1. And David said, Is there yet any that is left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan’s sake? 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. 3. And the king said, Is there not yet any of the house of Saul, that I may show the kindness of God unto him? And Ziba said unto the king, Jonathan hath yet a son, which is lame on his feet. 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 Lo-debar. 5. Then King David sent, and fetched him out of the house of Machir, the son of Ammiel, from Lo-debar. 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! 7. And David said unto him, Fear not; for I will surely show 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. 8. And he bowed himself, and said, What is thy servant, that thou shouldest look upon such a dead dog as I am? 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. 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. 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. 12. And Mephibosheth had a young son, whose name was Micha. And all that dwelt in the house of Ziba were servants unto Mephibosheth. 13. So Mephibosheth dwelt in Jerusalem; for he did eat continually at the king’s table; and was lame on both his feet.
Golden Text: “Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love.” Rom. 12:10.
NOTE.—The covenant of friendship between David and Jonathan resulted in the “kindness” shown by David in this lesson, and this kindness resulted in the kindness which David himself received from the hand of Mephibosheth’s friend in the hour of his sore distress. Thus we see how it is that good deeds follow one another down through the years, as the tree follows the seed and the seed the tree. David had been actively engaged in subduing his enemies and establishing government in the various nations which he had made tributary to Israel, and yet in the midst of it all he finds time to show a kindness to the remnant of the13house of his erstwhile enemy, Saul. One of the most beautiful incidents in the records of ancient times is this friendship of David and Jonathan.
SUGGESTIVE QUESTIONS.
(1) What question did King David ask concerning the house of Saul? Verse 1. (2) What prompted the inquiry? Ib. See note above. (3) Who appeared in the king’s presence in answer to David’s question? Verse 2. (4) What question did David ask of Ziba? Verse 3. Note 1. (5) In answering the king, what physical weakness of Mephibosheth did Ziba mention? and why? Ib. Note 2. (6) What did the king do when he found out where the young man lived? Verse 5. Note 3. (7) How did Mephibosheth conduct himself when he was brought into the king’s presence? Verse 6. (8) What did he acknowledge himself to be? Ib. (9) What did David cause him to be? Last clause of verse 11. (10) What did David say he would do for Jonathan’s sake? Verse 7. (11) How did Mephibosheth receive the words of the king? Verse 8. (12) How much was included in what David placed in the hands of Mephibosheth? Verses 9, 10. Note 4. (13) What special honor was bestowed upon him? Second clause of verse 10. Note 5. (14) What did Ziba say he would do? Verse 11. (15) How long did this arrangement of affairs continue? Verses 12 and 13. Note 6.
NOTES.
1. Kindness of God.—That is, such kindness as God shows, free and forgiving. Many times during David’s reign he had occasion to experience the kindness of God. It is not to be supposed, however, that David considered Mephibosheth his enemy, altho he was of the house of Saul; for it was understood between David and Jonathan that their covenant of friendship included their children. Saul had many times sought the life of David, and if David had followed the custom of ancient nations, the entire family of Saul would have been put to death to atone for his misdeeds.
2. Lame on his feet.—Mephibosheth, son of David’s friend, had been living in Israel for twenty years. It had been fifteen years since Jonathan and Saul had fallen on Mount Gilboa and David began his reign; yet during all this time David had not known that there was still living a son of his old-time friend. It was doubtless thought that David would consider him a rival and seek his life. Thus when Ziba answers the king, he is careful to specify his physical condition, both as an assurance of his incapacity for seeking the throne, and also as an appeal to the king’s sympathy. This is also shown in David’s assurance as recorded in the first clause of verse 7.
3. In Lo-debar.—This was a town on the east side of the Jordan, and was situated near Mahanaim, where Ish-bosheth, son of Saul, brother of Jonathan, held his court for seven years while ruling all Israel, except Judah. In choosing this locality, it is quite evident that Mephibosheth feared Saul’s enmity toward David had inspired in David a similar spirit toward all of Saul’s posterity.
4. Thou . . . shall till the land for him.—It is probable that Ziba had been tilling the land for himself, or possibly for David, in right of his wife, Saul’s daughter. The entire property of Saul’s house was really forfeited to the crown by Ish-bosheth’s rebellion, but it is not known whether David had taken formal possession of this estate previous to turning it over to Mephibosheth.
5. And bring in the fruits.—While Mephibosheth was to eat at the king’s own table, this provision was made for his family and household, in order that he might maintain an establishment suitable to his rank.
6. Shall eat bread alway at my table.—Thus was bestowed upon Mephibosheth, in loving remembrance of Jonathan, the greatest honor King David had to bestow; and in thus honoring the crippled grandson of his avowed enemy, King David shows another of those characteristics which make the better side of his life exceeding beautiful.
