II Samuel 9:1, “And David said, ‘Is there yet any that is left from the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan’s sake?’”
Verse 3, “And the king said, ‘Is there not yet any of the house of Saul, that I may show the kindness of God unto him?’”
Verse 7, “And David said, ‘Fear not, for I will surely show thee kindness for Jonathan thy father’s sake, and will restore thee all the land of Saul they father and thou shalt eat bread at my table continually.’”
David wanted to be kind, he wanted to do something good. It is a good desire when it is in our heart to do good and to be kind. Sometimes it is not easy to do it, and sometimes it does not work. There are a lot of things in this world that we see that we can do very little about, but we can show kindness. It is always in season to bear the fruit of kindness. It leaves no scars nor regrets.
Don’t be surprised when sometimes our kindness is not fully appreciated, but you did not do anything wrong by being kind. God gave the world the greatest gift of kindness that was ever seen when He sent His only Son into this world. Jesus was not received by most and most misunderstood He was the greatest kindness this world has ever known.
Sometimes when we try to be kind, there are those who maybe won’t understand. Maybe they themselves have not shown kindness, and they will not understand what it is – the kindness we are trying to show them. Jesus came into the world to express to the world the kindness of God. God was so kind and so understanding that He sent to us the plain, simple gospel message. A wonderful kindness that God has shown.
David felt he had a debt of kindness. I also have a debt of kindness, and I wish I knew how to pay just a little. All true meaningful and lasting kindness begins with God. God is the source, the spring of all kindness.
David remembered that Jonathan had been good to him, he had been a true friend, he had risked his life for David, and he defended David before Saul. He had put his own life in jeopardy. David did not forget this and it was a debt he wanted to pay. Mephibosheth was to receive kindness from David, not because of anything he was, but because of what Jonathan was.
David lost nothing by being kind and we will never lose when we are kind. There is much, everything to be gained, and nothing to lose. It is a wonderful privilege, if in any way, I could show some kindness to someone.
It is one of the few acts or deeds in life that we can do and we won’t have any regrets for. It is one of life’s few pleasures that we can truly feel good about is just showing a little kindness to someone.
Sometimes it is not received so well. I have received kindness from people that I did not even know, but they knew my father and I am his son so they were kind to me. You have been kind to me, I have not done anything for you. I wish I did. But you have been kind, and I appreciate it. It is not because of me. It is because of God looking down from Heaven that you have been kind to me. God wants us to receive kindness with thankfulness.
God wants to be kind to us. The kindness that God shows to us is because of Jesus and what Jesus did and our love for Him and our willingness to obey. God wants to be kind to us, and He wants to give us a place. When the king gave Mephibosheth a place at his table, the door [was] opened. We can go to the throne of grace every day, regardless of what has been troubling us. We could take it there. We can share it with Him, our Father. It is this place we have been given because of Christ.
There is a proper way to show kindness, and there is a proper way to receive kindness. Kindness comes from the heart. It expects nothing in return. If we expect anything in return, it is not kindness. Kindness must be received with gratitude, and it can’t be demanded and God help us, it is never taken for granted. Mephibosheth was lame in his feet, but at the table of the king, it was hidden. It was not an issue. Our inabilities and our weaknesses should not keep us back from the kindness of God. Mephibosheth would have realised he is here not because of himself, but because of another who has opened the door and made it possible for him to receive grace.
The kindness of God has helped me, and it has helped me today and I know it will help me in the future. I know if it wasn’t for the kindness of God, I could not go on in God’s way. The only way I can continue is because of God’s kindness, wonderful care, and mercy. Without it, we cannot continue. God has set us free from our past and our guilt. It all is part of the kindness of God. We receive so much of God’s kindness and the only way we could ever repay, even in a small measure, is to be kind to others.
We heard of one of our friends who were working at a place where he was facing a lot of hardship and persecution. Things were said about him that were untrue and unkind. But he was kind to everyone. Bye and bye, he was called in by the supervisor who asked, “But how can you be like this?” He said, “Yes, God has been kind to me and He expects me to be kind to others.”
This is part of our privileges in this way of God – when others are not so kind, we can still be kind. An older brother who has come to the end of his life, when asked said that when he would have his life over, he would live it the same except he would show more kindness. Already this old brother had been a very, very kind man all his life. We can never show too much of this kindness.
When Samson was bound in prison and had his eyes put out, the enemy knew nothing of the kindness of God. They knew not the power of prayer. Except we have fallen in the way, we will not know the kindness of God and the water He pours on us to revive us to live again. When Peter was having his greatest struggle and facing his greatest defeat, Jesus was the most kind.
Jesus was kind to people who others did not want anything to do with. We never will have the right to be unkind. Let us be more kind than is necessary to everyone we meet because everyone we meet is having some kind of a struggle. We may not know about it, but the only thing that is going to help them is if we are kinder than is necessary.
Kind actions begin with thoughts of kindness. God has no part in unkindness, because He is always kind.
II Samuel 10:2, David wanted to show kindness to Hanun and they missed it all together. They could not understand what is this kindness that David is wanting to show them. They understood greed and selfishness. They have never seen kindness and they couldn’t understand it. I wonder if we sometimes misunderstand the kindness that someone has tried to show to us. Maybe sometimes, we misunderstand the kindness of God.
We need to understand the kindness shown to us because there is a deeper purpose in it. David used what we could call diplomacy with Hanun. It failed because Hanun did not understand kindness. There was a leader of another country – he said, “Speak softly and carry a big stick. ” Sometimes we forget to speak softly and just carry the big stick. That is not kindness. David was using the diplomacy of kindness. He had learned that as a shepherd and he learnt it well.
We could use kindness in our relationships with others and with those we work with. It is always becoming for a child of God to show kindness. From the beginning of time, from the beginning of creation, God has always used the diplomacy of kindness. In the gospel is a full example of the diplomacy of kindness. If we are not kind to a stranger, maybe they won’t have any hope of knowing the truth.
God is longsuffering in His kindness towards us. It is a part of His goodness. We appreciate it so much. Thinking of the cross, there are so many things that we can learn from Jesus that will help us to obey God.
The cross teaches us about the wisdom of God. It teaches us we must love others first, how to suffer and how to be kind. We deny many things about the cross of Jesus instead of obeying it. It teaches us the law of kindness.
There was a man who went to visit his mother. He was not walking in God’s way. He was kind and caring for his mother. He got saved when two of God’s servants came there and the wonderful comfort they could give. He could not understand why he could not give the same comfort. But he listened to the story of Jesus and then he understood kindness and it brought comfort to his mother.
I was thinking of the time when Joab had slain Abner. II Samuel 3:39, David said, “Although I am anointed king, I am weak this day. The sons of Zeruiah be too hard for me.” Often we feel we cannot understand the hardness of some. There was a tenderness about David and he felt he wanted to show kindness to his enemies. This was the man whom even the smallest or weakest of the flock could trust.
Kindness has a wonderful healing effect and it leaves no scars. Kindness is a fruit that we need more of. There was a sister worker who before she went into the work, worked in an emergency room. People would come in injured, hurt. Many because of fighting, wrestling, or showing off. She said that they treated them with the same gentleness and the same kindness like any other patient. This is how kind God is to us.
Sometimes we are hurt due to our own choices, things that I chose, but God is so kind and so understanding. We will have no regrets for times we have shown kindness. There is still a lot to learn about it. From my own experience, those who have shown kindness have made all the difference for me.
We need to have soft and willing hearts. Hearts are not made soft by whips and hammers but by gentleness, through kindness and love. Everything that is true is not kind and does not need to be said. We can never be over-kind.
There is nothing kinder than praying for another, and we can always do that. We sang in that hymn, “Every deed forms a part in this building of ours for the love that we show and the kindness we bestow, He has promised us a bright reward.”
Truth Archive 