" met him, with a couple of asses saddled, and upon them two hundred loaves of bread, and an hundred bunches of raisins, and an hundred of summer fruits, and a bottle of wine.
It was this same Ziba who brought nourishment to King David as he left Jerusalem to keep from killing Absolom.
During this time that David left his home because of Absolom, Mephibosheth backslide into his old
ways and remained at the house of David.
Mephibosheth is also called Merib-Baal and he had a son.
1Ch 8:34 And the son of Jonathan was Meribbaal; and Meribbaal begat Micah.
These things came a little latter when turmoil entered into David's life because of his sin with Bathsheba and Uriah.
So, King David sent for Mephibosheth.
*****2Sa 9:6 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!
2Sa 9:7 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.
This is a picture of the Grace that will be shown to every believer by our Heavenly Father for His Son Jesus's sake.
When Mephibosheth came into the royal court he fell upon his face before King David thinking he was about to lose his life.
David gave Mephibosheth assurance that he had no evil intentions toward him, because David wanted to show him kindness for Jonathan's sake.
This is exactly what Jehovah our Heavenly Father wants to do for us as He gives us assurance that He will show us a great kindness for Jesus’s sake.
David then issued a royal decree in the name of Mephibosheth.
David gave him back all of his father's lands, the same land that Ziba had cared for and improved on all those years since the death of Saul.
David could have easily claimed all the possessions of King Saul for himself but he had not.
Saul's private estate did pass into David's possession when David came to the throne but David had ignored that piece of land.
This is the Lord speaking to David.
2Sa 12:8 And I gave thee thy master's house, and thy master's wives into thy bosom, and gave thee the house of Israel and of Judah; and if that had been too little, I would moreover have given unto thee such and such things.
David had always shown respect for King Saul and all his family.
It was a great privilege to eat at the table of the king and Mephibosheth had this promise all his remaining days.
So, Mephibosheth bowed before King David.
*****2Sa 9:8 And he bowed himself, and said, What is thy servant, that thou shouldest look upon such a dead dog as I am?
In the Israel of that day, a dead dog was considered to be the vilest and most contemptable object possible.
2Sa 3:8 Then was Abner very wroth for the words of Ishbosheth, and said, Am I a dog's head, which against Judah do shew kindness this day unto the house of Saul thy father, to his brethren, and to his friends, and have not delivered thee into the hand of David, that thou chargest me to day with a fault concerning this woman?
2Sa 16:9 Then said Abishai the son of Zeruiah unto the king, Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king? let me go over, I pray thee, and take off his head.
1Sa 24:14 After whom is the king of Israel come out? after whom dost thou pursue? after a dead dog, after a flea.
We need to watch what we call people, as it could have a different meaning to them, than our intent.
When Mephibosheth said these things to express great gratitude saying that by rank King David was exalted much more than he was.
King David knew what Mephibosheth was saying.
We need to do the same without calling names, recognizing that the Lord Jesus Christ is exalted much above us at all times.
*****2Sa 9:9 Then the king called to Ziba, Saul's servant, and said unto him, I have given unto thy master's son all that pertained to Saul and to all his house.
Mephibosheth was actually Saul's grandson, but words of relationships are used in a very different way in the Hebrew.
Ziba was already managing the lands of King Saul, but more for his own rather that for Mephibosheth.
The King now ordered him to manage those same things that belonged to Saul for Mephibosheth and though he was obedient in these things it did not sit well with him.
Ziba had been a slave in the house of King Saul, so he was still better off, but he certainly did not want to become a slave to Mephibosheth.
Under Jewish Law, Ziba was now a fee man and later King David made these things right.
Ziba was also ordered by King David to bring all his own family to serve as slaves and to till the land for Mephibosheth.
*****2Sa 9:10 Thou therefore, and thy sons, and thy servants, shall till the land for him, and thou shalt bring in the fruits, that thy master's son may have food to eat: but Mephibosheth thy master's son shall eat bread alway at my table. Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants.
2Sa 9:11 Then said Ziba unto the king, According to all that my lord the king hath commanded his servant, so shall thy servant do. As for Mephibosheth, said the king, he shall eat at my table, as one of the king's sons.
Ziba knew there was not much he could do about what was happening to him and his family.
It was a great honor that David was showing to Mephibosheth and a great picture of Grace for him, but not much honor given to the slave who had been freed at the death of King Saul and his family.
God included this story in the Bible also for us to study.
We might also note that Ziba had employed ten slaves himself.
Many of the slaves of that day were actually fellow Hebrews who had met with hard times and had to indenture themselves in order to pay off some debt but Jehovah had specific laws concerning these things.
There is much more to these stories we will see later.
At least Mephibosheth would not be around much because he was the guest of the King, but he had a son name Micha in one place and Micah in another place. They are one and the same person.
And this son had sons.
*****2Sa 9:12 And Mephibosheth had a young son, whose name was Micha. And all that dwelt in the house of Ziba were servants unto Mephibosheth.
2Sa 9:13 So Mephibosheth dwelt in Jerusalem: for he did eat continually at the king's table; and was lame on both his feet.
King David showed the "Grace" of God to Mephibosheth all the days of his life, but does appear that Mephibosheth did turn on King David at the time of Absolom's rebellion.
We will substitute the name Micah for Micha in other places.
1Ch 8:34 And the son of Jonathan was Meribbaal; and Meribbaal begat Micah.
1Ch 8:35 And the sons of Micah were, Pithon, and Melech, and Tarea, and Ahaz.
We should be able to see that Ziba who had been a free man after the day of Saul’s death, had no real responsibility to be a slave to Mephibosheth nor his family.
The Scriptures have not told us whether Ziba was a Jew but it does appear that he was a true Israelite.
Lev 25:44 Both thy bondmen, and thy bondmaids, which thou shalt have, shall be of the heathen that are round about you; of them shall ye buy bondmen and bondmaids.
Lev 25:45 Moreover of the children of the strangers that do sojourn among you, of them shall ye buy, and of their families that are with you, which they begat in your land: and they shall be your possession.
Lev 25:46 And ye shall take them as an inheritance for your children after you, to inherit them for a possession; they shall be your bondmen for ever: but over your brethren the children of Israel, ye shall not rule one over another with rigour.
So far all I have able to search says Ziba was an Israelite and subject to the Laws of Moses.
Exo 21:2 If thou buy an Hebrew servant, six years he shall serve: and in the seventh he shall go out free for nothing.
It appears that the true reading of the Scriptures that Ziba became a free man and any other slaves of King Saul.
It also appears that Ziba had stayed on to take care of Saul's possessions after his death which in fact he felt obligated to do until the new king, David decided what he was going to do with that property.
To the above modes of of a slave to obtain liberty, the rabbinical priesthood added, as a fourth, the death of the master without leaving a son, there being no power of claiming the slave, on the part of any heir except a son, that slave would be free.
All the sons of King Saul were dead.
When a slave was set free the Master had an obligation to that slave.
Deu 15:13 And when thou sendest him out free from thee, thou shalt not let him go away empty:
Deu 15:14 Thou shalt furnish him liberally out of thy flock, and out of thy floor, and out of thy winepress: of that wherewith the LORD thy God hath blessed thee thou shalt give unto him.
We should understand that Zida would have nothing if he just ran off so, he stayed to protect these things.
We could call this God's Grace toward Ziba.
Later, we will see King David separate half the lands of King Saul to Ziba, we can believe that David had become more familiar with the Laws of Moses and made this thing right with Ziba.
2Sa 19:29 And the king said unto him, Why speakest thou any more of thy matters? I have said, Thou and Ziba divide the land.
2Sa 19:30 And Mephibosheth said unto the king, Yea, let him take all, forasmuch as my lord the king is come again in peace unto his own house.
All these details will come out because of the coup that Absolom, King David's own son and some rebellious elders, and politicians, and even some in religion had caused.
King David had only left Jerusalem because he did not want to war with his son Absolom and because he knew he was being chastised of God for his own sins, but God did not want him to leave Jerusalem.
God was not through with David at this time and God would not allow Absolom to become king.
We also see that God does not allow His Grace to go unrewarded to all parties.
God is still no respecter of persons!
These things show us that we can really get down after we recognize that we have sinned against God even when he has forgiven us!
Amen
