Hear the word of God:
David asked, "Is there still anyone left of the house of Saul to whom I may show kindness for Jonathan's sake?" Now there was a servant of the house of Saul whose name was Ziba, and he was summoned to David. The king said to him, "Are you Ziba?"
And he said, "At your service!"
The king said, "Is there anyone remaining of the house of Saul to whom I may show the kindness of God?"
Ziba said to the king, "There remains a son of Jonathan; he is crippled in his feet."
The king said to him, "Where is he?"
Ziba said to the king, "He is in the house of Machir son of Ammiel, at Lo-debar."
A promise is a promise. Jonathan is dead, and David is king, but David has not forgotten his friendship with Jonathan. Nor has he forgotten his exchange of promises with this, his greatest friend. Jonathan said: “If I am still alive, show me the faithful love of the Lord; but if I die, never cut off your faithful love from my house, even if the Lord were to cut off every one of the enemies of David from the face of the earth." Thus Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, "May the Lord seek out the enemies of David." Jonathan made David swear again by his love for him; for he loved him as he loved his own life. (1 Samuel 20:14-17 – NRSV). David is determined to prove his steadfast love for Jonathan.
Then King David sent and brought him from the house of Machir son of Ammiel, at Lo-debar. Mephibosheth son of Jonathan son of Saul came to David, and fell on his face and did obeisance. David said, "Mephibosheth!"
He answered, "I am your servant."
David said to him, "Do not be afraid, for I will show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan; I will restore to you all the land of your grandfather Saul, and you yourself shall eat at my table always."
He did obeisance and said, "What is your servant, that you should look upon a dead dog such as I?"
That Mephibosheth is humble seems apparent from his words. At the same time, these words have a familiar sound to David because he knows them all too well. In the desert, fleeing from Saul, Mephibosheth’s grandfather, David speaks of himself as he calls out to Saul: “Against whom has the king of Israel come out? Whom do you pursue? A dead dog? A single flea?” (1 Samuel 24:14-15 – NRSV). David remembers all too well the feelings of fear, the overwhelming sense of vulnerability, the loss of feeling safe. So now he offers the son of Jonathan a way out of danger, poverty, and dependence.
Then the king summoned Saul's servant Ziba, and said to him, "All that belonged to Saul and to all his house I have given to your master's grandson. You and your sons and your servants shall till the land for him, and shall bring in the produce, so that your master's grandson may have food to eat; but your master's grandson Mephibosheth shall always eat at my table." 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." Mephibosheth ate at David's table, like one of the king's sons. Mephibosheth had a young son whose name was Mica. And all who lived in Ziba's house became Mephibosheth's servants. Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, for he always ate at the king's table. Now he was lame in both his feet. (2 Samuel 9 – NRSV).
First David restores Mephibosheth’s fortune. Everything that had belonged to Saul’s family was now Mephibosheth’s, and placed under the care of a professional steward. This would have been more than enough to have generously provided for his needs for several lifetimes. Then David goes one step further; he offers him a seat at his family table, alongside his own sons. At first this seems like unnecessary duplication, but think about it. Saul’s fortune becomes the supply of resources that make up Mephibosheth’s wealth. By itself that would have been a great gift, but would not have restored the relationship between the house of David and Jonathan. So David offers a place at his royal table. Without the fortune of Saul, the table of David would be mere benevolence; with the fortune of Saul, a seat at that table becomes hospitality. Do we see the difference?
I think the gap between benevolence and hospitality is huge. How the two work is different, and the relationship involved is different. To me, benevolence is good, but it has the tendency to trap us into power plays with the very people we would help. And the power situation changes how they feel about us as well.
So the question I ask is: “Is our ministry a benevolent work, or a work of hospitality?” How would that difference work out in our ministry today?
Think about it.
Ron
