“Is there still someone of the house of Saul, that I may show the kindness of God to him?” (2 Sam. 9:3 ESV).

Those who have been touched by the grace of God want to pass it on.

God had demonstrated grace to King David in so many ways. He fought the giant Goliath and won. He had escaped the snares and dangers of wild beasts. His life had been redeemed from the pit of pain, hunger, and desertion multiple times. Now, David wanted to reciprocate that grace.

When David became King, he asked, “Is there still someone of the house of Saul, that I may show the kindness of God to him?” (2 Sam. 9:3 ESV). Customarily, the incoming king would exterminate all the members of the previous dynasty to prevent any descendant from seeking the throne. David found Mephibosheth, Jonathan’s son, a crippled man, living in fear and obscurity who thought of himself as a dead dog. Hobbling into David’s throne room, expecting to be executed, David spared his life. David showed Mephibosheth kindness because David knew Jonathan. In addition, David restored Mephibosheth’s fortune and included him into the King’s family. From then on, Mephibosheth always ate at David’s table. (You can read this story in 2 Samuel 9.)

Just as David, the king, brought the outcast Mephibosheth into the palace and made him a son, God adopted us into his family. You and I are Mephibosheths, too. The similarities between his life and ours are eerie. Before we came into a relationship with the Father, we spent our lives running from him in brokenness and shame. We feared that entering his presence would bring judgment upon our heads. When, finally, we lay trembling at his feet, he touched us and said, “Don’t be afraid.” He lifted us up and said, “I’m going to give back to you everything you ever lost because of sin. I’m going to give you an inheritance, blessings, and riches in the heavenly places. But more than that, I want you forever in my presence eating at my table, and I’m going to call you my child.”

And when we protested, “But why would you care about a handicapped loser like me?” He answered, “Because I know your brother Jesus. And for his sake, I’m doing it all for you.”