Day 5: Integrity of heart
“Don’t be afraid,” David said to [Mephibosheth], “for I will surely show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan. I will restore to you all the land that belonged to your grandfather Saul, and you will always eat at my table” (2 Samuel 9:7).
Our Father, You are the great God, the great King above all gods (Psalm 95:3). The wisdom of Your word tells us that when the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan (Proverbs 29:2 - NKJV).
You have shown us David's rule as king as an example of the righteous in authority. A summary of his life and rule is given in 1 Kings 15:5— For David had done what was right in the eyes of the Lord and had not failed to keep any of the Lord’s commands all the days of his life—except in the case of Uriah the Hittite.
In Your mighty, unsearchable wisdom, You had selected him— a humble shepherd boy and made him a great king over a nation:
He chose David His servant and took him from the sheep pens; from tending the sheep He brought him to be the shepherd of His people Jacob, of Israel His inheritance. And David shepherded them with integrity of heart; with skillful hands he led them (Psalm 78:70-72).
And we clearly see David's integrity of heart in the account of David and Mephibosheth (2 Samuel 9:1-11). Motivated by love for his friend Jonathan, David sought out possible connections to his friend— David asked, “Is there anyone still left of the house of Saul to whom I can show kindness for Jonathan’s sake?” (vs.1).
Instead of following the custom of his day to eliminate any possibility of threat to his rule from the family of the previous king, David embraced Mephibosheth— wounded and disabled from childhood by an unfortunate accident— and brought him into his own household: So Mephibosheth ate at David’s table like one of the king’s sons (vs. 11).
Father, questions have been raised about the precise meaning of the phrase used by the prophet Samuel to describe David— a man after [God's] own heart (1Samuel 13:14). But regardless of any uncertainty about that particular phrase, we certainly see Your loving justice and Your compassion reflected here in David's integrity of heart.
Like Mephibosheth, in the woundedness and brokenness of our sin, we have nothing to recommend us to Your grace. Our human lineage and legacy have made us enemies of God with only a fearful expectation of judgment (Hebrews 10:27).
Yet You sought us out, and reconciled us to Yourself through the death of Your Son (Romans 5:10). And You seat us at Your table forevermore (Isaiah 25:6; Psalm 23:5; Luke 12:37, 13:29; 14:13; Revelation 19:19). Thank You, Lord for Your amazing grace!
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