NOTES: 3 Rulers: Part 7
Sermon: 3 Rulers: Part 7: When the Table is Turned
Text: 2 Samuel 9:1-7
Date: Sunday, Sept 18, 2022
2 Samuel 9:1–7 (ESV).
And David said, “Is there still anyone left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan’s sake?” 2 Now there was a servant of the house of Saul whose name was Ziba, and they called him to David. And the king said to him, “Are you Ziba?” And he said, “I am your servant.” 3 And the king said, “Is there not still someone of the house of Saul, that I may show the kindness of God to him?” Ziba said to the king, “There is still a son of Jonathan; he is crippled in his feet.” 4 The king said to him, “Where is he?” And Ziba said to the king, “He is in the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, at Lo-debar.” 5 Then King David sent and brought him from the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, at Lo-debar. 6 And Mephibosheth the son of Jonathan, son of Saul, came to David and fell on his face and paid homage. And David said, “Mephibosheth!” And he answered, “Behold, I am your servant.” 7 And David said to him, “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.”
Introduction
Story—summary
What we can learn here:
And David said, “Is there still anyone left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan’s sake?”
Rejecting false (self) rulers, so that our heart remains true to The Ruler.
Insecurity - Self-Protection
Success - Self-Promotion
Betrayal - Self-Indulgence
7 And David said to him, “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.”
We emulate God’s Kindness, which is far more generous than our attempt at niceness.
“Kindness is free—sprinkle that stuff everywhere” (on t-shirts, signs)
Ephesians 4:31–5:1 (ESV) “31 Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. 32 Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.“
The kindness that God gives and seeks in us is about relationship.
7 And David said to him, “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.”
Making it real in our life:
Christ himself is the ultimate expression of the kindness of God; the resources we need to live out this kindness are provided in Him through the Holy Spirit.
Titus 3:4-7,(ESV)
4 But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”
2 Timothy 2:24–26 (ESV) “24 And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, 25 correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, 26 and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.”
Closing
(vs. 11) “So Mephibosheth ate at David’s table just like one of the king’s sons.”
God is about the business of redeeming broken people and rebuilding injured lives, and as he works His kindness through us, we are part of the healing he is bringing to the world.