Study Notes: 2 Samuel 9
Main idea: Seeking God’s heart- lessons from the reigns of Saul and David.
God appoints kings at the request of the people since they have rejected him
as their true king. Although in David, especially, we see a king after God’s own
heart, any human king will fall and fail in keeping completely God’s way of
living and leading. We need to come to Christ the King- the descendent of King
David and take him as our Leader, our Saviour and Lord.
This week we will focus on a narrative from 2 Samuel 9. David seeks out any
descendent of Saul, not so that he can wipe them out and take away any
threat to his throne, but to see if he can bless them. It is a beautiful story of
grace.
Activity Ideas:
1. Video summary
http://www.goldhill.org/Articles/433475/Gold_Hill_Baptist/Resources/God
s_Great_Purpose/Samuel.aspx
Study
Spend time worshipping God together during the study at some point.
You may wish to use aspects of 2 Samuel 22 (Psalm 18) as a way of
leading your worship together.
The honouring of a promise.
Jonathan (Saul’s son) had been a close friend of David. They became like
brothers. He truly valued his friendship and bond with Jonathan. They had
made promises of friendship in 1 Samuel 20:16-17,42. Apart from the bond
of marriage has anyone in the group experienced this level of friendship?
In 2 Samuel 1, following the death of Saul and Jonathan, we read of David
mourning and singing a song of lament (a song of sadness and sorrow). When
Saul die the custom would have been for the new king to kill the rest of the old
king’s family to ensure that there wouldn’t be any attempts or claims to retake
the throne. Instead of asking ‘Is there anyone still left in the house of Saul to
whom I need to annihilate?’ David asks a different a different question (2
Samuel 9:1). Why do you think he goes against the principle of revenge
and against the principle of self-preservation and asks what he can do
for the family of his enemy?
[NB some people may answer that David has had enough of war with Saul’s household
since he has been fighting a brutal war against them since Saul made David his enemy.
This war continued after Saul’s death by his army commanders and his son Ish-Bosheth (2
Sam. 2-4). Others may make reference to the confidence that David has in the promise of 2
Samuel 7 and that God will keep him and his descendants on the throne forever. Within the
context of the friendship bond with Jonathan it is likely though that 2 Samuel 20:1 is asked
out of a desire to fulfil the promise, the oath and covenant between David and Jonathan.
You may want to lead your group through these other passages simply to gain extra insight
into 2 Samuel’s story.]
READ 2 Samuel 20:1-13
David doesn’t just desire to fulfil a promise by showing human kindness but
goes further by showing wanting to show the kindness of God (verse 3). Why
do you think he wants to show God’s kindness to someone from Saul’s family?
[Try to draw out the principle of undeserved grace]
Someone in need of grace/kindness: Mephibosheth.
There was a descendant of Saul still living; a son of Jonathan- Mephibosheth.
(try getting people to say it 10 times quickly just as a tongue twister ☺).
He is crippled in both feet after falling as a five year old when fleeing his home
with his nurse (2 Samuel 4:4). They fled at speed for they assumed that their
lives would be in great danger. He now lived in hiding, in a place called Lo
Debar which in Hebrew means ‘pasture-less’.
Based on the fact that Mephibosheth was crippled, a descendent of the
previous king, living in hiding in a pasture-less place in someone else’s home,
and refers to himself as a ‘dead-dog’ (2 Samuel 20:8) how would you
describe his outlook on life and prospects?
Someone seeking to give grace: David.
David seeks Mephibosheth out and invites him into the king’s presence. He
comes and bows humbly before David. What must he have been thinking as
he approached the king that day? [NB Mephibosheth now is no longer in
hiding, he cannot hide from David any more, he in his hopelessness has been
brought out into the open and he is probably expecting death.]
Do you think the words of David (v7) calm the fears and remove the
feelings of hopelessness from Mephibosheth?
There was a promise of kindness, restoration, inheritance, income, provision.
How does Mephibosheth’s response relate to how we sometimes may respond
to people being overly kind to us?
[Some may speak of suspicion i.e. what is the catch? Others may reveal
feelings of unworthiness or ‘I don’t deserve this’]
David goes on and puts his words into action. Take time to dwell on v11 and
13 especially.
SO WHAT? It is a great story of kindness and grace but what about me? How
does this link with me? We are like Mephibosheth and David in this story.
People who need God’s grace and people who can show God’s grace to
others.
David's display of grace and kindness to Mephibosheth is a wonderful picture
of God's grace to us.
• We are hiding, poor, weak, lame, and fearful before our King Jesus comes
to us
• We are separated from our King because of our wicked ancestors and our
own deliberate actions
• We separated ourselves from the King because we didn't know him or His
love for us
• Our King sought us out before we sought Him
• The King's kindness is extended to us for the sake of another
• The King's kindness is based on covenant
We must receive the King's kindness in humility
The King returns to us what we lost in hiding from Him
The King returns to us more than what we lost in hiding from Him
We have the privilege of provision at the King's table
We are received as sons at the King's table, with access to the King and
fellowship with Him
• The King's honour does not immediately take away all our weakness and
lameness, but it gives us a favour and standing that overcomes its sting
and changes the way we think about ourselves
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We are also to be like David. His grace to Mephibosheth is also a pattern for
us in serving and ministering to others.
• We should seek out our enemies and seek to bless them
• We should look for the poor, weak, lame, and hidden to bless them
• We should bless others when they don't deserve it, and bless them more
than they deserve
• We should bless others for the sake of someone else
• We must show the kindness of God to others
Who this week needs a fresh reminder of God’s grace to them? Who and How
will go and show it?