by Emily B. from Virtuous Daughters, November 2014~Volume 14, Number 8 Throughout the passage of II Samuel 9, David’s compassionate care for Mephibosheth paints a beautiful picture of the Christ-like kindness that we all should desire to have for others. Although such kindness is often rare in the world today, the Lord is pleased to see it displayed in the lives of those who follow Him! Let’s consider a few thoughts that find their roots in this passage about David and Mephibosheth. Biblical kindness isn’t shown for the
sake of the person, but for the Lord. In this case, it was for Jonathan’s sake that the kindness was shown to Mephibosheth. As Christians, the only reason we should need to be kind to others is that our Lord desires that we do so. We do not need to determine if a person is “worthy” of it, because that is not why we do it. It is easy to show kindness to “lovable” people who say thank you when you help them and show heartfelt appreciation for what you do, or who will gladly return the favor when they can. In our passage, Mephibosheth certainly responded to David’s kindness with deep gratitude. Although that’s not always the response we’ll find, as Christians, we should practice kindness toward everyone...even when it gets us nothing in return, or worse, if the people we’re trying to help only complain or criticize. I remember a missionary saying that after awhile, “love for the people” will not be enough to keep you going as you serve others. All people have the same sinful human nature (like you and I), and sooner or later, they will let you down, hurt your feelings, or take advantage of you. It might not be intentional, and they probably won’t realize what they’ve done. We cannot get indignant over it—after all, God has forgiven us for so much and continues to show us His great loving-kindness every day. To continue serving others with kindness, our motivation has to be love for God, Who will help you love the people the way He does, even when it’s hard. Do it like you’re doing it for God, because you are! Matthew 25:40 says, “And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these My brethren, ye have done it unto Me.” The next time your kindness meets with a discouraging response, remember these verses: “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.” (1 Corinthians 15:58) “And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” (Galatians 6:9) Don’t give up! Biblical kindness isn’t hindered by respect of persons. Think of a person you respect or admire. Would you consider it an honor to be given the opportunity to help them out? Let’s imagine you’re at a big conference, and a famous speaker is walking past, and while he’s fumbling with a stack of papers, some of them drop to the ground. Quickly, you rush over and help him gather the scattered papers. He thanks you (of course!) and you get to introduce yourself and tell him how much you liked the speech he gave that morning. When you turn to leave, you are probably feeling pretty good about your great opportunity to talk to this man in person. Now, imagine you’re on the way home from the same conference and you stop at the local store to pick up a few groceries. After you check out and pay for your items, you’re gathering your bags to get ready to leave. Then, the elderly lady in line behind you opens her change purse and coins spill all over the floor. Pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters are rolling everywhere. The poor lady looks like she’s about to cry as she bends to begin collecting them from the floor. You’re tired and in a hurry to get home. What you do next will reveal whether you have “respect of person” or not...will you kindly stop to help her, the same way you helped the respected speaker a few hours before? Mephibosheth was an unknown and unimportant person in the kingdom of David. He was a lame man, and although he was the son of David’s close friend Jonathan, he was also the grandson of Saul, who had given David so much trouble! It would have been considered quite reasonable, by many people, for David to pass Mephibosheth by. But he didn’t, and we know that this was due to his extraordinary friendship with Jonathan. It is not right to be selective about who we show kindness to—we need to be willing to go out of our way to help anyone and everyone! Christ-like kindness will not discriminate based on things like age, health, appearance, financial status, or popularity. James 2:1-4 warns against what the Bible calls “respect of persons”: “My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons. For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment: and ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool: are ye not then partial in youselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts?” God does not have this respect of persons, nor does He want us to. Luke 6:27,28,31-35 further explain how we should treat all people with kindness--“But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you, Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you. And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise. For if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye? for sinners also love those that love them. And if ye do good to them which do good to you, what thank have ye? For sinners also do even the same. And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? for sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again. But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for He is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil.” It’s doubtful that we have any true enemies in our lives, but it’s possible there is someone who “rubs you the wrong way” or irritates you a little. If we’re told to love our enemies and those who hate us, then we can be kind to these people, too! Finally, Galatians 6:10 clears up any remaining doubts about this topic: “As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.” Biblical kindness goes out of the way to help hurting people. Mephibosheth didn’t come knocking at David’s door, saying, “I think you used to be friends with my father, please, help me!” No, David took the initiative to ask questions to find out if any of Saul’s house was still living, so that he could show them kindness. His kindness also went above and beyond the call of duty. Rather than simply provide for Mephibosheth, who had previously lived in another city, David had him brought to the city where he lived, and Mephibosheth ate at his own table, just as the king’s own sons did. There are a couple of practical applications that we can take from this. First of all, we need to be proactive about looking for ways to be kind to others! If you hear of a need that you are capable of meeting, why not volunteer to handle the job? Countless opportunities await those who are willing to give of their time, talent, or finances for the benefit of others. Don’t overlook “small” things as you look for ways to be kind, though. Greet a visitor or elderly person at church. Send a card to someone who is recovering from an injury or illness. Take a plate of cookies to a neighbor. You never know how the smallest things could make a big difference in someone’s life. If the Lord prompts you to do something for another person, don’t put it off. Secondly, it may be necessary to inconvenience ourselves for the sake of another. Being a kind, humble servant of the Lord won’t always be convenient. Consider the familiar account of the Good Samaritan, who stopped to help a man who had been robbed and wounded. Luke 10:33-35 tells the story: “But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him. And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee.” This Samaritan man probably didn’t expect to come across this scene as he went on his journey. But he saw a need and went about to meet that need, without complaint. Although it will sometimes interrupt our schedules to help out with an unexpected need, take the opportunity with a joyful heart! Don’t make the one who needs a helping hand feel like a burden. We should count it a privilege to be used of God in these ways! Last of all, do more than the bare minimum. After all, if you were on the receiving end, isn’t that what you would like? Heed the biblical admonition to love your neighbor as yourself and to “Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.” (Philippians 2:3) In closing, consider a wonderful side effect that comes when Christians show Christ-like love and kindness to each other. John 13:34–35 says, “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are My disciples, if ye have love one to another.” As we demonstrate kindness in our daily lives, we will be showing the world that our Master is Jesus Christ. Comments are closed.
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