David’s goodness and kindness as king never fail to impress. Of course, he was far from a perfect man but he was a good man, a righteous man desiring to follow after God. Mephibosheth was the son of Jonathan and the grandson of Saul. He could have made a legitimate claim upon the kingship as a direct threat to David’s rule. What did David do? He took Mephibosheth into the royal and provided for him all his days. David said to Mephibosheth, “Do not fear, for I will show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan, and I will restore to you all the land of Saul your father, and you shall eat at my table always” (9:7). This is reminiscent of Ruth’s question to Boaz: “Why have I found favor in your eyes, that you should take notice of me, since I am a foreigner?” (Ruth 2:10) Acts of grace do not concern themselves firstly with matters of worth or merit. The actor is not the one receiving grace but the one giving grace. And how gracious our God has been to us!
There's lots more to reflect on from these chapters (David's victories, his sin with Bathsheba, Nathan's rebuke, the death of David's son, Solomon's birth, Amnon and Tamar.) Wow, lots going on here! But I think I'll just leave it at this . . . Our God is good and gracious!
I was starving in the desert
For a crumb of living bread,
When the Lord my wand’ring footsteps
To his own pavilion led.
Tho’ the waves may roll around me,
Shadows to the hillside cling,
Yet I’m feasting, daily feasting,
At the table of the King.
At the table of the King,
I am feasting at the table of the King;
Of his goodness I am telling,
Of his wondrous love I’ll sing. -- Eliza E. Hewitt (19th century)