2 Samuel 9:1-13

Grace for a Dead Dog: The Kindness of the King Text: 2 Samuel 9:1-13

Introduction: The Politics of Grace

We live in an age that has a very thin, sentimental, and syrupy understanding of kindness. For us, kindness is a random act, a pleasant feeling, a Hallmark sentiment. But in the world of the Bible, and particularly in the cutthroat politics of the ancient Near East, kindness was a far more robust and dangerous thing. When a new dynasty came to power, the standard operating procedure was not kindness; it was extermination. You would find every last son and grandson of the previous king and you would put them to the sword. This was not considered monstrous; it was considered prudent statecraft. Any lingering heir was a potential rallying point for a rebellion. You secured your throne with blood.

It is against this backdrop of brutal political reality that the story of David and Mephibosheth unfolds. And if we read it as a mere heartwarming tale of a man remembering his old friend, we miss the radical, world-altering theology that is being enacted. This is not just a story about friendship. This is a story about covenant. This is a story about a king establishing his kingdom not on the principles of Machiavelli, but on the principle of sovereign grace. David is not just being nice; he is being a theologian-king. He is demonstrating the very character of the God who placed him on the throne.

The central word in this chapter is the Hebrew word hesed. It is translated here as "lovingkindness" or "kindness." But it is much weightier than that. Hesed is covenant loyalty. It is steadfast, unbreakable, loyal love. It is a love that is promised, sworn, and sealed in a covenant. David is not acting on a whim or a nostalgic memory. He is acting on the basis of a solemn oath he swore to Jonathan before God (1 Sam. 20:14-17). And in this, David becomes for us a magnificent picture, a type, of the greater King, Jesus Christ, who deals with us not on the basis of our performance or our pedigree, but on the basis of His covenant promises.

This chapter is a gospel parable, written in the prose of history. It shows us how our King seeks us, finds us, summons us, and saves us. It shows us our condition apart from Him, and the lavishness of His grace toward us. We are all Mephibosheth.


The Text

Then David said, “Is there yet anyone left of the house of Saul, that I may show him lovingkindness for Jonathan’s sake?” 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.” And the king said, “Is there not yet anyone of the house of Saul to whom I may show the lovingkindness of God?” And Ziba said to the king, “There is still a son of Jonathan who is crippled in both feet.” So the king said to him, “Where is he?” And Ziba said to the king, “Behold, he is in the house of Machir the son of Ammiel in Lo-debar.” Then King David sent and took him from the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, from Lo-debar. So Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan the son of Saul, came to David and fell on his face and prostrated himself. And David said, “Mephibosheth.” And he said, “Here is your servant!” And David said to him, “Do not fear, for I will surely show lovingkindness to you for the sake of your father Jonathan, and will restore to you all the land of your grandfather Saul; and you shall eat at my table continually.” So he prostrated himself and said, “What is your servant, that you should regard a dead dog like me?” Then the king called Saul’s young man Ziba and said to him, “All that belonged to Saul and to all his house I have given to your master’s grandson. And you and your sons and your servants shall cultivate the land for him, and you shall bring in the produce so that your master’s grandson may have food and eat of it; nevertheless Mephibosheth your master’s grandson shall eat at my table continually.” Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants. Then Ziba said to the king, “According to all that my lord the king commands his servant so your servant will do.” So Mephibosheth ate at David’s table as one of the king’s sons. Now Mephibosheth had a young son whose name was Mica. And all who lived in the house of Ziba were servants to Mephibosheth. So Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, for he ate at the king’s table continually. Now he was lame in both feet.
(2 Samuel 9:1-13 LSB)

The King's Covenantal Search (vv. 1-4)

The story begins with a question that upends all political expectations.

"Then David said, 'Is there yet anyone left of the house of Saul, that I may show him lovingkindness for Jonathan’s sake?'" (2 Samuel 9:1)

David is secure on his throne. His enemies are defeated. The kingdom is at peace. By all human standards, his next move should be to consolidate power, which means eliminating threats. The house of Saul is the single greatest potential threat. But David's question is not, "Is there anyone left to kill?" but rather, "Is there anyone left to bless?" This is the logic of grace, not the logic of fallen men.

Notice the motivation. It is not for Saul's sake. Saul was David's great enemy. It is "for Jonathan's sake." This is the principle of mediation. The blessing flows to the unworthy recipient because of a worthy mediator. David's hesed is directed toward the house of Saul, but it is grounded in his covenant with Jonathan. This is a perfect illustration of how God's grace comes to us. God the Father shows us lovingkindness, not because of anything in us, but "for the sake of" His beloved Son, Jesus Christ, our great Jonathan, the mediator of a better covenant.

David even intensifies the thought in verse 3, asking if there is anyone to whom he may show "the lovingkindness of God." David understands that his hesed is not his own invention. He is mirroring the character of Yahweh. He has received covenantal grace from God, and now he is dispensing that same kind of grace. This is the pattern for every believer. We love because He first loved us.

The search leads to Ziba, a servant of Saul's house, who reveals the existence of a forgotten heir. And where is this heir? He is "in the house of Machir the son of Ammiel in Lo-debar." Every one of these names is theologically significant. Machir means "sold." Lo-debar means "no pasture" or "no word." This is a picture of man after the fall. We are crippled, sold into sin, living in a barren wasteland where there is no life-giving word from the King. Mephibosheth is lame in both feet, utterly unable to make his way to the king, utterly helpless. This is our condition. We are not just spiritually sick; we are spiritually dead, lame, and living in Lo-debar.


The Sovereign Summons (vv. 5-8)

David's response to this news is immediate and decisive.

"Then King David sent and took him from the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, from Lo-debar." (2 Samuel 9:5 LSB)

Notice the language. David did not send an invitation. He did not ask Mephibosheth if he would be so kind as to consider an audience. The king "sent and took him." This is a sovereign summons. This is effectual grace. God does not politely suggest that we come to Him. He invades our Lo-debar, takes us out of our bondage, and brings us to Himself. The initiative is entirely His.

Mephibosheth's reaction is what you would expect. He "fell on his face and prostrated himself." This is not the posture of a long-lost friend of the family. This is the posture of a man who expects to die. As the grandson of Saul, he is the rightful heir to the throne by the world's standards, which makes him David's chief rival. He knows the rules of the game. He comes in terror, anticipating the executioner's sword.

And David's first words to him are the first words of the gospel: "Do not fear." This is what the angel said to the shepherds. It is what Jesus said to his disciples on the stormy sea. Grace always begins by dispelling fear. Then David lays out the threefold nature of this grace:

Mephibosheth's response is the only proper response to such overwhelming, unexpected grace. "What is your servant, that you should regard a dead dog like me?" He does not argue. He does not try to prove his worthiness. He confesses his utter unworthiness. A "dead dog" was the lowest of the low in that culture. Mephibosheth sees himself rightly, and in that moment, he is able to receive the grace that is offered. True humility is not thinking less of yourself; it is thinking of yourself less, and thinking of the King's grace more. It is seeing yourself as you are, a dead dog, and seeing the King as He is, full of hesed.


The Lavish Provision (vv. 9-13)

David's grace is not just verbal; it is material and all-encompassing. He doesn't just make promises; he makes arrangements.

"Then the king called Saul’s young man Ziba and said to him, 'All that belonged to Saul and to all his house I have given to your master’s grandson.'" (2 Samuel 9:9 LSB)

The restoration is real. The land, the wealth, the status are all given back. Ziba and his considerable household of fifteen sons and twenty servants are now commanded to work this land for Mephibosheth. Grace provides. God doesn't just save our souls and leave our lives a wreck. He provides for us, He sustains us, He gives us everything we need for life and godliness.

But there is a glorious distinction made. The servants will bring in the produce for the household, "nevertheless Mephibosheth your master’s grandson shall eat at my table continually." While he is the master of a great estate, his true honor, his true provision, is his place at the king's table. Our true identity is not in the blessings we receive, but in our fellowship with the King who blesses.

The chapter ends with two summary statements that are profoundly beautiful. First, "So Mephibosheth ate at David’s table as one of the king’s sons." He was not a guest. He was not a charity case. He was adopted. He was given the full rights and privileges of sonship. This is precisely what God does for us in Christ. He adopts us into His family, and we are no longer slaves, but sons (Gal. 4:7).

And the final sentence is the anchor that keeps this whole story grounded in grace. "Now he was lame in both feet." After all this, his condition did not change. Every day, as he made his way to the king's table, his lameness was a constant, physical reminder of where he came from. He was lame when he lived in Lo-debar, and he was lame when he lived in the palace. His feet, hidden under the royal table, were a perpetual sermon on grace. They reminded him that he did not earn his place. He was not there because he was swift or strong. He was there for one reason and one reason only: the hesed of the king, for Jonathan's sake. And so it is with us. Our lingering weaknesses, our struggles with sin, our "lameness" serves to keep us humble and ever mindful that our place at God's table is by grace alone, for Christ's sake alone.


Conclusion: From Lo-debar to the King's Table

This is our story. In Adam, we are the children of a deposed king. We were crippled in the fall. We fled the presence of the true King and took up residence in Lo-debar, a place of no pasture, sold to sin. We are lame, helpless, and have every reason to expect judgment.

But the King, in His sovereign grace, asks a question. "Is there anyone left?" He seeks us out, not because we are lovely, but for the sake of His Son, our great Jonathan, who made a covenant with the Father on our behalf. The Father sends the Spirit to take us from our desolate land and bring us, trembling, into His presence.

And there, He speaks the gospel to us: "Do not fear." He restores our lost inheritance. And wonder of wonders, He adopts us as sons and invites us to eat at His table, continually. We are seated there, not because we are worthy, but because He is gracious. And our lameness, the weakness that remains, is covered by the tablecloth of His grace, a constant reminder that we are here only because of the covenantal lovingkindness of our God.