MAY 12, 2015
Where Can We
Lean?
Read:
2
Samuel 9
I
will surely show you kindness for Jonathan your father’s sake. —2 Samuel 9:7
“What a wonderful
funeral!” Cindy remarked as we walked out. Helen, our friend, had died. And friend
after friend celebrated her by sharing stories of her all-around fun behavior.
But Helen’s life wasn’t all jokes and laughter. Her nephew spoke of her faith
in Jesus and her care for others. She had taken him into her home when he was
young and struggling. Now in his twenties, he said of his Aunt Helen, “She was
like a mom to me. She never gave up on me in my struggles. I am sure that if it
wasn’t for her, I would have lost my faith.” Wow! What an influence! Helen
leaned on Jesus and wanted her nephew to trust Him too.
In the Old Testament,
we read that King David took a young man named Mephibosheth into his home with
the purpose of showing him kindness for the sake of his father, Jonathan
(David’s friend who had died; see 2 Sam. 9:1). Years earlier, Mephibosheth
had been injured when his nurse dropped him as they fled after the news that
his father had been killed (4:4). He was surprised that the king would care for
him; he even referred to himself as “a dead dog” (9:8). Yet the king treated
him as his own son (9:11).
I’d like to be that
kind of person, wouldn’t you? Someone who cares for others and helps them hang
on to faith in Jesus even when life looks hopeless.
Lord, You showed the
ultimate kindness by rescuing us when we were helpless in our sins. May our
lives be marked by kindness so that others will see You in us.
God does most of His
work for people through people.
INSIGHT:
Mephibosheth, Jonathan’s son, could have been heir to his grandfather’s (King
Saul) throne and a potential threat to David’s kingship. But David promised his
best friend, Jonathan (1 Sam. 20:42), that he would care for his family. In
today’s passage we read how David made good on that promise (2 Sam. 9:9-13).
Source: Our Daily Bread 2012