Gospel Reflections #1073: Not the Roles but the Character

2 Samuel 9:3 ‘The king said, “Is there no one left of the house of Saul, to whom I might show the faithfulness I swore?” Ziba replied to the king, “There is one son of Jonathan; he is lame in both feet.”’

This is a moving scene in which David, King of Israel, recalls the promise he made to his former close friend Jonathan and sets out to find his surviving family to bestow upon them ‘God’s grace’.

Jonathan’s son (Mephibosheth) had been lame since childhood.

When Saul was defeated by the Philistines at Jezreel, Mephibosheth’s nurse, whilst fleeing with him, accidentally dropped him, leaving him unable to walk.

Mephibosheth had been in hiding for many years, fearing that David might kill him as a rival to the throne.

However, Ziba, a servant at court, was the only one who knew of Jonathan’s son.

And Ziba revealed Mephibosheth’s whereabouts to David.

What David intended to offer was not merely an act of kindness.

David’s promise to Jonathan signified ‘love that would never forsake’ and ‘faithful love based on a covenant’.

Mephibosheth prostrated himself before David and swore his allegiance.

Surprisingly, David treated Mephibosheth with kindness; all of Saul’s property was restored to him, he was granted a lifetime pension, and he was treated as if he were one of David’s own sons.

David, who always kept his promises, and even though he was a man of deep emotions, his forgiving heart and respectful treatment are the very embodiment of the character of the Lord Jesus.

We, too, are given various roles and trials, but rather than focusing on achieving them, we should bear in mind that, through these roles and trials, our character is being moulded to resemble that of God.

The character that David developed over a long period of time was nurtured and refined by God through the relationship he built with Him during that time.

AUTHOR'S BIO: This Gospel Reflections page is written by Masae San, who resides in Hiroshima, Japan. Masae is a dedicated student of the Bible with a deep passion for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. She shares her daily reflections on Gospel perspectives to reach out to others and spread the message of God's true love through a Christ-centered approach. We are sharing her insights here so that you, too, can experience the joy that comes from knowing and understanding the true Gospel and the love of God through Jesus Christ.